In the Minsk region detained 19 participants of the cyber fraud scheme, stole from citizens large sums

Law enforcement officers of the Minsk region stopped the activities of an organized group whose members stole money from citizens using social engineering. During a large-scale special operation, 19 defendants were detained, assets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars were seized. This was reported at a press conference by representatives of the Department for combating cybercrime of the police Department of the Minsk region and the Investigative Committee, writes sb.by.

Deputy Head of the Internal Affairs Department of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee – Head of the Criminal Police Sergey Yakubel noted that in 2026 a sharp increase in thefts using social engineering schemes was recorded in the St. Petersburg district. Victims of telephone dealers under severe psychological pressure collected savings and issued large loans, and then left the money in hiding.

- Our department has carried out painstaking and multilevel analytical work, the officer said. Law enforcement officers not only recorded individual episodes, but built a general picture, analyzing each piece of information in detail. This approach allowed us to uncover a cunning plan and identify intruders, including coordinators who managed the movements in real time and transmitted the exact location of the hidden funds.

The mechanism of legalization of the abducted was thought out to the smallest detail. After the seizure of “treasures”, a multi-tier money laundering system came into effect. The bills were transferred through a network of intermediaries, each had its own role. Cash was split, redistributed and turned into cryptocurrency. Law enforcement officers have identified a key defendant – the so-called cryptocurrency, which accumulated and held significant amounts of cryptocurrency, performing the function of a shadow bank of a criminal organization. He not only converted the funds, but managed them, accumulated and distributed at the direction of the coordinators. The operations were carried out bypassing the legal digital infrastructure, diverting other people’s savings to the opaque segment of crypto platforms. The fraudster was aware of the methods of law enforcement and tried to complicate their activities.

Each participant in the chain – from the courier who took the package to the operator of cryptocurrency conversions – understood that the money was stolen from Belarusians, and acted intentionally.

Head of the department for combating cybercrime of the criminal police of the Internal Affairs Department of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee Pavel Strok revealed the details of the special operation. During the searches, several hundred thousand US dollars and other assets were seized in the equivalent. In one example, he showed how sophisticated the attackers were. The teacher of one of the educational institutions of the country lost 41,200 dollars after a routine call in the messenger. The scheme began with a message from a perjured employee of “Belposhta”, which stated about the missing letter from the tax office and found out personal data, including the code that came. Then the man was contacted by a new participant of the deception, who introduced herself as a police officer. She said that due to the data leak on his behalf, a transfer was made to the address of the wanted person, and he himself is suspected of treason. Scared by the immediate search and confiscation of undeclared savings, the scammers persuaded the victim to urgently zero family accounts and issue maximum loans. A fake employee of the bank joined the case, coordinating the actions of the man.

Fulfilling the instructions, he issued two loans for the amount of more than 25 thousand rubles and 32 thousand rubles, came to the capital, cashed them, converted them into dollars and left the package at a stop in the village of Maculishchi. Three days later, according to the same scheme, the victim took two more loans for 25 thousand rubles, added personal savings and grandmother’s savings, took more than 13 thousand dollars to the Minsk district. Then, under the pretext of a lack of declared funds, he was forced to borrow another $10,000 from an acquaintance, which he buried in foliage under a tree.

A case helped stop the conveyor of deception: going by taxi to the final meeting with an alleged KGB employee, a passenger heard a radio warning that law enforcement officers never call through messengers. Realizing what was happening, he dialed 102, where real police officers confirmed the fact of the crime.

Law enforcement officers recalled simple safety rules. If you get a call about a package, a fine or a letter, never tell anyone the codes from SMS or messengers. Attackers often frighten citizens by the fact that they allegedly “became a victim of fraudsters”, after which they demand to continue communication with the National Bank, KGB or the “investigator” via Telegram. This is a complete fraud, since real law enforcement officers never use instant messengers for operational communication. At the slightest doubt, you should stop the conversation and call 102.

The police have all the necessary means, technical capabilities and resources to identify each member of criminal groups. None of those involved will be left out of sight.