Five accomplices of Ukrainian call centers detained in Belarus

Employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus together with special forces detained in different regions of the country five accomplices of Ukrainian call centers, including three minors, the department said.

“The defendants assisted Ukrainian call centers by engaging in fraud and embezzlement of funds by modifying computer information. The detainees created and administered telegram communities, whose members, the so-called drops, provided subscriber numbers of Russian mobile operators. Then they were sent to Ukraine to register accounts in messengers, fraudulent calls, phishing mailings. In total, more than 2.5 thousand numbers were transferred, the report said.

According to the police, 38 persons involved and aware of the criminal scheme were identified. Searches were conducted at their places of residence.

Investigators opened a criminal case for theft of property by modifying computer information committed by an organized group. The defendants face up to 12 years in prison. Criminal liability under this article comes from the age of 14, noted in the interior Ministry.

In July 2026, the international organization Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime estimated the revenue of the industry of fraudulent call centers in Ukraine in the amount of up to $ 1 billion per month. The market is largely controlled by organized crime groups.

In Russia, law enforcement agencies also identified accomplices of Ukrainian call centers. In May 2025, a man was detained in the Trans-Baikal Territory, who, according to the FSB, on the instructions of a Ukrainian curator placed SIM boxes in a rented apartment to make anonymous calls to Russians for fraudulent purposes.