Police record over 300 fraud cases targeting families of missing persons – official

This was reported in an interview with Ukrinform by Artur Dobroserdov, the Commissioner for Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, when asked how widespread fraud targeting families of missing persons is.

“Unfortunately, this is a serious problem. Last year alone, more than 300 official complaints were filed with the police by families who had fallen victim to fraudulent schemes. Fraudsters often operate through Russian Telegram channels or even use artificial intelligence technologies. They falsify photographs or videos of prisoners and then contact families,” he said.

According to Dobroserdov, scammers may initially ask for small amounts of money, but in some cases the sums involved reach hundreds of thousands of hryvnias or dollars.

“Therefore, our main recommendation is not to engage with unknown channels, especially Russian ones, and to share any information only with official institutions,” the commissioner urged.

He also reminded that publishing detailed information about a serviceman, such as their place of service, unit, or the circumstances of their disappearance, can be harmful.

“Such data may be used against the family or against the serviceman himself,” Dobroserdov explained.

As reported, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine emphasized that the state does not charge money for searching for missing persons or providing information about them.

Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine