Two Ukrainians arrested in Romania for large-scale financial scam

Romanian police have arrested two Ukrainian nationals, aged 19 and 20, on suspicion of complicity in fraud and forgery. The arrests followed a complaint from a 39-year-old woman who reported being defrauded of a substantial amount of money.

The victim stated that the suspects contacted her by phone, falsely claiming to represent the Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) and a bank. They convinced her that her money was in danger due to identity theft and instructed her to deposit approximately 69,700 lei into Bitcoin ATMs using QR codes they provided. The woman complied with their instructions.

Subsequently, the fraudsters informed her that ATM transactions were no longer functional. They arranged to meet her in Florilor Park, Sector 2, where one of them, posing as a bank representative, took an additional 217,000 lei from her. Realizing she had been scammed, the woman filed a criminal complaint. Police identified the two Ukrainian men, one suspected of collecting the money and the other of facilitating his transport. They were apprehended in Azuga, Prahova County, and are currently detained for 24 hours pending further investigation and potential pre-trial detention.