Preliminary investigation on five defendants within criminal case investigated on swindling was completed in General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the RA Investigative Committee.

In the result of large-scale investigative and other procedural actions it was found out and grounded that from August, 2019 to June, 2020 a group of people reached prior agreement on committing swindling.

In order to realize their intention, concealing their real goals the members of the group applied to a computer service provider and through him disseminated announcements on providing loans on favorable terms by using pages registered in “facebook.com” in which not financial or credit organizations and credit organizations not registered in the state register of legal entities of the RA Ministry of Justice were mentioned as companies allegedly providing financial services.

The citizens who had applied to them based on the announcements and had a desire to receive loans were invited to offices hired in advance located at several addresses in Yerevan and were presented that they allegedly could organize receiving loans in their names from several banks and credit organizations for 30-35% commission or through purchase of household appliances and mobile phones on credit in the name of the applicant and provision of the money through their sale.  

Then abusing the confidence of the citizens who had applied to them they accompanied them to several banks, credit and trade organizations, by cheating took the loan money, goods or receipts provided to them telling that it was allegedly necessary to enter the received money to the office, to make final calculations, to sell the purchased goods, to calculate the commission and then to provide the promised amount but they stole the received money and property.

It was also found out that the members of the group also used other methods of cheating and abusing confidence.

Particularly, getting the personal data of those who had applied to them they registered accounts in their names in the payment system through which they online received loan money from credit organizations. However they did not give the money to citizens but having access to the accounts registered in their names in the payment system they cashed the loan money through transfers and stole it.

Besides, they told those who had received loans that they would allegedly provide them loan money in larger amount and abusing their confidence they received the commissions calculated for the promised amount. Anyway, they did not give the citizens any money.

In another case they took some money from the citizens who had received loans telling that they would allegedly pay the interests. But they did not pay the interests and stole the money.

The members of the group handed the stolen money, goods and receipts to the head of the group and received certain money as a salary.

Pursuant to data obtained through preliminary investigation 17 million AMD from 28 people has been stolen by cheating.

Charge was pressed against 2 members of the group according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 178 of RA Criminal Code, against 3 members – according to the Points 1 and 2 of the Part 2 of the Article 178 of RA Criminal Code. Preliminary investigation on the mentioned five members was completed and the criminal case with the bill of indictment was sent to court. Signature not to leave was chosen as a pretrial measure against them.

The head of the group was involved as a defendant according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 178 of RA Criminal Code, search was declared and detention was chosen as a pretrial measure against him. The part on the latter was separated in a separate proceeding preliminary investigation of which is ongoing.

Measures are taken to find others possibly affected by the actions of the criminal group as well as other possible members of the group.

Note; Everyone charged with alleged crime offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.