Sweden Calls for Action Over Ukraine Crypto 'Fraud Factory'

Ukraine has been asked to act following a report of an alleged cryptocurrency fraud operation duping naive investors from Sweden's capital.

AccessTimeIconMar 4, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. UTC
Updated Aug 19, 2021 at 1:09 a.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Sweden's foreign minister has called for Ukraine to act following the exposing of an alleged cryptocurrency fraud operation duping naive investors from the country's capital.

The so-called "fraud factory," working from two floors of plush offices in Kyiv, was exposed after an investigation by Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter (DN) published Monday.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • Called Milton Group, the firm was revealed to have employed ranks of telemarketers cold-calling potential investors, often older people, and offering inviting returns on money put into stocks and cryptocurrencies.

    However, DN writes in the report: "Their real operation is committing fraud on an industrial level – and their victims are from all around the world."

    Responding to the claims on Tuesday, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said, "It is really upsetting to see how they bluff Swedish retirees who have to leave their homes and live on a minimum subsistence level. And then they sit there, laughing."

    As quoted by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Linde added that it's "important" that authorities in Ukraine are informed about Milton Group's alleged activities and that the claims are looked into.

    DN alleges a number of individuals have lost their life savings through the scheme. In all, it says that the firm has left possibly 1,000 people from over 50 countries with losses. It's not clear how much money may have been taken by the scheme, but a team member is caught on video boating of persuading one individual to hand over $150,000.

    After persuading a victim to part with an initial investment of around $100, DN said, the salesperson then attempts to persuade the victim to install a program said to assist with financial advice. In fact, it provides Milton's staff with full control of the host computer. The claims include that "big" loans were taken out in victims' names without their permission using banking data stolen via the app and ID information that victims were asked to provide.

    After initial investments, victims are shown figures suggesting high returns. Yet when they tried to withdraw the funds, the money disappeared, the investigation found. Some have also been left with sizable loans they hadn't agreed to.

    The investigation was carried out with the help of a whistle-blower within Milton Group who provided materials from the firm's own database, as well as video recordings of the team's activities.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.