Fraud and fake intermediaries

This page is intended to warn Turkish citizens living in Ukraine or preparing to travel to Ukraine about scams. The Ukrainian police state that new scam methods have emerged during the war. The Migration Service has also repeatedly warned against people asking for money as “intermediaries” in document procedures. Below you will find the most common methods, ways to protect yourself, and what to do if you are scammed.

• Methods identified by Kyiv police during the war:
  • “Collecting money for soldiers”: collecting money while posing as a volunteer and keeping the donations
  • “Information” about missing relatives: contacting people who have posted missing-person notices and promising information in exchange for a reward
  • “Evacuation transport”: taking advance payment for transport from a conflict zone and disappearing
  • Affordable rental housing: renting out a nonexistent home and disappearing after receiving the deposit
  • “Your son has been captured”: calling relatives and demanding a ransom for his release
• Fake online sales, calls posing as bank employees, and fake police officers demanding money to save a relative from punishment are also common.
• According to warnings from the National Bank of Ukraine, other common methods include:
  • fake “state aid” messages and fake bank bots (Telegram)
  • fake QR codes pasted over official signs
  • hacking social media accounts and asking friends for money
  • fake investment platforms promising “guaranteed high returns”

• A scammer may claim to be anyone: a bank employee; an employee of the National Bank, Pension Fund, or tax administration; a police officer; an employee of municipal services or a mobile operator; or a buyer who has contacted you about your listing.
• End the conversation immediately if they:
  • ask for your card’s expiration date, the three-digit code on its back, passwords, or codes sent by your bank or operator
  • instruct you to perform transactions by phone or install an application
  • ask for a photo of your card
  • try to scare you by saying “your card has been blocked” or “your account has been hacked”
  • ask you to follow a link and enter your card details
• Over the phone, a bank may ask only for the card’s first six and last four digits. To send you money, only the 16-digit card number is needed.
• Number spoofing: the real number of a bank or government institution may appear on your screen. If you are suspicious, hang up and call the number on the back of your card yourself.
• The NBU and banks do not ask for card numbers or PINs. Report such calls to the police.

• The Migration Service (ДМС) asks you not to use the services of any intermediary for document procedures. According to the Service, offers to “speed up” procedures are illegal.
• The Migration Service issues documents only at its own offices, administrative service centers (ЦНАП), and “Passport Service” centers, in person.
• The warning from the Kyiv Regional Migration Service to foreigners:
  • Intermediaries cannot influence the outcome of a procedure in any way.
  • Most often, the only thing they do is register you in the electronic queue. You can do this yourself from home.
  • Some intermediaries and “consultants” provide incorrect information. In one example reported by the Service, a misled foreigner was fined for violating the rules on staying in the country.
  • Intermediaries may give foreigners fake documents. If a fake document is detected, you may have to prove that you did not know it was fake.
• Knowingly using a fake document is a crime in Ukraine (Criminal Code, Article 358(4)).
• According to the Migration Service, people who obtain residence permits through fictitious marriages (фіктивні шлюби) are identified and prosecuted, sent back to their countries, and have the documents they obtained cancelled.
• The proper way: book the appointment yourself through the electronic queue on the Migration Service’s official website. Obtain information only from the Migration Service’s official website and service cards (guide.diia.gov.ua).

• According to the police, scammers post rental listings at attractive prices and ask for advance payment or a deposit. After the money is sent, they cut off contact.
• How to protect yourself:
  • Do not send money before viewing the home and meeting the landlord or signing a contract.
  • Ask for the landlord’s passport and the property documents.
  • Be careful if the price is much lower than similar listings in the area.
  • Pressure such as “there is high demand, pay immediately” may be a sign of fraud.
• For the rules on rental agreements, see U7.3.

• Warning signs of investment fraud identified by the NBU:
  • “guaranteed” high returns (e.g., 1–3% per day) and no risk warning
  • no license or permit, or inability to verify them
  • no company registered in Ukraine and no physical office
  • managers and owners whose identities are hidden
  • persistent calls and messages saying “invest now”
  • requests to send the money to an individual’s card
  • requests to install remote-access software
  • requests for an additional “commission,” “tax,” or “activation” fee to withdraw money
• The NBU publishes a list of companies providing unauthorized financial services on its website. Before investing, search for the company on this list and in official registers.

• According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, scammers have started using artificial intelligence and fake videos (deepfakes).
• The Ministry recommends the following to distinguish fake images:
  • enlarge the photo: look for unnatural shadows, crooked lines, and strange textures
  • look at the hands and faces: too many or too few fingers, disproportionate facial features
  • check the background and text: blurry backgrounds and illegible signs
  • check the image with a reverse image search
• If you receive a message asking for money using the voice or image of someone you know, call that person using a number you already know.

1. Immediately call your bank using the number printed on the back of the card. Have your cards, accounts, and online banking blocked.
2. Collect evidence: payment receipts, bank receipts, printouts of listings, links, correspondence, and call records.
3. Submit an online report to the Cyber Police (ticket.cyberpolice.gov.ua) or call 102.
4. Contact the listing site’s administration and have the scammer’s account closed.
5. If your passport or documents have been compromised, report it to the police and the Turkish mission.
6. Under the Criminal Code of Ukraine, fraud (шахрайство) is a crime (Article 190). Fraud committed under martial law and causing significant damage to the victim is punishable by a fine or 3–5 years in prison.

• National Police: 102
• Cyber Police Department (Департамент кіберполіції)
  • Online application: ticket.cyberpolice.gov.ua
  • Information hotline regarding applications: 0 800 50 51 70 (free within Ukraine; Monday–Thursday 09:00–18:00, Friday 09:00–17:00)
  • Reception office: +380 44 374 37 13
• Ministry of Internal Affairs hotline: 1536
• NBU Contact Center (complaints about banks): 0 800 505 240 (free within Ukraine)
• Migration Service: official website and electronic queue for appointments and information: dmsu.gov.ua
• Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Kyiv: +380 44 281 07 50; emergency +380 63 211 47 65
• Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Odesa: +380 48 722 79 11; emergency +380 93 711 00 24, +380 93 711 00 26
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye Consular Call Center (24/7): +90 312 292 29 29

• Paying online “intermediaries” for a residence permit or appointment.
• Telling someone who calls from the “bank security service” your SMS code.
• Sending a deposit for a rental home without seeing it.
• Transferring money to another account because someone says “transfer it to a secure account.”
• Installing remote-access software requested over the phone.
• Delaying the blocking of your card and deleting evidence after being scammed.
• Sending money without verifying who is collecting the donation.

• Do I need an intermediary for my Migration Service procedures? No. The Migration Service asks you not to use an intermediary; you can book the appointment yourself through the electronic queue.
• What should I do if an intermediary asks for money to “speed things up”? According to the Migration Service, these offers are illegal. Do not pay.
• What information can my bank ask for over the phone? According to the NBU, at most the first six and last four digits of the card. Do not share the code on the back, your PIN, or SMS codes with anyone.
• I have been scammed. Where should I apply? First call your bank and have the card blocked, then submit an online report to the Cyber Police or call 102.
• How can I tell whether an investment offer is genuine? Guaranteed high returns, lack of a license, and requests to send money to a personal card are among the main warning signs identified by the NBU.
• What happens if I later realize that I was given a fake document? Knowingly using a fake document is a crime. Do not use the document; contact the police and the Turkish mission, and consult a lawyer.

• Cyber Police – online application form
• Cyber Police – contact information
• NBU – Guide against fraud (#ШахрайГудбай)
• NBU – Warning about unlicensed activity and company list
• Migration Service – Electronic queue
• Migration Service – Warning against intermediaries
• Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs – Fraud using artificial intelligence
• Diia service guide – official service cards