Fraudulent Promises Lead to Major Theft Using Computer Technology

Throughout 2019, various law enforcement units in different administrative regions and provinces of the Republic of Armenia received numerous reports from citizens regarding similar criminal offenses. These reports indicated that users of several personal accounts registered under the names “Varker Sev Cucakum Gtnvoxnerin” and “Individuals on the Black List” on the Facebook social network were making various promises. They claimed to assist in eliminating and correcting negative credit histories registered with the ACRA credit bureau, and in obtaining new loans under favorable conditions. As a result, they demanded and received hundreds of thousands of drams from citizens. However, after receiving the respective transfers, access to these accounts was blocked for the citizens.

In relation to the crimes described above, various criminal cases have been opened by the competent authorities of the Republic of Armenia at different times, which have been centralized within the jurisdiction of the Main Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the RA Investigative Committee for the purpose of conducting a unified and systematic investigation.

During the preliminary investigation of the criminal case, extensive investigative and other procedural actions were carried out, alongside operational and investigative measures undertaken by the employees of the Main Department of Criminal Police of the RA Police in the field of combating crimes related to high technologies. Thanks to the effective assistance of the companies in the payment systems sector of the Republic of Armenia, the circumstances of the crimes have been clarified.

Specifically, it was revealed that the crimes were committed by a previously convicted individual who registered three different identification data under the names “Varker Sev Cucakum Gtnvoxnerin” and “Individuals on the Black List” on the Facebook social network at different times. He communicated via the Messenger application with several dozen citizens who contacted him, presenting himself as a person authorized to assist in the elimination and correction of negative credit histories registered in the ACRA credit bureau, and subsequently in the obtaining of new loans under favorable conditions.

By making fraudulent promises to provide services of the aforementioned nature to interested individuals, he unlawfully demanded and received large sums of money through various payment systems such as “Tell Sell,” “Easy Pay,” and “Idram.” He directed these funds to 31 individual accounts registered under the Vivarot Group’s vivarobet.am website, utilizing computer technology to embezzle the substantial amounts transferred by the citizens.

Moreover, in order not to identify himself with the transferred amounts, the alleged perpetrator received the funds transferred by the citizens to fake, unregistered accounts opened under fictitious identities. Subsequently, to cash the embezzled funds, he partially lost the accumulated amounts from the fake accounts through the “Belote” game on the vivarobet.am site, and transferred the generated cash to his accounts in the Idram payment system, as well as other individual accounting accounts he used within various offices of Vivarot Group, cashing out the money for personal use.

Based on the collected evidence, the citizen has been charged with committing an act specified in the first part of the third paragraph of Article 181 of the RA Criminal Code (theft committed using computer technology). Measures are being taken to identify other individuals affected by his actions and to restore the property damage inflicted upon them. The preliminary investigation is ongoing.

Notice: A suspect or accused in the alleged crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in the manner provided by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia, by a legally binding court decision.