Criminal Group Engaged in Computer Theft in Yerevan

In February of this year, the Cybercrime Division of the Criminal Police received credible operational information regarding the activities of a criminal organization. According to the information, a group of citizens from Armenia and foreign countries had formed a criminal organization and was engaged in computer theft in an office space located on Garegin Nzhdeh Street in Yerevan.

As a result of extensive operational and investigative measures that lasted for months, the method of committing the crimes, the identities of those involved in the criminal organization, and each participant's role were established.

On July 1, after meticulous preparations, the officers of the Criminal Police and the Investigative Committee conducted an unexpected search. Thanks to their skilled actions, the members of the criminal organization were unable to destroy key electronic evidence.

Computer hardware and mobile phones belonging to the members of the criminal organization were discovered, which were specially equipped to mitigate the risk of revealing their identities.

Prior to this, factual data had been obtained indicating that members of the criminal organization had established contact with individuals living abroad via the internet, presenting themselves under various aliases and communicating in foreign languages to fraudulently obtain financial resources from them. Specifically, they offered victims the opportunity to invest in financial platforms that purported to deal in fake cryptocurrencies, promising quick profits.

Furthermore, the members of the criminal organization targeted individuals who had already fallen victim to similar crimes, offering to conduct a fake investigation under the pretext of recovering lost funds, for which they demanded a commission fee.

Based on the information obtained by the Cybercrime Division of the Criminal Police, criminal proceedings were initiated in the Cybercrime and High Technology Crime Investigative Division of the Investigative Committee, and measures continued collaboratively.

Acquiring evidence is especially crucial in uncovering cybercrimes. This was not the first case, and experienced law enforcement officers were aware that the members of this criminal organization had specific means and guidelines to destroy evidence on computers in case of an unexpected visit by law enforcement.

Public criminal prosecution has been initiated against a group of individuals for the formation or leadership of a criminal organization, as well as for committing computer theft of particularly large amounts by the criminal organization.

The above represents another significant breakthrough by the Cybercrime Division of the Criminal Police. Currently, officers of the Criminal Police are actively collaborating with partners from foreign countries to locate individuals who have been affected by the criminal organization's activities.