Video: Large Cybercrime in Yerevan - Fake Casinos, Crypto Assets, and Trafficking Suspicions

The officers of the Cybercrime Unit of the Main Criminal Police Department received operative information that an organized crime group was operating in one of the private houses in the Arabkir administrative district and its adjacent buildings. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the information, a report regarding the alleged crime has been submitted to the Investigative Committee, and a criminal case has been initiated.

On May 13, the Criminal Police and the Investigative Committee conducted a surprise search at the specified address. Individuals allegedly engaged in criminal activities were identified, as well as the computer technology used by them. Specifically, law enforcement officers discovered large-scale digital server systems that operated online gaming platforms using hosting services.

During the search, a non-combustible safe was also found, which contained significant amounts of cash, passports from various countries, and special devices for the storage of crypto assets. "During the search, we discovered that passports had been taken from certain individuals who were conducting their activities within that group, and such activities are also indicative of human trafficking characteristics. Currently, an investigation is underway to determine whether there are criminal acts characteristic of trafficking beyond the theft," stated Haik Mkrtchyan, head of the Cybercrime Unit of the Criminal Police Department.

As a result of extensive operational and investigative actions, the details of the complex mechanism of criminal activity have been clarified. In particular, individuals involved in the group, disguising themselves under the name of a limited liability company registered in the state register of the Republic of Armenia and complementing each other's actions, committed particularly large-scale computer thefts.

The alleged criminal group, composed of citizens from Asian countries, operated with a previously developed division of roles, employing special mechanisms. Their activities were based on the widespread "fake gambling" in the digital domain. Using specialized software and computer technology, they created multiple fake online casinos that were widely advertised in various countries.

Haik Mkrtchyan, head of the Cybercrime Unit, presents: "What is fake gambling? Criminal groups create online fake casinos through which they steal citizens' funds. The mentioned criminal group was engaged in such activities. Payments in these casinos could only be made in the form of crypto assets, aimed at concealing criminal activity, avoiding taxes, and hiding real revenues. Users, by entering their crypto assets (mainly USDT), had no chance of winning and completely lost their money. Moreover, the criminals also created fake crypto tokens similar to USDT to mislead people and carry out the thefts."

As part of the procedural actions, the seizure of server systems resulted in the cessation of the operation of some fraudulent gaming platforms. The preliminary investigation continues, and circumstances are being clarified.