Fraudulent couple from Cherkasy: stole donations under the guise of a famous war journalist

In conditions where volunteers save the lives of defenders every day, individuals have appeared who use the trust of Ukrainians for their criminal purposes. Dishonest individuals created a fake Telegram channel account under the name “Bochkala WAR”. They attempted to raise funds under the guise of a war correspondent and co-founder of the NGO “Stop Corruption,” Roman Bochkala.

Roman Bochkala has been covering the war’s events since 2014. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he founded the Telegram channel “Bochkala WAR”, which quickly turned into a vital information resource and volunteer platform. Since 2022, more than 35 million hryvnias have been raised through this channel to support the Ukrainian army’s needs, from which hundreds of drones, dozens of cars, communication equipment, and other essential items have been purchased.

The channel also supports the “Volunteer Battalion” fund, where Bochkala acts as a co-founder. This activity was used by the scammers in their criminal scheme.

Fraudsters’ methods

The attackers created an account that was as similar to the original as possible, using identical photos and posts. They began writing personal messages to people using Bochkala’s name and inventing stories about urgent meetings.

In their messages, the fraudsters promised “gifts from the front” – flags, tubes, or souvenirs. However, they did not fulfill any of their obligations.

“He addressed me as Roman Bochkala, introducing himself as the head of a charitable foundation. It is already known that he tried to deceive not only me,” shared the victim Ivan Nosarev.

Exposing the scam

Although the scheme looked plausible, the fraudsters made a critical mistake – they began writing on behalf of Bochkala himself. When donors did not receive what was promised, they turned to the real administrators of the channel.

This led to the disclosure of a fraudulent scheme that harmed not only the victims but also the reputation of the volunteers.

Law enforcement investigation

Cyberpolice tracked the transactions and identified the criminals, who turned out to be a couple from Cherkasy. During searches of their home, phones with fake accounts were found, including a fake “Bochkala WAR”, as well as pages created under the names of other volunteers.

Roman Bochkala’s lawyer confirmed that the journalist has been granted victim status in this case.

Legal consequences

The fraudsters were charged under Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud), which provides for a penalty of up to three years in prison.

After their detention, one of the suspects released a video apology in which he stated: “I apologize to Roman Oleksandrovych and his subscribers for what I did last year. But I won’t do it again. I apologize to everyone.”

The main threat is loss of trust.

Roman Bochkala emphasized that the most significant danger of such scams is not only lost money, but also destroyed trust in volunteers: “When scammers undermine the reputation of volunteers, it raises doubts among those who want to help. Next time, people may refuse to support, thinking that they are scammers.”