YEREVAN, January 25. /ARKA/. A transnational criminal group engaged in investment fraud has been uncovered in Armenia, the Interior Ministry said, calling it an "unprecedented case" in the country's history.

According to the operative information of law enforcement bodies, companies run by foreign nationals, who allegedly hired personnel for  the State Register and developed software, organized a call center in several office premises in Yerevan.

The criminal scheme involved citizens of Armenia and other states who, speaking foreign languages, made Internet calls to people in foreign countries, offering them profitable investments.

The members of the group launched fake websites, which they actively advertised in various social networks, promising high return on investment and simplicity of the process. As a result, by misleading various foreign nationals and abusing their trust, the members of the criminal group stole large sums of money.

Based on the evidence collected, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case.

On December 8, 2023, searches were conducted at different addresses in Yerevan, and on January 16 of this year, one of the leaders of the criminal group was tracked down and arrested in the capital.

The analysis of the information received during the searches showed that the  criminal group had been stealing  large sums of money in cryptocurrency from foreigners every month for two years, which the members of the criminal group tried to legalize through  legal entities  they created.  

Based on the facts obtained, prosecutors allowed law-enforcers to launch criminal chargesr against 20 members of the group -0-