Ukrainian blogger and streamer Mykhailo Lebiga has reported that a person who allegedly used his name to defraud participants in a charity fundraiser has been exposed. According to the blogger, the victims’ statements have already been taken by the police, and a criminal investigation has been launched into the alleged fraud.
Lebiga also warned that a similar scheme is still in operation, so his followers should carefully check all private messages offering to help close the fundraiser.
How the scheme operated in the name of Mykhailo Lebiga
According to the streamer Mykhailo Lebiga, the fraudster approached people who were raising money for the Ukrainian military, introducing himself as a blogger or claiming to be acting on his behalf. He asked them to transfer the money they had already raised to him, ostensibly to finalise the fundraising during a live stream, and then to return all the money to the organiser.
In fact, attempts were made to persuade people to hand over funds from the charity bank to an outsider. Lebiga emphasised that he never makes such requests to the organisers of meetings.
Blogger posted a video, on which, he claims, a person involved in the fraud has been identified. However, he did not disclose the name of this person or any other details of the investigation.
Law enforcement officers have opened a criminal investigation
Lebiga reported that statements had been taken from those affected by the scam and that the police had opened a criminal investigation. He thanked the cyber police and the investigators for their response.
There is currently no separate statement from the law enforcement authorities setting out the legal classification of the case or providing information on the procedural status of the person shown in the video. Therefore, their possible involvement can only be described at this stage by referring to the blogger’s statement. The person’s guilt must be established by a court.
According to Lebiga, even after the first person implicated came forward, messages purporting to be from him continued to be sent. The blogger suggests that another person or group of people may have carried on with the scheme.
How Lebiga actually helps to bring meetings to a close
The streamer explained that he transfers the money directly to the bank account of the serviceman organising the fundraiser. If no such account exists, he asks for one to be set up in the serviceman’s name.
Another option is for Lebiga to first collect funds into his own verified bank account and then transfer the total amount to the organiser’s main account. He will not ask anyone to transfer donations that have already been collected to an unknown account.
It is precisely any deviation from this procedure that should serve as a warning sign. Even if a profile uses the name, photographs or communication style of a well-known blogger, the details must be checked against their official pages.
How to avoid sending donations to fraudsters
Before transferring any funds, you should check the profile’s address, the date it was created and any previous posts. New accounts, slight variations in the username, requests to act urgently or to transfer funds from an official bank account to a private card should be treated with suspicion.
If you receive a message purporting to be from a public figure, you should contact them via another official channel to verify the request. It is best to only click on links to banks from verified pages run by the fundraising organisers.
Lebiga urged the audience not to trust private messages sent in his name and to be cautious. Publicising the case may halt some of the transfers, but the fact that the attempts continue shows that the fraudsters are relying primarily on people’s trust in a well-known name and their desire to help the military quickly.
To find out how to avoid falling victim to fraudsters, read in our article.
