CRIMINAL CODE OF UKRAINE

(This Code enters into force on September 1, 2001)

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SPECIAL PART

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Chapter VI. CRIMINAL OFFENSES AGAINST PROPERTY

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Article 190. Fraud

1. Capturing someone's property or acquisition the right for property by the means of fraud or abuse of confidence (the fraud), -

shall be punishable by a fine up to 50 tax-free minimum incomes, or engage in certain activities for a term up to two years, or restraint of liberty for a term up to three years.

2. The fraud, if repeated, or committed by a group of persons after preliminary agreement, or having caused significant damage to a victim, -

shall be punishable by a fine from 50 up to 100 tax-free minimum incomes, or engage in certain activities for a term from one up to two years, or restraint of liberty for a term up to five years, or imprisonment for a term up to three years.

3. The fraud, committed in a greater size, or by the means of illegal actions with usage of electronic-computing devices, -

shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term from three up to eight years.

4. The fraud, committed in a specifically great size, or by organized group, -

shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term from five to twelve years with forfeiture of property.

Note: 120 Ukrainian Hryvnias makes 1 tax-free minimum income, which is approx. US $22.5 or Euro 19.6

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Chapter VII. CRIMINAL OFFENSES IN SPHERE OF ECONOMICAL ACTIVITY

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Article 200. Illegal actions with official documents for money transfers, payment cards and other means of access to bank accounts, and equipment for producing them.

1. Forgery of documents for money transfers, payment cards or other means of access to bank accounts as well as acquisition, keeping, resending faked documents or payment cards with a purpose to sell, or their usage or sale, -

shall be punishable by a fine from 500 up to 1000 tax-free minimum incomes, or imprisonment for a term up to three years.

2. The same acts, if repeat, or committed by a group of persons after preliminary agreement, -

shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term from two up to five years.

Note: documents for money transfers are paper or electronic documents used by banks or their clients to transfer assignments or information about money transfers between the subjects of money transfer (accounting documents, documents for transferring carryover funds, as well as the documents used in providing of inter-bank transfers and message of payment etc).

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Article 205. Fictitious enterprise.

1. Fictitious enterprise, i.e. creation or acquisition of subjects of business activity (juridical persons) with the purpose of concealment of illegal activity or providing prohibited activity, -

shall be punishable by a fine from 300 up to 500 tax-free minimum incomes, or restraint of liberty for a term up to three years.

2. The same acts, if repeated, or caused a big financial damage to the state, or a bank, or credit establishments, or other juridical persons or citizens, -

shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term from three to five years.

Note: A financial damage, caused to physical persons, is considered to be big if it is two hundred times more than one tax-free minimum income; and a financial damage, caused to the state or juridical persons, is considered to be big if it is one thousand times more than one tax-free minimum income.

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Chapter XV. CRIMINAL OFFENSES AGAINST AUTHORITY OF STATE BODIES, LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT BODIES AND PEOPLE'S ASSOCIATIONS.

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Article 358. Forgery of documents, seals, stamps and forms, their sale,
usage of faked documents.

1. Forgery of a certificate or other document, given or testified by an enterprise, an organization, a businessman, a private notary, an auditor or other person who has a right to give or notarize such documents, and which gives rights or dismiss from duties, with a purpose of its usage by a forger or other person, or its sale, as well as producing of faked seals, stamps or forms of enterprises, institutions or organizations in spite of their property categories, and other official seals, stamps or form with the same purpose, -

shall be punishable by a fine up to 70 tax-free minimum incomes, or arrest for a term up to six months, or restraint of liberty for a term up to three years.

2. The same acts, if repeat, or committed by a group of persons after preliminary agreement, -

shall be punishable with restraint of liberty for a term up to five years, or imprisonment for the same term.

3. The usage of undoubtedly faked document, -

shall be punishable by a fine up to 50 tax-free minimum incomes, or arrest for a term up to six months, or restraint of liberty for a term up to two years.

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Chapter XVI. CRIMINAL OFFENSES IN SPERE OF ELECTRONIC - COMPUTING MACHINES (COMPUTER), SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER NETWORK USAGE.

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Article 362. Stealing, appropriating, extorting of computer information or capturing it by the means of a fraud or abuse of official position.

1. Stealing, appropriating, extorting of computer information or capturing it by the means of a fraud or abuse of official position, -

shall be punishable by a fine from 50 up to 200 tax-free minimum incomes, or engage in certain activities for a term up to two years.

2. The same acts, if repeat, or committed by a group of persons after preliminary agreement, -

shall be punishable by a fine from 100 up to 400 tax-free minimum incomes, or restraint of liberty for a term up to three years, or imprisonment for the same term.

3. The same acts, if repeat, or committed by a group of persons after preliminary agreement, which caused essential damage, -

shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term from two up to five years.

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The process of corresponding with a Slav lady is a rather pleasant thing for most men - tender letters, beautiful photos, responses to each of her "groom" pleas. It's great when someone cares of you so much. But when finally it becomes clear that your "bride" appears to be a liar, it's too late to react - the money was sent to nowhere, the lady disappeared or avoids your contacts, and you are in your native country which is miles and miles away from mysterious Russia (Ukraine etc) with its even more mysterious people.

UA(PRO)FILER is ready to give you an advice: do not despair and panic. You have great chances to get your money back, punish criminals and compensate for moral damage even not leaving the native country.

Let UA(PRO)FILER investigate your case, find all the scammers and open a criminal trial. Your expenses for it will be conducted to minimum - for preparing official papers and representing you at Ukrainian court. All court expenses in the cases like this are free of charge in our country.

If due to some personal reasons, you don't feel like providing an investigation, make a report using all the information you know about the lady or her agency to UA(PRO)FILER board to make people aware about scamming activity of you "bride" to avoid contacting this person in future. If foreigners don't contact the con artist, she/he can't get anyone's money.

If you've read the information placed at Scam&Dating section, you understand that it's impossible to give dos and don'ts about safe Internet Dating which will be unknown for scammers and which they won't be ready for.

But if you feel that there's something smelling fishy about your communication or you have some suspicions about your Internet date, there are two variants of solving the case like this:

- stop corresponding with your "bride" or continue it till the moment everything will be clear for you (even a type of a scam scenario) and make a report using all the information you know about the lady or her agency to UA(PRO)FILER board or contact us

- order a background check of the information you were provided by the Internet date: in this case you'll get the real data about the person you're corresponding with because it's possible this lady to be your fate and you shouldn't loose her due some suspicions and lots of scammers - order it in a week before you're going to send money: expenses for the background check will be less than your money lost an moral damage.

If you have some questions, you can ask our consultants in UA(PRO)FILER Forum or contact us.