The Department for Computer Crime and Digital Forensics has filed a criminal complaint with the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bitola against M.K. (56) from Bitola and A.S. (38) from Estonia, on reasonable grounds to suspect that they committed the criminal offence of “Fraud” under Article 247 of the Criminal Code.
In the period from December 2025 to April 2026, through a mobile application and a channel with several hundred subscribers, the suspects encouraged a large number of citizens from across the country to invest money in a fake online platform, promising purported profits that were never realised. In this way, they caused significant financial damage.
The Department for Computer Crime and Digital Forensics received five reports from defrauded citizens who had suffered losses during the aforementioned period. However, according to the financial reports relating to transactions on the bank account of the first suspect, hundreds of citizens across the country were affected by the fraud, although most of them did not report the case.
A several-month-long investigation was conducted in connection with the case, involving several domestic and foreign institutions and the exchange of information, which resulted in the identification of the suspects. As part of the investigation, the Department for Computer Crime and Digital Forensics also conducted an interview with the first suspect and seized electronic devices she had used to communicate in writing through the application. A forensic analysis of the extracted data from the seized devices provided evidence of the criminal offence for which the complaint was filed.
Regarding the international aspect of the investigation, following an expert analysis of cryptocurrency transactions, comprehensive information about the owner of the crypto wallet was obtained through international security platforms.
In view of the growing trend of this type of fraud, the Department for Computer Crime and Digital Forensics urges citizens not to fall for promises of easy and quick money-making opportunities online. Fraudsters use social media, fake profiles and telephone calls to offer cryptocurrency investment opportunities, promising high and guaranteed returns, while persuading victims to transfer money to fraudulent investment platforms that may appear entirely legitimate.