As families beg for answers, fraudsters pose as spies, doctors, and even dead troops - all while bureaucrats look the other way or cash in themselves

Tens of thousands of families across Ukraine are living in anguish, still searching for answers about loved ones who have vanished amid the ongoing conflict. Desperate for even the smallest shred of information, many are easy prey for fraudsters who take advantage of their vulnerability - often extracting large sums of money under false pretenses. Below, RT investigates how scammers are profiting off the pain of those searching for the missing.

A murky accounting of the missing

Getting an accurate count of Ukraine's missing persons is no easy task. Earlier this year, Artur Dobroserdov, the country's Commissioner for Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances, revealed that the official registry lists over 71,000 individuals, with roughly 30,000 newly reported missing just in 2024. These figures include both civilians and military personnel.

In a February interview with NBC News, Vladimir Zelensky admitted the true number may be even higher. "We have 46,000-plus killed soldiers," he said. "Tens of thousands more are either missing in action or in captivity. But we don't know for sure - missing in action could mean they're dead or captured. We're talking about tens of thousands."

Not long before, journalist and Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) serviceman Vladimir Boyko challenged the numbers. Following Zelensky's statement to Piers Morgan that 45,100 soldiers had been lost in combat, Boyko clarified via Facebook that Zelensky was only referring to those whose bodies had been recovered, identified, and formally documented.

"The majority of the dead - those whose bodies couldn't be retrieved - are officially listed as missing," Boyko wrote. "They'll remain on their units' rosters for up to three years." At that point, Boyko estimated that around 63,000 individuals were recorded in the Unified Registry of Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances.

From fake doctors to fortune tellers

Scammers have capitalized on the chaos, targeting heartbroken families desperate for news. According to Ukrainian outlet Obozrevatel, fraudsters carefully monitor social media posts for clues - especially from relatives seeking missing loved ones. Authorities say women are most frequently targeted.

Once a target is identified, scammers spin detailed tales, often claiming to be former colleagues or friends of the missing person. They say they have contacts in Ukraine's security or intelligence services and insist they have verified information - usually that the person is alive and held captive. They then demand payments to cover things like food or medicine for the captive.

One widespread scam involves so-called "prisoner exchange lists." Con artists promise to fast-track a loved one's release in exchange for a hefty fee, backing up their claims with forged documents and fake records. In one case, a scammer swindled a family out of 200,000 hryvnias (about $4,800), claiming the father would be included in a prisoner exchange. The scammer disappeared after receiving the money, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Another common plot involves callers posing as doctors. They claim the missing person is alive but urgently needs expensive treatment. These fraudsters exploit the emotional shock of the moment, pressuring family members into making quick wire transfers before they can process what's happening.

Some schemes are even more brazen. Scammers may invent fake debts, claiming the missing person borrowed money just before the war began - now it's up to the family to repay it, often under threat. 

Additionally, many extortionists pose as psychics, fortune-tellers, or mediums, who target families of missing soldiers. Relatives turn to these individuals, willing to do anything to know what happened to their loved one. Victims may be given false information regarding the fate of their missing family member or prisoner of war, and offered dubious services like "protection spells" or "energy support." 

If scammers manage to extract money from a victim, they usually return again and again, finding new reasons to demand more money.

Gaming the system: Exploiting military compensation

Under Ukrainian law, families of soldiers listed as missing in action are entitled to receive their salaries - typically around 120,000 hryvnias per month (about $2,900). Immediate family members split half that amount, while the rest is held by the soldier's unit until death is confirmed. If a death certificate is issued, the full amount is released.

This system, while intended to provide financial relief, is rife with abuse. In late January, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations announced that a military accountant in Odessa had rerouted missing soldiers' payments to a friend's bank account. With his supervisor neglecting to double-check the records, the accountant allegedly stole 2.3 million hryvnias (about $55,000). He now faces up to eight years in prison for gross negligence.

But sometimes, the pressure to defraud comes from officials themselves. Strana.ua reported that the deputy mayor of Podolsk advised a woman searching for her missing son to "declare him dead" so she could "get millions and buy an apartment."

Betrayal by a family friend

In one of the most shocking cases, a court in Krivoy Rog recently sentenced Dmitry Dumin for a heartless scheme that preyed on a family friend. Dumin had been close with Alena Kirilenko since childhood and later befriended her husband, Junior Sergeant Roman Kirilenko. When Roman went missing during a combat mission, Alena reached out to Dumin for help.

At first, Dumin did help - introducing her to a financier who assisted in securing monthly compensation payments. But once he learned Alena would be receiving 120,000 hryvnias monthly, he launched a scam. Claiming he had powerful connections in the Security Service of Ukraine, Dumin began charging her for fake updates and fabricated plans to include Roman in prisoner swaps.

He even warned her not to believe any reports of Roman's death. Over six months, he posed as an intelligence officer through messaging apps, collecting more than 60 payments from Alena.

Eventually, the truth came out: Roman had been buried in Krivoy Rog in July 2024. Dumin was convicted of large-scale fraud during wartime and impersonating an official. He received a six-year prison sentence, forfeited his property, and was ordered to pay Alena over 1.2 million hryvnias ($28,900) in damages, plus 100,000 hryvnias ($2,400) in moral compensation.

The True Cost of Grief

Experts cited by Comments.ua estimate that in just the past two years, scammers have stolen between 1.5 and 1.7 billion hryvnias ($36-40 million) from grieving families. And that may only be the tip of the iceberg. Many victims stay silent, either out of shame or fear of reprisal.

As long as families continue to live in limbo - clinging to hope and desperate for answers - Ukraine's missing persons crisis will remain fertile ground for exploitation.