What documents are most often forged in Ukraine, what is threatened and how to protect yourself from forgery.
The demand for forged documents in Ukraine is impressive.
Despite the fact that Ukrainian companies are actively switching to electronic document management, most government agencies and enterprises still use paper documents. Therefore, the risk of forgery of passports, power of attorney, certificates, seals and stamps in Ukraine is high.
False passports, diplomas, health books, travel documents, certificate of a participant in hostilities – these are only a small part of the documents that are most often forged in Ukraine. It seems that in the largest country in Europe you can fake almost everything. All you need is money. And to find executors of such “order” is easier than simple, because in order to buy a fake certificate, certificate or driver’s license, it is enough to find ads online:
After all, only last year in Ukraine, 300+ facts of forged documents were revealed during the provision of services in the service centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
How and for what purpose are documents forged in Ukraine?
The legislation of Ukraine stipulates that not only completely false documents are considered forged (complete forgery), but also real documents in which any changes are made that distort their content (partial forgery).
There are also different ways to forge documents.
Complete forgery:
- making a document or its form
- entering false information into the document
- forgery of the signature of the person certifying the document
- forgery of imprints of seals and stamps
Partial forgery of documents:
- mechanical removal of part of the text
- removal of text by chemical reagents and various solvents
- introduction of new words, phrases or individual characters into the document
- pasting of separate sheets, gluing of a photo, replacement of sheets
And if everything is clear with completely false documents, then the choice of the method of partial forgery of the document depends on the purposes of the attacker who decided to forge it.
Forgery of documents appears in fraudulent schemes, when criminals by deception want to illegally and gratuitously seize someone else’s property. And you don’t have to have a raider appetite. Fraudsters encroach on apartments, houses, land and cars.
A classic example is buying / selling / renting real estate. Attackers pretend to be real owners and investors. They change the last name, first name, patronymic, year of birth, or keep this information, but replace the photo in the Ukrainian passport.
Black “notaries” are often involved in forging documents. Authorized notaries or even those who forged a license certify false documents. As a result, the fictitious seller of the apartment provides buyers with a full package of false documents. It does not look different from the real ones, because notarial seals are affixed, and the design seems to correspond to the letter of the law.
The situation is the same with car sales. It may seem that the deal is fair and the owner of the car is “clean”. But after buying the desired car, it turns out: the car is stolen, the owner is not real. Although there is no corresponding entry in the register.
By evading alimony, people change the relevant entries in the Ukrainian passport. In particular, forged blank sheets are stamped with counterfeit stamps of registration, residence permit and other data.
Forgery of statutory documents is a favorite method of raiders, fraudsters, who thus try to seize a certain enterprise, company office and other property.
When forging statutory documents, they often indicate another owner, then enter false data into the state register of legal entities.
And then, often armed criminals come with a court order or a state executor to the checkpoint of the plant or enterprise, to the office or warehouse building. They claim to be the owners of the enterprise, as evidenced by the relevant entry in the register of legal entities.
Criminal liability for forgery of documents in Ukraine
Ukrainian legislation qualifies forgery of documents, stamps, seals or forms as a set of crimes under Part 1 of Art. 358, part 1 of Art. 14, parts 2, 3 or 4 of Art. 190:
However, if someone forged documents in order to exercise their real right based on current legislation, it is still considered a violation of the law under Article 358.
In such a situation, there is an encroachment on the established procedure for documentary evidence of facts that have legal significance. So, this is also a crime.
Despite the fact that almost every day in the Ukrainian media there is information that the police have caught another criminal group for forging documents, this does not stop others from actively engaging in such fishing. It is, among other things, about forgery of Ukrainian passports for fraud on dating sites.
Probably, the reason is that this service is not only highly paid, but also very popular. But many of them do not think that by turning to such tricksters and buying a fake document from them, they themselves become violators of the law.
And all because Article 358 of the Criminal code of Ukraine defines that the crime is considered committed in case:
- forgery of a certificate or other document (making changes to it)
- sale of a forged document
- production of a counterfeit seal, stamp
- sales of a stamp and the press
- use of a knowingly forged document
That is, the responsibility lies with the person or group of people who made the document, and the one who bought it from them and uses it.
As for punishment (criminal liability), according to the same article, such actions are punishable by a fine of up to seventy tax-free minimum incomes or arrest for up to six months, or restriction of liberty for up to three years.
If the violator forged the documents again, he will be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison or imprisonment for the same term.
How to protect yourself from forged Ukrainian documents
Are you going to buy an apartment and have already found an option? Do not rush to bring money to the developer or seller. Check if he’s real, if he has documents to prove it. Check the authenticity of these documents and the accuracy of the data.
An investor’s reputation is another signal of whether to buy real estate from him. Start small. Read customer reviews, look for articles in the media about whether the developer was involved in suspicious financial trials, bankruptcy cases.
If you suspect that documents may be forged, use a simple algorithm:
- Check the seller
- Check the notary
- Check the documents
- Check the owner
- Read everything you sign
Be sure to check the identity of the girls from Ukraine or Russia you meet online on dating sites. After all, the number of frauds is very high. There are special companies that even with the minimum information you have (name, photos) will help you understand whether this person is real or fake.
Everyone can face false documents in everyday life or professional activity. How to determine their authenticity? It is difficult, but still possible.
Consult experienced professionals. They know the weaknesses of the documents and how they can be checked. Second, if you have good reason to believe that the document is clearly forged, contact law enforcement. It may turn out that you are not the only one who has suffered from the actions of fraudsters. In such cases, a class action lawsuit is filed and the chance of winning the case increases.
When buying real estate, ordering certain services or signing an important contract with a partner, you always run the risk of falling into the hands of fraudsters.
That is why in such important matters it is better to reinsure and contact an experienced company that will check the necessary documents, their legality and authenticity – Ukrainian-Passport.com
