Tbilisi, Georgia: A man is facing an indictment from the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia due to damage caused to citizens by a fake website that was created for purchasing tickets for a Sting concert in Tbilisi. His first date of indictment is 28th March, 2025.
A Year ago, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia started an investigation and discovered that during the month of August in the year 2024, the defendant created a phishing site named ‘bsafest.online’. He accomplished this through the unauthorized alteration and concealment of computer data.
Through the advertising of the fake website on Facebook, the said criminal activities led to negative consequences of loss of finances to the victims. The mentioned website offered purchasing tickets for a concert by the British singer Sting that was to be conducted in Tbilisi.
Moreover, upon the user picking the type and amount of specific ticket needed, the website would automatically transfer the user to a payment page and an amount in crypto would be sent to the bank and crypto wallets that were set in advance by the defendant.
The accused was charged under the Article 286, Part 2, Subparagraph “b” of the Criminal Code (unauthorized alteration and concealment of computer data for the purpose of obtaining financial benefit, which caused significant financial damage to the victim), which provides for a sentence of 5 to 7 years of imprisonment.
It is to be noted that the prosecutor’s office shall apply to the court within the time limit established by law with a request to use imprisonment as a preventive measure for the accused. The investigation into the criminal case at the Ministry of Internal Affairs is ongoing.
Similar ongoing case
The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office also indicted 8 people for “legal Theft”, following an execution of inquiry by the Ministry of Internal Affairs which showed that in early 2024 a supporter of the “thieves’ world’ opened an agricultural market Zeda Meskheti village, Tskaltubo Municipality, by direction of “thieves in law” from other countries.
Because the above noted market could not stand competition of the market in Kutaisi, the defendants by using the name of “thieves in law” and their criminal power as well as by numerous illegal activities, forcefully transferred the major traders from the competing market which resulted in the latter’s market being non functional.
On March 24, Law enforcement officials arrested 7 of the accused and 1 person was tried in absentia. The said defendants were charged under Article 2231, Part 2- “Legal Theft”, Article 223¹, Part 1- “Membership of a “Thieves’ World”, and Article 223³, Part 2- “Support of Activities of a “Thieves’ World”) of the Criminal code of Georgia. The law provides them with up to 15 years in prison as retribution and punishment.
