Deepfakes, voice cloning, and other AI schemes want to…

What happened

On April 20, 2026, the Kyiv Court of Appeal considered a case involving a criminal organization that targeted citizens of Kazakhstan through a call center. Operating under the guise of lawyers, the perpetrators promised to help victims recover lost investments. During video calls, the fraudsters utilized deepfake technology to alter their faces in real-time, masquerading as legitimate professionals to build trust. Once contact was established, they manipulated victims into paying for fictitious services, including financial verification, money legalization, and tax payments. This case, investigated under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, highlights that current legal frameworks are already being applied to prosecute AI-enabled deception.

Simultaneously, the Verkhovna Rada is debating draft law No. 15379, which proposes enshrining AI-based fraud as a specific offense within Article 190 of the Criminal Code. The proposal aims to define artificial intelligence systems and introduce specific procedures for verifying AI-generated evidence. However, lawmakers and experts have questioned the necessity of these additions. The prevailing view among experts is that Article 190 already criminalizes the seizure of property through deception or abuse of trust, regardless of the tools—such as deepfakes or voice cloning—used to facilitate the crime. Critics argue that adding technical definitions to the Criminal Code may be redundant or inconsistent with existing criminal procedural legislation. As the debate continues, the Research Service has advised that the draft law requires significant revision to better justify why current laws are insufficient for prosecuting modern digital fraud.