MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. The Federal Security Service and the police have put an end to a scam that was taking money from people living in European countries and giving it to the Ukrainian armed forces, the Moscow office of the security service said on Wednesday.

The scammers made calls, introducing themselves as representatives of Russian police, security agencies or financial institutions and deceived people into wiring money to their accounts, said the security service, known as the FSB. The money was then taken out of ATMs in various Russian regions and converted into cryptocurrency.

"It was then wired via anonymous crypto wallets to accounts in Ukraine," the statement said.

The scammers, who have been detained, sometimes tried to coerce people into committing potentially major crimes against public security in the Moscow Region, the statement said.

The fraudsters specialized in targeting people living abroad, mostly in Germany, Spain and France, according to the statement.

The suspects have been charged with fraud, while law enforcement officers continue to investigate the crimes.