The Kumanovo Police Department has filed criminal charges against two women from Kumanovo and five bank employees, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) reported Thursday.
The charges against the two women and the five bank employees relate to fraud, misuse of personal data, and abuse of official position and authority. They are suspected of defrauding several citizens of a total sum exceeding MKD 12 million.
“The Kumanovo Police Department has filed criminal charges against A.S.D. (23) and M.V. (35), both from Kumanovo, based on grounds for suspicion of committing the criminal offenses of fraud and misuse of personal data. Charges were also filed against M.P. (34), S.M. (27), N.N. (34), D.M. (48), and S.O. (36) based on grounds for suspicion of committing the criminal offense of abuse of official position and authority,” the Ministry of Interior said in a press release.
Between January and July 2026, the first-named suspect, on 18 separate occasions, used the personal data of several individuals to apply for quick consumer loans on their behalf, without their consent. Once the loans were approved and the funds disbursed, the first and second-named suspects unlawfully appropriated the money. Meanwhile, the other suspects, employed as bank officers at a bank branch, facilitated the execution of the fraud and the handling of the funds, thereby enabling the first and second-named suspects to obtain an unlawful financial gain totaling MKD 12,221,500.