Ukraine’s parliament approved tougher criminal penalties for involvement in fraudulent call centers and the theft of personal data, following a corruption scandal in which prosecutors were accused of taking bribes to protect scam operations.

The legislation, passed Wednesday in the Verkhovna Rada, would make it a separate crime to use electronic communications to commit fraud, including schemes involving stolen or misused personal or banking information to take money or other property.

The bill would also criminalize setting up, running or working for a fraudulent call center, as well as recruiting people to participate in such operations.

Those convicted of organizing or working for fraudulent call centers could face seven to 12 years in prison under the legislation, which awaits President Volodymyr Zelensky’s signature.

Scam call centers have become a persistent problem in Ukraine, with organized groups employing teams of operators to contact potential victims and manipulate them into transferring money, making bogus investments or giving criminals access to their bank accounts.

The legislation was first introduced in 2023 but was recently pushed forward following an investigation last week by Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies into an alleged criminal network involving officials in the Prosecutor General’s Office.