May 2, 2024 at 02:25PM
Law enforcement recently conducted raids in several countries, resulting in the shutdown of 12 phone fraud call centers. The operation involved dozens of German officers and counterparts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Lebanon. The authorities arrested 21 individuals, confiscated evidence, and obtained electronic evidence. The joint operation, called “Operation PANDORA,” targeted a criminal network responsible for defrauding thousands of victims through various scams, including fake police calls and investment fraud. In a related incident, police in Germany thwarted a fake police officer scam, leading to the arrest of fraudsters behind over 28,000 fraudulent calls. Additionally, a massive call center investment scam operation was dismantled, with 108 suspects arrested in Latvia and Lithuania.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes are:
– Law enforcement conducted a successful operation, named “Operation PANDORA,” shutting down 12 phone fraud call centers in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Lebanon, responsible for thousands of scam calls daily.
– The operation resulted in the identification of 39 suspects and the arrest of 21 individuals, as well as the confiscation of evidence valued at roughly €1 million.
– Europol-supported action day led to the takedown of a criminal network involved in defrauding victims through various scams, such as fake police calls, investment fraud, and romance scams.
– The operation began in December 2023, with a key incident involving a suspicious bank customer in Freiburg, Germany, leading to the arrests of fraudsters and the interception and monitoring of conversations in real-time from the crime ring’s call centers.
– Multiple call centers across Europe were taken down, with one organization involved in online investment fraud also dismantled after arrests in Latvia and Lithuania in March 2022.
Overall, the meeting notes outlined a significant law enforcement operation targeting phone fraud call centers and criminal networks involved in various scams, resulting in successful arrests and the disruption of fraudulent activities.