Offenses or criminal activities - Authorities dismantle major call center fraud network.
In a ground-breaking operation, a team of investigators from Germany and other countries have successfully dismantled a massive phone fraud ring. Recently in Stuttgart, Thomas Strobl, Interior Minister of Baden-Württemberg, declared that this is likely the largest call center scam uncovered in Europe.
Teams from the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office have set up a dedicated call center to monitor conversations, track down those involved, and notify potential victims. Since December, over 100 officers have been working in rotation, intercepting around 1.3 million suspicious calls. Thanks to their efforts, a staggering amount of approximately ten million euros worth of losses were prevented in some 6,000 cases.
In mid-April, coordinated raids were carried out in five countries alongside Europol and the Federal Criminal Police Office. The goal was to shut down 12 call centers and apprehend 21 suspects. Of these, 16 are currently detained abroad, while nine were identified as call center operators. State Justice Minister Marion Gentges (CDU) also hailed this as a remarkable achievement in Europe's efforts to combat call center fraudsters.
The investigation began when a conscientious bank employee alerted authorities to a possible scam. Last year, a swindler falsely identified himself as a police officer to deceive a 76-year-old woman from Freiburg into sending him money. As the woman planned to withdraw a hefty sum from her account, the bank advisor notified the police. The trafficked telephone number ignited an explosion of leads that eventually led to a vast network of call centers.
Referred to as "Pandora", the investigative task force was established, comprising of police officers from Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, and Berlin. Far from shutting down the number, the team chose to listen to its countless calls, alert potential victims, and gain valuable time for their investigation.
The suspects employed various types of telephone scams in their attempt to drain their victims' savings. They sometimes posed as close relatives, bank employees, representatives of a consumer advice center, agents of a debt collection agency, or police officers or public prosecutors. Threats of legal action, the promise of prizes, debt collections calls, and prepaid card fraud were among the tactics they used. The "Pandora" team managed to thwart 80% of these scams before they could be completed.
In a synchronized operation on April 18th, homes and commercial premises in countries such as those in the Western Balkans and Lebanon were simultaneously raided with the help of Europol and the Federal Criminal Police Office. Seized during these operations were data storage media, documents, cash, and assets worth one million euros. Currently, this evidence is under scrutiny.
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Source: www.stern.de
