A London based crime boss whose gang defrauded hundreds of pensioners of €5 million has been arrested.
The criminal network targeted older people in a European wide phone scam.
Law officers from the UK, Germany, and Poland made 70 arrests and seized €160,000 in cash from homes and offices.
They also found gold bullion and jewellery.
The gang specialized in phone calling pensioners and pretending to be a police officer.
Victims were told one of their relatives has been responsible for a car accident or similar event resulting in injuries or death of other persons.
The scam caller would then hand over the phone to an accomplice who would cry or scream into the phone frantically imploring the victim to lend help.
This approach was intended to shock the elderly person, allowing the caller to proceed with the fraudulent procedure and ask for the handover of money to avoid the fake relative’s detention.
The criminals would instruct the victim about the handover procedure, then send a person to collect the money at the victim’s doorstep.
To minimise exposure and avoid the risk of arrest, the criminal network recruited unwitting accomplices for this task, via online job platforms.
Over the course of the investigation, over 70 persons taking part in this scam were arrested, for instance while they were collecting money at the victim’s homes.
The overall damage amounts to around EUR 5 million and is estimated that up to EUR 1.4 million of losses could be prevented thanks to this successful takedown.
A spokesperson at Europol said:
“Crime targeting elderly citizens through scam calls, where individuals impersonate representatives of police and judicial authorities, poses a grave danger, and has a profound impact on the victims.
“Apart from the suffered and often irrecoverable financial damage, it can cause emotional distress and a loss of trust in legitimate authorities.”