The Dutch Police announced the arrest of multiple individuals suspected of being part of an international investment fraud scheme estimated to have tens of thousands of victims.
The group is believed to have operated 20 call centers, with more than 700 people posing as financial advisers. Authorities estimate that the criminal organization at one point made more than 100 million euros ($114 million) per month.
The call centers were located in different places across multiple countries, and each hosted several teams with distinct roles and targeting focuses.
The main suspect is a 46-year-old Israeli-Polish national, who was arrested in Poland on May 26. The man was extradited to the Netherlands and placed in detention for two weeks pending trial.
“Publicly available online information shows that he was previously prosecuted for hacking several prominent foreign government organizations and is said to be a well-known hacker,” the Dutch Politie says.
“He is now suspected of having held an indispensable position within a criminal organization involved in investment fraud.”
Between July 7 and 10, multiple Dutch and Belgian nationals were arrested in Cyprus, Greece, and Belgium for suspected connection to the fraudulent scheme.
The authorities state that additional arrests in relation to this cybercrime organization should not be ruled out.
The modus operandi of the fraudsters involves building trust with victims over extended periods and introducing them to realistic-looking investment platforms that display fictitious profits.
The victims were then persuaded by individuals working in the call centers to increase their “investments,” usually through cryptocurrency transfers. In reality, the criminals took all the money and presented victims with fake dashboards showing increased profits.
The Dutch authorities linked at least 550 reports of fraud and $28.6 million in reported losses to this criminal organization.
Police estimate that there may be tens of thousands of victims worldwide, with most victims in this investigation losing more than €10,000 ($11.4k).
The organization has operated since at least 2021, and its members used pseudonyms and “technical means” to conceal their true identities and calling locations.
The police say the main suspect’s technical expertise in setting up the infrastructure helped the organization evade law enforcement for a long time.
At some point, the investigators were able to trace IP addresses, financial routes, and other digital traces, leading to the examination of key technical equipment that provided insights into the organization’s operation and the perpetrators’ whereabouts.
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