Austrian and Albanian police arrested 10 people and closed fraudulent call centers in Tirana. The call centers allegedly defrauded victims of approximately €50 million through bogus investment schemes and cryptocurrency redemption fraud.
Europol and Eurojust worked together on the operation, following a two-year investigation into a criminal network operating out of Albania’s capital. Authorities seized nearly €900,000 in cash as well as large amounts of IT equipment.
The call centers operated like professional firms, employing up to 450 people across departments, including IT and HR. Individual operators earned $938 per month in salary plus commission.
Workers were organized by linguistic specialization, targeting victims in specific markets. They built trust with potential victims before promoting fabricated investment opportunities and convincing them to transfer money.
“The online call centers operated by the criminal network demonstrated a high level of organization and professionalism,” Eurojust wrote.
Scammers are targeting victims twice with cryptocurrency “cashback” schemes
according to EuropolSome victims were shot twice.
After losing money in the initial scam, they were contacted again and offered to help recover their stolen money. The supposed recovery service required victims to open cryptocurrency accounts and make an initial deposit of €500.
“Alarmingly, the perpetrators have re-contacted victims who had already suffered losses through fraudulent platforms, offering to help them recover their money.” books Eurojust in release.
Defrauding the same person twice is a common tactic. Scammers They often go after the same victims, or so do other people who buy their data.
In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advises consumers about double scams. they books“If you lose money in crypto, scammers may try to convince you that they can get your money back. (Spoiler alert: they can’t).”
Closing call centers has limited impact
Despite the scale of the bankruptcy, anti-fraud specialists have warned that breaking up individual operations does little to curb the broader problem.
The Western Balkans and parts of Eastern Europe have become particularly vulnerable to these operations, according to local media.
Eastern Europe has a young, educated population with limited job opportunities and scam centers masquerading as legitimate companies.
Cryptocurrency users face frequent risks. First, recovery Tricks that exploit fraud victims and, secondly, use cryptocurrency accounts in the second stage of the fraud. This adds to the cryptocurrency industry’s image problems with financial crimes.
Europol described the network as “broken” rather than completely dismantled. It is not yet clear whether the police will be able to find and convict the people who carried out the physical operations.
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