Law enforcement authorities from Albania, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Kosovo and North Macedonia have arrested seven suspects and seized more than 100 servers in a coordinated operation targeting an alleged provider of fraudulent trading websites. Europol and Eurojust supported the action, which followed four years of investigation and earlier operations in 2022 and 2025.
The inquiry began in 2022 after a German couple reported being unable to withdraw money they had invested through an online trading platform. Investigators subsequently connected call-center operators to suspected investment scams affecting potential victims in at least 50 countries.
According to Europol, evidence gathered during earlier operations led investigators to a company suspected of running a “crime-as-a-service” model from Cyprus and Israel. They also identified suspected clients operating fraudulent call centers in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. A first international action in 2022 resulted in two arrests and the seizure of evidence; Europol-supported analysis helped identify seven further suspects, including suspected call-center managers.
The scams advertised the prospect of quick, substantial returns from trading currencies, stocks or cryptocurrency. Deceptive ads directed people to fake investment platforms, which collected their personal information. Criminal groups then used the stolen data to contact potential victims with purported investment opportunities.
Operators encouraged victims to make a small initial payment and displayed fictitious profits in fake online accounts. These apparent gains were used to pressure people into transferring larger sums. When victims tried to withdraw their money, scammers delayed the process and eventually stopped responding, according to the account of the scheme.
Sources: BleepingComputer.