Europol has taken down a criminal group that tricked over 100 people and stole more than €3 million through a fake online investment platform.
The investigation was led by German police and supported by Europol and Eurojust, with coordinated actions in Albania, Cyprus, and Israel.
The scammers promised big profits from online trading to fool people. At first, victims were asked to invest small amounts. Then, fake brokers showed them fake profits using fake charts to convince them to invest more money. But the money was never invested — the criminals kept it for themselves.
German police started the investigation after a married couple reported being scammed. A first major police action in September 2022 in Belgium and Latvia led to two arrests and important evidence. This helped find seven more people involved, including those running call centres to cheat victims.
A second police operation happened on May 13, 2025, with raids in Albania, Cyprus, and Israel. Police collected more evidence, like cash, electronic devices, and documents. One person was arrested in Cyprus and may be sent to Germany.
