Yesterday, 2 May 2024, Europol published a press release on the successful completion of an international investigation into a large number of crimes linked to fake call centres, mostly located in Eastern European countries and Lebanon. Online fraudsters carried out their crimes under the guise of technical assistance, banking services and other activities.
Slovenian police prevented high levels of damage to its citizens in several cases
The Slovenian police took an active part in the operation Pandora as well, as there were also victims from the Slovenian territory. After months of intensive cooperation, in particular with the German law enforcement authorities, the police managed to prevent a large number of Slovenian citizens from being cheated to the tune of hundreds of thousands of euros.
Fraudsters mainly target legal persons
Since July 2023, the Slovenian police have been detecting cases of telephone calls made under the guise of technical assistance by bank employees, with the fraudsters targeting mainly legal persons. More than 40 cases have been investigated, with a total damage of around 3.8 million euros and stolen funds flowing into bank accounts in Germany.
It is important to report any damage immediately
International cooperation and the prompt reaction of law enforcement authorities are crucial in this type of cybercrime with an international element, as they can work with banks to prevent funds being transferred from victims' accounts to the accounts of money mules abroad.
The international element makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for victims to recover the funds afterwards. It is therefore extremely important that you report any damage to the police and your bank immediately.
Prav zaradi mednarodnega elementa je namreč naknadno vračilo sredstev oškodovancem izjemno oteženo oziroma v večini primerov skorajda nemogoče. Zato je izjemno pomembno, da morebitno oškodovanje nemudoma prijavite policiji in svoji banki.
Police advice
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More information on the investigation is available in the Europol press release: Operation PANDORA shuts down 12 phone fraud call centres