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According to Finnish police, the perpetrators also falsely claimed that the victims had been attacked by a virus.
After a year-long preliminary investigation, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) suspects a gang of stealing hundreds of thousands of euros from about 70 elderly victims in Finland, the agency announced in a press release on Monday.
According to the police, the crimes were committed over the phone, with the victims receiving calls that appeared to be from Finland. However, an investigation conducted jointly by the NBI and other law enforcement agencies found that the perpetrators tricked the elderly victims into transferring money by threatening them with computer virus attacks.
Police suspect 13 people of serious fraud, serious money laundering, and fraud and attempted fraud.
Most of the suspects were Finnish, but some were from other countries. The investigation found that most of the crimes took place in Spain.
At Finland’s request, Spanish authorities arrested some of the suspects on the Costa del Sol last autumn and spring.
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Based on the results of this investigation, the authorities believe that the perpetrators are linked to similar crimes against the public in other countries.
The NBI said it had reason to suspect the operation was large-scale and well-organized.
“Perpetrators in Spain make scam calls in Finnish, especially targeting the elderly. The calls appear to come from Finnish area codes. The scam calls follow a script designed to trick victims into transferring funds to an unknown account. Among other things, the perpetrators falsely claim that the victims have been attacked by a virus,” said NBI Chief Inspector General, the lead investigator of the investigation. Jeanne Tarkunen” stated in a press release.
According to the National Bureau of Investigation, the scammers took more than 320,000 euros from 70 elderly victims. The funds were then transferred to various accounts in Finland and abroad. Police found that the scammers also transported the cash from Finland to Spain.
However, with the help of the bank, local police and the National Bureau of Investigation’s Financial Intelligence Unit, the authorities were able to prevent the scammers from transferring around €385,000 into their accounts and returned some of the stolen funds to the victims.
According to the National Bureau of Investigation, without these interventions, the suspects’ financial gains would have exceeded 700,000 euros.
Police have now referred the case to the National Prosecution Authority of Southern Finland for consideration of charges.
The National Bureau of Investigation noted that online and telephone scams are becoming more professional and sophisticated. It said people should not give out their bank details through calls, text messages or emails. People should not transfer money to unknown accounts through apps or internet links. The agency also advised people not to give out their bank details or codes to strangers under any circumstances, as the methods used by scammers are constantly changing.
The NBI further advises anyone who suspects they have been the victim of a scam to immediately contact their bank to report the incident and then file a crime report with the police.
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