TIRANA, Jan 18 /ATA/ – Albania’s Special Anticorruption and Organized Crime Prosecution Structure (SPAK) said on Sunday it had arrested eight people while three other suspects have been declared wanted in an investigation into alleged computer fraud through a network of call centres in Tirana,
SPAK said suspects used fraudulent online platforms to persuade Italian and other European victims to invest in cryptocurrencies. Six people were caught in the act and two others detained under court orders, while searches were carried out at 28 locations by investigators and police.
The probe was launched on Jan. 9 after material was submitted by journalists from the Italian investigative programme Le Iene, SPAK said.
Investigators identified a call centre in central Tirana that operated in several European languages and employed security measures to evade detection. Equipment was moved overnight after organisers were alerted, but investigators tracked and seized computer systems, documents and vehicles, including a luxury car, SPAK said.
Investigations are continuing in cooperation with foreign authorities to identify all victims.
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