Austrian and Albanian authorities have dismantled an online fraud network accused of running call centres in Tirana and causing at least €50 million in losses, with 10 people arrested.
Nearly €900,000 in cash and large quantities of computer equipment and phones were seized after coordinated raids on 17 April 2026, following a two-year investigation supported by Europol and the EU judicial co-operation agency Eurojust, Europol revealed on Wednesday.
According to Europol, victims were lured in through adverts on social media and web searches that directed them to fake online investment platforms posing as legitimate brokers.
After signing up, victims were assigned “retention agents” who impersonated investment advisers and, in some cases, used remote access software to take control of victims’ devices.
The money was not invested, but instead moved through an international money-laundering scheme and ended up with the criminal organisation.
Raids target ‘corporate-like’ call centres
The call centres were organised into teams targeting specific language markets, including German, English, Italian, Greek and Spanish, with operators presenting false investment opportunities to persuade victims to transfer money, Europol said.
The network was structured like a business, with roles including customer acquisition and customer service, and Europol said it involved up to 450 employees across departments such as management, finance, IT and human resources.
During searches of three call centres and nine homes in Tirana, police seized €891,735 in cash, 443 computers, 238 mobile phones and six laptops, along with data storage devices.
Some victims were targeted a second time after losing money, with scammers offering to recover funds and instructing them to open cryptocurrency accounts and make an initial deposit of €500.
Victims were identified across Europe and beyond, including in Italy, Germany, Greece, Spain, Canada and the UK.
The investigation began after Austrian authorities identified many victims in Vienna in around June 2023, and Albania opened its own case after Austria sought information in April 2024 about an IP address believed to be linked to the suspects.
