Investigators in Mülheim an der Ruhr successfully dismantled a sophisticated fraud and money laundering operation.
In a significant development, police investigators in Essen made a major breakthrough against a fraud and money laundering network on Tuesday, September 16th. The network, suspected of committing dozens of criminal offenses, is believed to have caused damages of at least one million euros.
The investigation, which has been ongoing for some time, has revealed that the fraudulent activities mainly involved cybercrime, such as "love scamming", "CEO fraud", and "man-in-the-middle attacks". The money obtained through these activities was quickly distributed or withdrawn at various locations in the Ruhr area.
On Tuesday, searches were conducted in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Bochum, and Offenbach am Main. During these searches, various evidence and a Mercedes C180 were seized. In Mülheim, the arrest warrant against the 28-year-old main suspect was executed, and a 27-year-old woman from Sierra Leone was provisionally arrested.
Investigations have shown that the group's goal was to provide bank accounts for other criminals to transfer and conceal funds from fraudulent activities. In dozens of cases, bank accounts were opened using fake or stolen IDs. Several thousand euros in cash were also seized during the searches.
The main suspect, a 28-year-old from Cameroon, is believed to have been one of the leaders of the group. The 27-year-old woman from Sierra Leone who was provisionally arrested has not been named in the available sources, only her age and origin are mentioned.
For those interested in following the investigation, updates can be found on Twitter at @Polizei_NRW_, on Facebook at PolizeiEssen, on Instagram at polizei.nrw.e, and on WhatsApp at the channel 0029VaEsg0q1CYoUFKnPFk2F. For further inquiries, the Police Essen/Mülheim an der Ruhr Press Office can be contacted at 0201-829 1065 (outside of office hours 0201-829 7230), via fax at 0201-829 1069, or by email at [email protected].
Investigations into the background, further participants, and the flow of money are ongoing. The police urge anyone with information related to this case to come forward.
