Fake bankers and crypto exchangers in Poland

In Poland, an international criminal group that organized a large-scale telephone fraud scheme under the guise of bank security services has been dismantled. According to KAS, the perpetrators created a full-scale fake “bank call center” through which they extracted money from citizens and then legalized the stolen funds through a complex financial infrastructure that included bank accounts, shell companies and a network of cryptocurrency exchange points.

The operation to expose the group was carried out by officers of Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa together with the Centralne Biuro Zwalczania Cyberprzestępczości under the supervision of the regional prosecutor’s office of the city of Łódź. The investigation also involved specialists from the Customs and Tax Control Service of the Lower Silesian Customs and Tax Office in Wrocław, who together with units of the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime analyzed financial flows and money-laundering schemes.

The investigation established that the criminal group operated according to a well-known but constantly modernized telephone fraud scheme. The perpetrators created a fake call center whose operators called potential victims while posing as employees of bank security departments. During the conversations they informed citizens about an allegedly detected attempt to hack a bank account or about a suspicious transaction.

Using elements of psychological pressure, the scammers persuaded their interlocutors to act as quickly as possible, explaining that any delay could lead to a complete loss of funds. Victims were asked to urgently transfer money to so-called technical or secure accounts which were supposedly intended for the temporary storage of funds until the security check was completed. In reality these accounts were controlled by members of the criminal group.

After the money was transferred to the indicated details, the next stage of the scheme began – the legalization of the funds and their withdrawal from possible law enforcement control. According to investigators, the perpetrators developed an extensive system for laundering funds. The stolen money passed through bank accounts registered to straw persons as well as through companies that formally conducted legitimate business activities.

The use of such firms made it possible to give financial transactions the appearance of legality. Funds were processed through company accounting as fictitious payments for services, consultations or deliveries of goods. After that the money was transferred to accounts in foreign banks or converted into digital assets.

A special role in the scheme was played by a network of cryptocurrency exchange points operating in Poland and other countries of the European Union. Through such services the criminals converted money into cryptocurrency, which significantly complicated the tracking of the further movement of funds. After conversion the assets could be distributed across numerous crypto wallets and then partially returned to the traditional financial system through foreign platforms.

According to law enforcement authorities, the presence of such a multi-level system of funds legalization allowed the group to conceal the real scale of its activities for a long time and made it difficult to identify the organizers of the scheme.

Operational activities were carried out simultaneously in several regions of the country. Investigative actions took place in the Lower Silesian, Greater Poland, Masovian, Lesser Poland, Silesian and Pomeranian voivodeships. During the coordinated operation searches were conducted and documentation, electronic data carriers and financial records related to the activities of the suspects were seized.

As a result of the operation law enforcement authorities detained 13 people. Among them were citizens of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. Investigators believe that all of them played various roles in the criminal structure – from call center operators to individuals responsible for financial operations and the withdrawal of funds.

By court decision ten suspects were placed in pre-trial detention for a period of three months. They were charged with participation in an organized criminal group, committing numerous acts of fraud and laundering money obtained through criminal activities.

Under Polish law such crimes carry serious penalties. The maximum prison sentence under these articles may reach 15 years.

In addition to the arrests law enforcement agencies also took measures to seize property that, according to investigators, had been acquired with criminal proceeds. As part of the investigation assets worth approximately 2.6 million zlotys were frozen. These include funds, bank accounts and other assets connected with the activities of the group.

Investigators do not rule out that as the investigation continues the amount of identified assets may increase. The analysis of financial flows is ongoing since part of the funds may have been transferred outside Poland.

Cybersecurity experts note that such telephone fraud schemes have become increasingly complex and technologically advanced in recent years. Criminal groups actively use social engineering methods, carefully prepared conversation scripts and psychological pressure techniques in order to persuade victims to act quickly and without consulting their bank.

The use of cryptocurrencies also creates additional challenges for investigations. Digital assets allow funds to be moved quickly across jurisdictions and complicate the process of tracking transactions, especially if services designed to anonymize financial flows are used.

Polish law enforcement authorities emphasize that combating such crimes requires close cooperation between various agencies including financial services, cybercrime units and international law enforcement structures.

The investigation is ongoing and authorities do not rule out that new suspects and additional episodes of criminal activity related to the dismantled fake “bank call center” may emerge in the future.