French Authorities Bust International Phone Scam Ring Targeting Elderly

These arrests follow an investigation that lasted nearly a year, which had started after the receipt of a complaint in Gérardmer for fraud and abuse of weakness in July 2019, reports France Bleu. According to the Vosges gendarmes, the modus operandi of these alleged scammers is to contact the elderly via a call center platform installed in Morocco. Then they make them believe that they have won "a valuable prize".

But "to receive the gift, they have to attend a presentation," they say. During this presentation, they offer them "overpriced products from alleged physiotherapists." "These are in fact reselling cheap products at exorbitant prices," explain the gendarmes. In this Covid-19 context, the sellers offer a "miracle mask" for 1500 euros.

A judge of instruction entrusts the case to the research brigade of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges after issuing a national rogatory commission. The investigators manage to identify a hundred victims all over France. Among them, a large number around Gérardmer. They managed to arrest six people in recent weeks: three are placed in pre-trial detention and the other three are under judicial supervision.

During the searches of their homes, the gendarmes seized documents confirming the fraud and abuse of weakness, luxury vehicles, jewelry, furniture and decorative items, "and pending, real estate assets worth 400,000 €." "The analysis of the perpetrators’ bank accounts shows a profit of several hundred thousand euros resulting from the fraud," confides the Vosges gendarmerie. Investigators estimate that the loot could exceed this amount of money as not all victims have been identified yet.