Over the course of five years, they extorted over PLN 12 million from people. The leader of the ring directed all operations from England. He was arrested and is already in the hands of Polish investigators. He will be responsible for defrauding 231 people, most of them using the “just in case” method.
Arrests in the case of fraud using the “grandchild” methodCBÅšP
The detained man, Maciej W., was wanted on a European Arrest Warrant. He will be responsible for participating in over 200 crimes.
Prosecutors from the District Prosecutor's Office in Gliwice together with criminal investigators from the provincial headquarters in Katowice have been working on the case of a group of fraudsters operating in several European countries for seven years. The main suspect was detained thanks to cooperation with the Police Headquarters in Warsaw and law enforcement agencies of many countries, investigators noted.
In 2017, police officers from the Criminal Department of the Police Headquarters in Katowice determined that an organized criminal group operating throughout Poland engaged in fraud using the “just in case” method. During telephone conversations with selected people, the fraudsters pretended to be a family member and then informed that they had caused a fatal accident. road accident. They argued that in order to avoid arrest, it was necessary to pay bail to a courier sent by the prosecutor's office or the police. Another person, introducing himself as a policeman or prosecutor, joined the conversation and confirmed the information about the road accident and the need to pay money.
Investigators identified the leader of the group – Maciej W. and several dozen couriers who collected money from the defrauded, as well as intermediaries who took the extorted cash abroad. It turned out that in 2022, the fraudsters expanded their area of ​​operation to Western Europe, so the police started cooperation with the services in Germany, Czech Republic, France, Netherlands, Switzerland and Great Britain.
“Maciej W. was detained on the basis of a European Arrest Warrant in Great Britain, from where he directed the group's activities only via telephone communication. After the extradition procedure, on November 14, 2024, he was handed over to Polish law enforcement authorities,” said Karina SpruÅ›, spokeswoman for the Gliwice prosecutor's office.
The District Prosecutor's Office in Gliwice is also conducting another investigation, covering the period of Maciej W.'s criminal activity from October 2021 to June 2022, in which the suspect is accused of participating in several dozen more crimes. In both proceedings, which cover the period of Maciej W.'s criminal activity from November 2017 to June 2022, the suspect was accused of participating in at least 207 crimes. They concern establishing and managing an organized criminal group, turning fraud into a permanent source of income, money laundering, and criminal threats. Investigators identified a total of 231 victims from whom fraudsters extorted over PLN 12.5 million.
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