Tirana Prosecution Office, in cooperation with Austrian authorities and with the support of Eurojust, Europol, and the State Police’s Cybercrime Investigation Directorate, dismantled several call centers in Tirana. Authorities secured court-ordered pre-trial detention (“arrest in prison”) for 7 individuals, imposed travel bans and mandatory appearances before the judicial police for 2 others, and caught 5 individuals in flagrante delicto while carrying out illegal activity.

In the course of a two-year investigation into criminal proceeding no. 3377 into the offense of “computer fraud,” as defined in Article 143/b, paragraph II of the Criminal Code, involving citizens E.D., M.H., T.A., L.T., Xh.M., M.L., Xh.H., A.B., L.C., K.D., E.H., E.T., B.B., K.B., K.Sh, and A.K., authorities determined—based on information provided by Austrian authorities—that these individuals used call center operations to scam citizens across European Union countries, resulting in substantial financial losses.

These individuals operated in coordinated groups structured by language (German, English, and Italian), each targeting specific international markets. Each group consisted of 6–8 agents, supervised by a team leader who closely monitored their activities. Italian-speaking operators specifically targeted Italian citizens, contacting them by phone and offering so-called services to recover funds previously lost in online trading investments. When victims showed interest, they were instructed to open an account on “Coinbase” and make an initial deposit of €500. Their role was primarily to persuade clients to complete this first payment. Operators were paid an average monthly salary of around €800, with part paid in cash and part via bank transfer. Each employee worked under a username and used pseudonyms while carrying out their duties.

These call centers operated with a high degree of organization, a clearly defined division of labor, and a strict hierarchical structure, closely resembling legitimate corporate operations. This professional setup facilitated large-scale, cross-border fraudulent activity. Authorities suspect that significant financial losses were caused in Vienna and other Austrian cities between June 15, 2023, and July 30, 2024, as part of these coordinated schemes.

The individuals mentioned above are suspected of having misled victims by presenting false circumstances, leading them to believe that the transferred funds would be legitimately invested. As a result of these unlawful actions, the perpetrators obtained illicit financial gain for themselves or for third parties, as the victims, deceived by the scheme, transferred significant sums of money. The total losses are estimated to exceed €50 million.

Victims typically accessed these fraudulent platforms through fake advertisements featuring well-known public figures. The prosecution identified that during 2024, citizens T.A. and M.H. received substantial amounts in cryptocurrency at designated wallet addresses and subsequently transferred them to other crypto wallets. These two individuals are considered the ultimate beneficiaries of the cryptocurrencies linked to these call center operations.

A joint investigation team established in September 2025 between Tirana Prosecution Office and Vienna Prosecutor’s Office managed to trace and document financial transactions performed to the detriment of Austrian victims. The investigations revealed that the entities “IOTA Network,” “Victory Communication,” “Espiron Studio,” “Zeta Studio,” “Upstream Creative,” and “Koppa Network” were linked to one another through shared contact details registered with the National Business Center (QKB), including phone numbers, email addresses, and declared business locations. In most cases, these entities are suspected of being fictitious structures used to operate as call centers.

The investigations are ongoing to identify additional individuals involved in these fraudulent networks.

The following were seized during searches conducted at the above-mentioned entities at Tirana Prosecution’s request:

• €891,735
• 443 computers
• 238 mobile phones
• 6 laptops
• HDD and DVR equipments