A 45-year-old woman accused of defrauding families affected by Albania’s 2019 earthquake allegedly posed as a government official and promised victims new apartments or compensation in exchange for large sums of money, according to Tirana police.

Police said on August 27 that Ina Cakaj had been identified following an investigation by the Economic Crime Investigation Sector. Authorities allege that she targeted families in the Fushë-Krujë area, taking between €1,000 and €10,000 by promising to help them obtain housing or financial compensation.

A newly published audio recording by Albanian outlet JOQ Albania appears to capture a woman identified as Cakaj speaking with one of the residents she allegedly targeted.

In the recording, the woman reportedly introduces herself as an adviser to Prime Minister Edi Rama and refers to a purported government initiative called “La Mama,” which she claims was created for families affected by the earthquake in Fushë-Krujë.

She allegedly tells residents that she was responsible for coordinating a group tasked with selecting families eligible for new apartments. She then asks for 2 million old lek, approximately 200,000 new lek, along with the required documents, claiming that a message from the Council of Ministers and the prime minister’s staff would arrive within 24 hours confirming the handover of an apartment key.

The authenticity of the recording and the claims made in it have not been independently verified.

Police have alleged that Cakaj was part of a broader fraud scheme in which citizens were asked to pay substantial sums in return for promises of government assistance.

The case remains under investigation.