European police raid company that built fake trading sites for scammers

European police have arrested seven people and seized more than 100 servers in a case aimed at a company that allegedly built fake trading websites for criminal gangs. The company has not been named. Police say the sites were used to cheat people who thought they were investing in currencies, stocks or crypto.

What happened

Authorities from Albania, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Kosovo and North Macedonia took part, with support from Europol and Eurojust. Those are the European Union's police and justice cooperation agencies. The action followed four years of investigation and earlier interventions in 2022 and 2025.

It began in 2022, when a German couple reported they could not withdraw money they had put into an online trading platform. That led investigators to link several call center operators to possible victims in at least 50 countries.

How the scam worked

Europol describes the company as running a "crime-as-a-service" model from Cyprus and Israel. That means it allegedly sold ready-made scam tools to other criminals. Investigators also identified suspected clients running fraudulent call centers in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.

• Deceptive ads promised quick, large returns and pointed people to fake investment platforms.
• Those platforms collected personal data, which was later sold to groups running call centers.
• Call center staff phoned with supposed investment offers and urged a small first transfer.
• Victims saw fake accounts showing made-up profits, which pushed them to send more.
• When they tried to withdraw, the scammers stalled and then cut off contact.

A long list of similar cases

This is the latest in a series of takedowns. In March 2022, police shut down a call center network that used 200 "traders" to steal at least 3 million euros each month. In May 2024, 12 fraud call centers were closed. In July 2025, Spanish police dismantled a crypto fraud ring that laundered over 460 million euros stolen from more than 5,000 victims. In April, Austrian and Albanian authorities took down a group linked to estimated losses of over 50 million euros.

What is not known

The material does not name the company or the suspects. It also does not say how much money victims lost in this case, or what charges the seven people face.

What to do

If a stranger offers fast returns on trading or crypto, and a site shows big gains, assume it could be fake. The gains on screen can be invented. Do not send more money, especially if withdrawals suddenly become difficult.