Overview
- German and Spanish police raided a Madrid apartment used as a call center and arrested four suspects who now face extradition to Germany.
- Investigators link the group to at least 14 high-value attempts, with about €90,000 demanded per call, and cite more cases including a €39,000 loss in Austria.
- Two suspected couriers were detained in Frankfurt where they were set to collect 920 grams of gold for the callers.
- The scheme used caller‑ID spoofing and a script in which a fake relative handed off to a supposed officer who pressed for fast bail payments.
- In a separate case, police in Murnau jailed a 33-year-old who allegedly took more than €100,000 from a 93-year-old in Baden‑Württemberg, highlighting continued risk to older people.