Background: Albanian call centres linked to at least €50m in investment fraud
A joint Austrian-Albanian investigation uncovered a network targeting victims through fake investments from Tirana. An EU account dated 27 July describes ten arrests and nearly €900,000 in cash seized.
The action day took place on 17 April 2026 after more than two years of investigation. Three call centres and nine homes were searched, and hundreds of computers and phones seized.
According to the European Commission, adverts drew victims to fake trading platforms. Staff posed as advisers, spoke victims’ languages and pressured them to deposit more money. They sometimes used software to access victims’ devices.
Previous victims were also approached with offers to recover their money. The reported losses are an investigative estimate. Europol and Eurojust supported cooperation; victims were located in Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, among other countries.









































