Europol, Albanian police shut €50M crypto call centers

Europol and Albanian police carried out coordinated raids in Tirana this month, arresting 10 people and shutting multiple call centers as part of a two-year investigation. Authorities seized about €900,000 in cash and large quantities of servers, computers and other IT equipment.

European and Austrian agencies worked with Albanian prosecutors and Eurojust on the operation, which targeted call centers accused of running fake investment and crypto recovery schemes that fraudulently obtained roughly €50 million from victims.

Investigators said the centers operated like legitimate companies, with up to 450 employees across departments including IT and human resources. Staff were organized by language to reach victims in specific markets. Individual operators received about $938 per month plus commission, according to the inquiry.

The scheme began with telemarketers building trust and pitching false investment opportunities that persuaded people to transfer funds. After the initial fraud, some victims were contacted again and offered a paid recovery service that required opening crypto accounts and depositing an initial €500. Europol noted some people were targeted twice.

Police described the network as disrupted but not fully dismantled, and officials said it remains uncertain whether investigators will identify and prosecute those who established and financed the physical facilities.

Evidence collected includes cash and electronic records from seized servers and devices. Investigators reported the call centers used structured scripts, specialized teams and commission-based pay to scale outreach and maintain operations.

Eurojust wrote, “The online call centers run by the criminal network demonstrated a high level of organization and professionalism.” The U.S. Federal Trade Commission advised, “If you’ve lost money in crypto, scammers might try to convince you they can get your money back. (Spoiler alert: they can’t).”

Authorities said continued international cooperation will be necessary to trace money flows, follow infrastructure and bring additional suspects to justice. The Tirana raids removed a significant operation and provided evidence for further action.