Fraudulent call centre targeted in joint operation
Large-scale searches involving the Fulger special forces brigade were carried out in Chișinău and Anenii Noi on Sunday as part of an international investigation into a fraudulent call centre. The operation was conducted by prosecutors from Moldova and Romania, with support from Europol and Eurojust.
Around 180 Moldovan citizens aged over 20 were detained on suspicion of working as operators for a fraudulent call centre allegedly coordinated from Ukraine.
Investigators said the scheme followed a familiar pattern. Operators called victims while posing as bank security employees and persuaded them to provide access to their mobile banking applications. Funds were then rapidly withdrawn from the compromised accounts.
The proceeds were allegedly laundered through intermediary accounts, cryptocurrencies and online gambling services. Most of the victims were citizens of European Union countries, particularly Romania.
Questions raised over organisers in Ukraine
The operation was welcomed as a significant law-enforcement success, although the involvement of Moldovan citizens as call centre operators has prompted uncomfortable questions at home.
According to the investigation, the alleged organisers were based in Ukraine. Critics argue that Ukrainian-based networks have become deeply involved in cross-border telephone fraud, while accusing Moldovan security agencies of paying insufficient attention to criminal activity linked to the neighbouring country.
Some commentators have gone further, alleging without presenting evidence that officials may have tolerated or benefited from such schemes.
The investigation also failed to establish any Russian connection, despite previous claims by the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) that Russian intelligence agencies had stolen databases containing the personal information of Moldovan citizens.
The fraudulent call centre case is now being investigated jointly by Moldovan and Romanian prosecutors, with the assistance of European law-enforcement bodies.
