Police Catch 170 Money Mules - Haven't Seen This Many Since All the Pensioners Used to Stand at Tosele Bus Stop

Latvian State Police announced the discovery of a grandiose phone scam involving 170 so-called money mules. This number is impressive - this many people haven't been seen in one place since the days when you could still spot all the district's pensioners at Tosele bus stop, waiting for the bus to downtown.

The scammers used a particularly refined scheme - calling residents and pretending to be police and bank employees. They asked victims to install the AnyDesk program and log into their internet banking to help expose scammers. This is like asking someone to close their eyes and count to ten while you take their wallet.

Unfortunately, people in Riga turned out to be more trusting than usual - approximately 2 million euros were scammed in total. Meanwhile, such schemes wouldn't work in Liepāja, because locals have long been accustomed to the fact that if someone calls and says they're from the bank, they're probably lying - because banks here close faster than they open.

With the help of international colleagues, police identified and detained 13 call center operators, as well as the organized group's leader in Germany. Several people fled to Ukraine, but were also caught there in Ivano-Frankivsk. There hasn't been such extensive international cooperation since the times when Liepāja basketball players played in the Euroleague.

The investigation continues, but it's already clear - if someone calls and says they're from the bank or police, better hang up immediately. Or ask if they know where Tosele bus stop is - if they don't know, they're probably not from Latvia.