Inside the Crypto Scam Network Targeting French Victims from Albania

• Nineteen French victims lost nearly €1.5 million to Albanian crypto scammers operating fake investment platforms.
• Tirana’s low wages and multilingual workforce made Albania a prime base for organised crypto fraud call centres.
• Scammers used fake LinkedIn profiles and identity cards to appear credible before psychologically trapping their victims.

A complex network of crypto fraudsters that operated from Albania has conned almost 1.5 million euros from 19 French people. 

The criminals ran from fancy offices in the capital city of Tirana, where they acted as American investment advisers using bogus cryptocurrency exchanges. 

In one case, an individual was robbed of 80,000 euros after investing only 250 euros. Five citizens of Albania were detained after collaboration between French and Albanian law enforcement agencies.

How the Scam Network Was Built and Operated

The Albanian capital, Tirana, has become a preferred base for fraudulent call centres targeting European investors. 

Former police officer Fatjon Softa points to three key factors driving this trend. The city offers a multilingual workforce, low operating costs, and accessible channels for laundering money.

Inside these centres, workers followed a structured process designed to build trust with targets. One former operator, identified only as Jon, told AFP that others first identified potential victims before passing them to him. His role was strictly to convince those individuals to invest their money.

Jon described modelling his approach on Jordan Belfort, the fraudulent broker from the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street. Working from a luxury Tirana office building, he posed as an American advisor during every call. 

He earned 1,450 euros monthly before bonuses, nearly three times Albania‘s 500-euro minimum wage. Jon called it an “excellent opportunity, very well paid.”

Despite now facing fraud charges carrying a prison term of three to ten years, Jon expressed zero remorse. 

“I don’t see why I should have any qualms if people fall for it,” he told AFP. “My job was to lure them in and convince them to invest,” he added, noting he sometimes felt “proud” of his performance.

French Victims Describe Psychological Grip of the Fraud

The investigation into the network was started following a complaint filed in 2023 that a loss of 30,000 euros had been suffered on the trading platform, Universatrade.io. 

The investigation conducted by the police from Pau, southwest France, revealed a total of 19 victims in France. 

A subsequent raid on Albanian call centres recovered a hard drive containing victim names and contact details.

One victim, a French businesswoman referred to as Chantal, said everything started with a simple online ad about oil investments. 

“Ten minutes later, I received a call,” she told AFP. She added, “My daughter was getting married, I told myself I could make a little bit extra.” The platform appeared legitimate, complete with LinkedIn profiles and fake identity cards.

Her initial 250-euro investment appeared to quadruple almost immediately, drawing her deeper into the scheme.

However, she was able to put 80,000 Euros into the account until she tried to withdraw. At that time, fraudsters started phoning her 15-20 times per day to encourage her to make further deposits.

Chantal says she was sleepless for several days in fear of what would happen next. “You don’t sleep all night, your brain just can’t cope,” she said. She eventually reached a breaking point, but her family intervened in time. 

“They steal more than your money. They steal your dignity,” she said. A source close to the investigation noted that “the scams are put together well” and are very “sophisticated,” pushing back against assumptions that victims were simply careless.

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