The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested two men last Tuesday, October 7, on suspicion of dozens of crimes of qualified fraud and money laundering, with amounts potentially reaching several million euros. Approximately 1,500 victims have been identified, most of whom reside abroad.
In a statement, inspectors revealed that the amount was spread across a total of 16 bank accounts. One of the suspects was detained in Porto, the other in Braga.
The modus operandi involved the use of fraudulent investment methods in cryptocurrency portfolios, scams via Mbway, schemes involving the placement of likes on social networks, as well as performing tasks in fraudulent banking operations.
The investigation, carried out by the Criminal Investigation Department of Guarda, has already identified 4,000 fund dissipation operations associated with eight of the bank accounts, with an estimated total value of about 1.5 million euros, with amounts in the remaining accounts yet to be determined.
The detainees, aged 26 and 42, will now be brought before a judicial hearing for the application of appropriate coercive measures.
The PJ continues the investigation to gather all possible data. The inquiry is led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) of Guarda.
