Parisian man defrauded of 930,000 euros in elaborate scam

An 84-year-old man living in Paris has been defrauded of more than 930,000 euros by a network of scammers. The perpetrators posed as the daughter of a deceased friend to manipulate the victim into sending funds via cash orders, PCS transfers, and bank wires.

To increase the credibility of the scam, the criminals involved fake personas, including a fraudulent notary and a fake banker. The investigation, triggered by an alert from Tracfin, revealed that the funds moved through accounts in Germany before circulating between France and Africa.

Authorities have arrested nine suspects in Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-d’Oise. The investigation also uncovered a recruitment system on Snapchat used to hire young individuals as money mules in exchange for small payments. Four of the suspects are scheduled to stand trial in Paris on September 17.