CoinVoice recently learned, according to local English news media (The International) reported by Decrypt, that earlier this year, with the help of Europol, a 39-year-old suspect with a series of criminal records was arrested in Milan, Italy. The suspect is reported to have been involved in a new variant of a 'scam' scheme, which traditionally uses counterfeit money to purchase luxury goods such as expensive watches or gold. In this case, the victims give the scammers cryptocurrency in exchange for fake money. The Vienna police refer to this variant as 'Rip-Deal 2.0'.
The suspect was also found to be in possession of 200,000 euros in counterfeit money. Gerald Goldnagl, the head of the Vienna branch, stated, 'These crimes are usually carried out by organized gangs from the Western Balkans.'
Detective Mario Kaintz stated that the gang's scam methods are 'sophisticated'. In some cases, 'they make victims enter passwords or the 'seed phrases' of their cryptocurrency wallets, and sometimes they also use hidden cameras in the ceiling to spy on the victims' phone screens'. [Original link]