Eleven gang members were arrested on suspicion of defrauding and swindling dozens of elderly and vulnerable people, with an accumulated sum of approximately one million shekels. Jerusalem District Police detectives began a covert investigation several months ago.

According to suspicion, criminals impersonated service representatives, persuaded the elderly to provide personal details, took control of their mobile lines, and in this way bypassed the security mechanisms of credit card companies and carried out dozens of transactions to purchase valuable technological equipment and additional products from which they lived and sustained themselves, emptying the bank accounts of some of the victims. Central Unit police officers raided the homes of the suspects in Jerusalem and the center of the country. During the operational activity, findings and evidence were seized linking the suspects to the acts. Furthermore, investigators seized a villa in the city of Ramat Gan where some of the suspects resided, including the main suspect. According to suspicion, the property itself was also obtained through fraud against the elderly homeowner residing abroad. To date, approximately 70 victims have been identified across the country, with the cumulative fraud estimated at one million shekels. 11 suspects were arrested and the investigation is ongoing at the offices of the Jerusalem Central Unit.