“The Russian Sting” – Police officers from the Judea and Samaria District arrested two suspects in a scam targeting elderly women, amounting to an estimated value of millions of shekels.
Israel Police arrest two suspects in "Russian Sting" scam targeting elderly women, with millions of shekels in estimated value stolen.
Police investigators are calling on the public who may have been victims of their actions to file a complaint. The covert investigation began about two weeks ago, following two complaints received at the Ariel station from elderly women of Russian origin, who reported receiving phone calls in Russian from individuals who identified themselves as representatives of state authorities, including National Insurance and Income Tax. The investigation revealed that, according to suspicion, the suspects claimed to the victims that they owed money to the authorities, and that if they did not settle the debt immediately, they would face serious problems with state authorities. During the numerous calls, significant pressure was exerted on the victims, and subsequently, an individual came to their homes and received cash and jewelry from them for the purpose of “settling the debt.” The elderly women’s families realized this was a sophisticated scam and went to file a complaint with the police. Upon receiving the two complaints and examining the details of the cases, suspicion arose of a similar and organized modus operandi, which, according to suspicion, operated in additional cases in other cities in the central region. Consequently, the Crime Fighting Unit in the Shomron region opened a covert investigation that included the use of advanced technological means and other signaling operations to track down the suspects involved. Following professional investigative activity, two suspects, a resident of Bat Yam and a resident of Ariel, in their 20s, were arrested yesterday. Telephones used to commit the offenses were seized from their homes, along with documentation of the cash they received from the victims. The suspects were transferred for investigation at the Crime Fighting Unit in the Shomron region, and they will be brought to a court hearing today, where the police will request to extend their detention. Furthermore, as part of the operation, jewelry, the image of which is attached and whose owners’ identities are unknown, was seized by officers. The Israel Police calls on anyone who recognizes this jewelry and may have been a victim of the suspects’ actions to contact the Ariel station of the Judea and Samaria District or call 03-7729444 to file a complaint.
