Jerusalem Police investigators yesterday moved into the open phase of a large-scale fraud and deception case, with a raid on the homes of suspects in Jerusalem and central Israel.
It is suspected that the suspects operated in a sophisticated and systematic manner against elderly victims and vulnerable populations, while exploiting their lack of technological knowledge.
The undercover investigation began several months ago, following an accumulation of complaints from elderly residents of Mevaseret Zion.
The victims reported an identical pattern of action: a phone call from a "service representative" of a communications company, a request to provide identifying information under various pretexts, and shortly thereafter, the discovery of charges in the thousands and tens of thousands of shekels on their credit cards.
Using advanced technological means, the investigators revealed the pattern of operations: members of the cell would impersonate service representatives, coax the elderly into providing personal details, take over their cellular lines, and in this way bypass the credit card companies' security mechanisms and carry out dozens of transactions to purchase valuable technological equipment and other products from which they lived and made a living - while emptying the bank accounts of some of the victims.
So far, about 70 victims have been identified across the country, with the cumulative scope of the fraud estimated at one million shekels.
During yesterday's operational activity, detectives seized findings and evidence linking the suspects to the acts.
Investigators also seized a villa in the city of Ramat Gan where some of the suspects, including the main suspect, lived. It is suspected that the property itself was also obtained through fraud against the elderly homeowner who lives abroad.
The 11 suspects - aged 18-40, from Jerusalem and the center - were questioned at the Jerusalem Police Station, and later today they will be brought before the Magistrate's Court with a request to extend their detention.
Commander of the Fraud Section at the Jerusalem Police Department, Lt. Col. Dotan Grilak: "The fraudsters who operate against the elderly population do not hesitate to use any means. This is a cynical, cruel and calculated exploitation of a vulnerable population, harming not only the pockets of the elderly, but also their basic sense of security. The Israel Police will continue to use all the technological and operational tools at its disposal to reach anyone who chooses to make a living by exploiting the helpless, and to bring them to justice to the fullest extent.""
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