In collaboration with the FBI: 26 residents of Gush Dan arrested on suspicion of a multi-million dollar sting

October 6, 2021   

Police raided a company located in Tel Aviv that trades virtual currencies last night (Tuesday) - and arrested dozens of employees on suspicion of defrauding American citizens. The arrest came following an alert from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which has been investigating the affair for several months - and notified Israel of the suspicious activity. Following an undercover investigation by the police, they arrested about 26 employees. In parallel with a coordinated arrest operation, which was carried out at the same time in other countries around the globe by additional enforcement authorities abroad. During the raid, detectives confiscated, among other things, computers, digital storage devices, files and various documents. The investigation revealed that the company, which trades currencies such as Bitcoin, advertised that it was looking for young employees for high-paying jobs in a short time, and emphasized that no prior experience was required. The company promised wages, compensation and bonuses for diligent employees and advertised on various websites. This is how the young people arrived and started working. According to a report on Channel 12, most of those questioned claimed in their interrogation that they had no idea about the whole affair and that they did not know that it was a sting and fraud. They denied any involvement in the suspicions against them. Attorneys Binyamin Malka and Alon Eisenberg, who represent some of the suspects, said that the young men they represent deny the suspicions and that they believe they will be released in the near future. They emphasized in their interrogation that, from their perspective, this was normal and routine work and they were not involved in a scam or sting. The police raid began during the night and continued until early morning. The Tel Aviv District Fraud Unit intends to bring the two main suspects - residents of the Dan Bloc in their 30s - to a hearing at the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court later today, with a request to extend their detention.