Three Swedish Men Arrested in Portugal

Three Swedish men have been arrested in a major operation in Portugal, police report. They are suspected of defrauding the elderly of 100 to 150 million kronor.

– They have grabbed as much money as they can, says lead investigator Johan Sangby.

The arrests were made through a collaboration between Swedish, Spanish, and Portuguese police with the help of Europol.

– It feels very rewarding and satisfying that they are arrested and that we have had great success in the case, says Johan Sangby, lead investigator for the Swedish effort in the operation.

The three Swedes are men between 20 and 30 years old. They are suspected of money laundering and association with criminal networks. All three are known to the police from previous similar offenses.

One of the Swedes was arrested in Lisbon and the other two on the Algarve coast in southern Portugal.

An additional 60 people are suspected of involvement in the crimes and have also been arrested in Portugal. The arrested Swedes are believed to have had leading roles within the network.

The investigation has been ongoing for just over a year. Johan Sangby indicates that more arrests may occur related to the case.

Could Have Stolen Millions Per Incident

The suspected criminal activity began in 2023 and involved fraudsters calling and texting a large number of people, primarily the elderly, to scam them out of money.

Over a thousand victims have been tricked into downloading software on their computers, allowing the fraudsters to remotely control the computers and steal large sums of money. According to the police, the amount involved is between 100 to 150 million kronor.

– Often, people lose all the money they have. It depends, but the fraudsters usually grab as much money as they can, which can range from 10,000 kronor to several million per incident, says Johan Sangby.

The investigation continues in pursuit of other suspects.

– We have good leads on the others, says Sangby.