Investigators from Lower Saxony and Hesse have arrested two men who are said to have sent around 100,000 fraudulent messages nationwide via the WhatsApp messenger. The two suspected perpetrators, aged 19 and 20, were arrested in Frankfurt on Tuesday morning, according to the Osnabrück police, who were involved in the months-long investigation.
During the searches of the two Frankfurt apartments, extensive evidence was seized, including cell phones, electronic data carriers and pepper spray guns. The police suspect a dozen members are behind the gang. The investigation into this is ongoing. The defendants are accused of commercial and gang fraud. They face prison sentences of between one and ten years.
In the scam, the perpetrators pretend to be a family member and refer to the messenger service Whatsapp for further communication. During the chat there, they try to get the other person to transfer money by feigning an emergency. The perpetrators only use briefly registered mobile phone numbers that have been registered for misused or faked personal details.
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