110 arrests in international shares fraud crackdown

A two-year investigation results in arrests in Europe and US

Following a two-year investigation, anti-fraud police have arrested 110 people in Europe and the US in connection with fraudulent share sales. 

A series of raids last week resulted in the arrests after a lengthy investigation into 'boiler room' operations which are believed to have resulted in several million pounds worth of investment fraud. 'Boiler room' tactics involve young brokers cold-calling potential investors and selling them non-existent or over-priced shares using high pressure selling tactics.

Such operations were discovered in Spain, Britain, Serbia and the US and the raids also yielded several thousand pounds' worth of goods such as high-end cars, designer clothing and more. 

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Priscilla Darmenia
From time to time I receive such telephone calls to buy high yield secure investments. I tell the caller that in Malta one must hold a license by the MFSA to sell investments and if he would be so kind to email me a scanned copy of the license I will consider his offer. I give him a non existent email and that would be the end of the story.