A group of eight young men with backgrounds from Somalia, the Middle East and Sri Lanka has been indicted for aggravated fraud at Oslo tingrett (Oslo District Court). Over the course of three months last year they carried out at least twelve systematic fraud operations against elderly women in Oslo and Lillestrøm.

The method was the same every time: The victims were called by someone pretending to be from the bank or the police. They were told that they had been exposed to identity theft.

They were then deceived into handing over their bank cards, together with the PIN code, or into transferring large sums to accounts controlled by the accused.

In several cases a “collector” was sent directly to the victims’ homes to pick up the bank cards in person.

Within a short time the cards were used for currency purchases, electronics or luxury clothing.

Two ringleaders

According to the indictment from the Oslo Police District, which Document has obtained access to, the group was organised with a clear hierarchical structure.

At the top were two men in their mid-twenties. A 25-year-old with a background from the Middle East is involved in all twelve episodes and is identified as the principal offender. He planned, organised and issued instructions to the others. Alongside him, a man of the same age, also with a background from the Middle East, functioned as co-organiser in eleven of the twelve episodes.

Below these two operated six younger men aged 20 to 24 — five with Tamil backgrounds from Sri Lanka and one with a Somali background. They were sent out as foot soldiers: it was they who knocked on the doors of the elderly women, collected the bank cards, and ran from shop to shop to empty the accounts before the banks had time to block them.

The victims: Elderly women in their own homes

All ten injured parties named in the indictment are Norwegian elderly women. They live scattered across the Oslo and Lillestrøm area.

The pattern is equally shocking every time: An elderly woman is called in her own home. The person on the other end of the line sounds professional and introduces himself as an employee of the bank or of the police. The woman is told that someone has stolen her identity, and that she must act quickly.

Then the doorbell rings.

There stands a young man who says he has been sent to secure her bank card. She hands over the card and the code. Within hours the account is emptied.

Hundreds of thousands disappeared within hours

The amounts stolen are in part very large.

In the most serious case an elderly woman was deceived into transferring 448,000 kroner to a bank account belonging to one of the accused. The money was immediately used for purchases of gold, electronics and clothing.

Another woman was deceived into transferring 500,000 kroner to her own current account so that the accused could make cash withdrawals using her bank card. More than 50,000 kroner was withdrawn.

From a third woman’s account withdrawals amounting to 339,000 kroner were made within a short period — divided between currency exchange, gold purchases and cash withdrawals in shops.

The proceeds were systematically laundered through currency purchases at Forex, Ria Money Transfer and Western Union, purchases of goods at Power and Eplehuset, gold purchases and cash withdrawals at Kiwi shops.

Purchased luxury products

The police are seeking confiscation of a large number of luxury items found with the accused.

With the principal offender a Rolex watch, a MacBook, a Louis Vuitton shoulder bag, two Louis Vuitton wallets, various pieces of jewellery, four gold coins valued at 56,000 kroner, two iPhones and cash were seized.

With the other accused the police found additional Louis Vuitton bags, watches, jewellery, a Garmin watch, a gold ring and cash totalling more than 20,000 kroner.

A clear picture emerges: The money defrauded from elderly women who trusted that it was the police calling was used to finance a life of expensive branded goods.

The prosecution invokes a risk of reoffending for all the accused. For one of the accused, a 22-year-old with a Tamil background, this also means that a previous suspended sentence is now activated.

The case is to come before Oslo tingrett on Tuesday 17 March and will last until 14 April due to the number of accused.