Polish police crackdown on fake document syndicate: social media was key
Europol has busted an international document-forging gang that used social media platforms to advertise their services.
By Europol
Europol has busted an international document-forging gang that used social media platforms to advertise their services under the guise of “legal assistance.”
Europol supported Polish Border Guards (Straż Graniczna) in stopping an organized group made up of Ukrainians and Belarussians from forging official documents.
The group, which started in 2020, forged residence permits, driving licenses, passports, visas, and ID cards and mainly operated in Poland and Ukraine.
This group used social media platforms to advertise these fake IDs and other forged documents and charged customer €1,500 per document.
Once the documents were ready the customers received photos via online messaging platforms, the fake IDs and other documents were then sent via post or personally by members of the gang.
Law enforcement has taken 12,000 fake documents, secured €250,000, and arrested all members of the organized criminal group.
In December 2024, seven suspects were arrested, four locations were searched, and electronic devices were seized, as were documents and bank/credit cards, while law enforcement carried out searches in Poland.