The men placed advertisements in a newspaper. It stated that people could sell their gold jewelry and fur coats at a fair price. The transaction always took place in a hotel.
The local police in Turnhout made a breakthrough when several victims of fraud came forward. The ball started rolling when a woman filed a complaint with the police because she had been the victim of fraud in a hotel in Turnhout. The scammers offered 400 euros for the jewelry and 2,000 euros for the fur coats. They paid the 400 euros for the jewelry immediately. Since they did not have enough money for the fur coats, they asked the woman to return later in the day. But when the woman returned to the hotel, the scammers were gone. It later turned out that the gold jewelry was worth 10,000 euros.
The scammers made victims in the same way in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. They were part of a German gypsy gang.
One defendant is sentenced to 14 months in prison, half of which is effective. Two scammers were given a suspended prison sentence of up to 18 months and a fine of 4,000 euros. Finally, the fourth defendant received a suspended 20-month prison sentence and a 4,000 euro fine.
Tags: Members German gypsy gang convicted gold fur coat fraud
