The three men, who are in their 20s and 30s, were arrested in Lisbon and in Algarve.
They have lived a life of luxury, says Johan Sangby, investigation leader for the Swedish work in the operation.
The men are suspected of having been leaders of a comprehensive fraud operation where a large number of Swedes have been deceived of approximately 100-150 million kronor.
They have targeted older victims, says Johan Sangby.
"Remotely controlled computers"
The fraudsters are suspected of having contacted mainly older people via SMS and phone since the beginning of 2023, and pretended to be from collection agencies, but also travel companies. Over a thousand people have been deceived into downloading a software that has allowed the fraudsters to remotely control their computers.
The police discovered the gang by analyzing a large number of reports of fraud.
For over a year, the investigation has been ongoing in parallel in Sweden and in Portugal. The Swedish police have, among other things, tracked digital evidence and held interviews with the affected.
On Tuesday, the police struck against the fraudsters in Portugal. Swedish police were also present before and during the operation.
Assets were secured
In addition to the three Swedes, 60 more people were arrested during the operation, they are suspected of various crimes related to the fraud.
It can be anything from recruiters to regular money launderers, says Johan Sangby.
He says that further arrests may be made.
During the operation, bank accounts were frozen. In addition, expensive cars, cash, jewelry, and watches were seized.
According to the preliminary investigation, which was led by a Portuguese prosecutor, the Swedes are suspected of money laundering and association with a criminal organization. The intention is to prosecute them in Portugal.
