Three men from Varna have been detained and charged with forging documents and fraud in various European countries. The scheme involved placing fake QR codes on original parking meters, misleading customers to pay for parking, but in fact providing their personal data to the fraudsters.
The men, aged 63, 53, and 37, have previous criminal records. During searches of their homes, a large sum of money, drugs, and equipment were discovered.
Deyan Goranov from the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime explained that after scanning the fake QR code, the payer is redirected to a website that imitates the original, but is controlled by the fraudsters. Entering the data leads to its provision to third parties.
The spokesperson for the District Prosecutor's Office - Varna, Radoslav Lazarov, added that the group operated outside the country and evidence gathering is underway through the European Investigation Order.