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FEATURE

Tech platforms and websites HR and administrative
Social media platforms and other websites are the public The call centers require the same administrative upkeep as any normal
bulletin boards where scam ads are plastered across the company: Someone needs to pay for rent, internet, utilities, and
internet. They also receive a cut of the profits, as marketers pay parking spaces, plus handle HR tasks such as payroll. In many cases,
to place advertisements on their platforms. these payments were made by external firms that helped shield the
identity of the real companies and individuals behind the call centers.
While these tech companies tout policies barring such
fraudulent content, their moderation efforts have failed to
prevent billions of scam ads from proliferating across their 3. Getting the Money
platforms.

2. Managing a Scam

Banks and money transfer companies
Once a victim is ready to “invest,” the next challenge for scammers is to
get ahold of their cash without alerting compliance officers at banks
or leaving a paper trail that would allow authorities to track them
down. In the cases reviewed by reporters, the scammers would often
advise victims on how to answer questions from their banks as they
Software sought to transfer funds out of their accounts. The scammers would
After clicking on an online ad and entering their contact also frequently push victims to open accounts at specific institutions.
details, victims frequently hear from a call center agent within
minutes. This is thanks to technology that directly integrates the Payment service providers
personal data collected by affiliate marketers into databases The scammers don’t receive the funds directly from their clients — that
of “leads” maintained by the call centers.
would make it too easy for investigators to hunt them down. Instead,
they were found to move the money through other bank accounts,
From there, the call centers utilize a range of software to often belonging to shell companies, to obscure the final destination.
streamline their work, including “customer relationship The leaked files reveal how a sprawling ecosystem of unregulated
management” software, or CRM, which is used by sales service providers were called upon to facilitate this process. When the
operations worldwide. This software provides a space for scammers requested help moving funds from a victim, these providers
the scammers to store information about each “client,” such would match them to the most suitable company and produce phoney
as notes on their background and investment experience, paperwork to help satisfy questions from banks. Internal documents
the content of their phone conversations, the amount the show these providers charged fees of 10 to 17 percent, significantly
victims have deposited, and how much they believe they have more than a legitimate mainstream payment service.
“earned.” Screen recordings in the leak showed how agents
were in some cases able to control the client-facing side of some Shell companies
of the software, where victims would view figures detailing the To bring the money to its final destination, the scammers need a steady
status of their fictitious investments.
supply of shell companies to help obscure the ultimate recipients of the
Connectivity funds. The leak revealed the existence of dozens of such companies
that were used to funnel victims’ money around the globe. Some of
The scammers’ work rests on their ability to make large volumes them also served as intermediary firms who paid the call centers bills
of calls on a daily basis. To do so, they pay for Voice-over-IP for other services, such as software.
(VoIP) services that allow them to make international calls
over the internet. In addition to saving costs, VoIP enables the Behind the Scam: How Fraudsters Use Social Media, Software, and
scammers to choose the country codes of their phone numbers, Shell Companies to Steal Millions | OCCRP
bolstering the ruse that they are calling from prestigious Fact-checking was provided by the OCCRP Fact-Checking Desk.
financial centers like the U.K. or Switzerland. The VoIP firms Research and data expertise was provided by OCCRP’s Research &
also provide a steady flow of new phone numbers to call center Data Team.
agents whose numbers are frequently blacklisted as spam. OCCRP: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
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