Man, 40, arrested, laptop and phone seized as part of €660,000 investigation into ‘love fraud’ by Gardaí

A man was arrested in Dublin today following searches by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB).

The man, around 40, was arrested in Finglas for gangster offenses in violation of the Criminal Justice Act. Two searches took place in the Citywest and Finglas areas.

He is currently being held at Terenure Garda Station and may be detained for up to seven days.

Bank documents, a laptop and a telephone were also seized in the operation.

A search was conducted by staff from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) in Dublin this morning as part of an ongoing investigation into money laundering romance and phishing scams.

This investigation revealed that a number of bank accounts were created under false names. Around €660,000 is believed to have been laundered through these accounts.

The money is believed to have come from a love scam that operated in Germany between October 2020 and February 2021.

In a specific case, an elderly woman is said to have been cheated out of 230,000 euros.

The investigations are ongoing.