Scotland Yard and Romanian police have busted 30 suspected mobsters who allegedly ran a child trafficking ring which kidnapped children from poor Gypsy communities and forced them into a life of crime in Britain as reported by the Daily Mail:
Police estimate that more then 170 youngsters as young as seven have been trafficked to the UK by the gang. * * * Police say the modern-day Fagins forced their young victims - snatched from poor gypsy communities - to beg in Britain and go on pick-pocketing and shoplifting sprees. Mob bosses set them up with bogus documents and homes in London and other big cities and then put them to work on the streets threatening their families at home if they tried to flee.
Many of the suspects "have been traced to the small town of Tandarei, a town of 15,000 people in eastern Romania which includes a 2,000-strong Roma gypsy population" as reported by Justin Davenport for the London Evening Standard: "In recent years previously run down areas of the town have suddenly prospered with imposing newly built homes and BMWs and Range Rovers in the drives with British number plates."
Meanwhile, with the help of the FBI, Romanian police arrested 70 suspects Tuesday who they claim were involved in eBay scams and other cybercrimes since 2006" as reported by Kim Zetter for Wired:
Believed to be members of three separate gangs, the scammers used phishing attacks to get the login credentials of eBay account holders, then used the accounts to auction nonexistent goods. Police have identified approximately 800 victims who sent money for non-existent Rolex watches, cars, yachts, private airplanes and other luxury goods. Buyers from around the world lost an estimated $1 million after they sent money for winning auctions, but never received goods.
