Background: From LottoPalace to Cross-Border Raids
Up until spring 2019, the fraudulent LottoPalace website was actively scamming German-speaking victims. Shortly after the arrest of German scam ringleader Uwe Lenhoff, the site disappeared. Lenhoff, who ran call center operations through Silkline Group sh.p.k. in Kosovo, was found dead in his jail cell in July 2020, before formal charges were brought. The cause of his death remains unknown.
Lenhoff was not the only figure using Kosovo as a hub for scam operations. In November 2020, law enforcement agencies from both Germany and Kosovo carried out a coordinated raid targeting another call center group linked to fraudulent lottery schemes.
Modus Operandi of the Scam
Kosovo has become a hotbed for illegal boiler room activities, particularly those targeting vulnerable demographics abroad. Investigations following Lenhoff’s arrest revealed the following key methods:
Target Audience:
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Elderly, often single seniors in Germany
Tactics Used:
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Cold calls falsely informing victims of massive lottery wins
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Victims told they won hundreds of thousands of euros
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“Processing fees” requested for:
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Transportation
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Insurance
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Notarial services
Payment Collection Methods:
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Wire transfers to foreign accounts
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E-cash codes
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Online shopping vouchers
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In some cases, in-person money pickups
Authorities estimate the total damages run into millions of euros, given the scam’s nationwide operation over multiple years.
Law Enforcement Crackdown
The joint operation resulted in:
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13 locations searched
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9 individuals arrested, including top-level coordinators
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Seizure of significant evidence:
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Luxury vehicles
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IT and communications equipment
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Other valuable assets
International Cooperation Yields Results
This law enforcement action marked a notable success thanks to the close collaboration between:
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Kosovar and German authorities
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Support from the Center for International Legal Cooperation (CILC)
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Assistance from the Lower Bavarian Criminal Investigation Department, which played a key role in reinforcing the case
Conclusion: The dismantling of this Kosovo-based lottery scam operation highlights the growing importance of cross-border legal cooperation in tackling organized financial fraud and protecting European consumers from cross-national cybercrime networks.