An 80 million euro scam involving approximately 6,000 people, including vulnerable individuals, for a business related to the development of renewable energy, which in reality never happened.
A large-scale operation conducted by the Guardia di Finanza and the Italian Police, at first light on October 28, led to numerous house searches throughout Italy and the emergency precautionary seizure of the portal www.voltaiko.com, with the freezing of 95 bank accounts attributable to the same corporate group.
This is the result of a complex investigation conducted by the Metropolitan Operations Unit of the Bologna Financial Police and the Operations Center for Cyber Security for Emilia-Romagna, under the direction of Public Prosecutor Marco Imperato of the Bologna Public Prosecutor's Office.
A collaborative effort that also saw the Cyber Security Operational Sections of the various Regions and other territorial units of the Fiamme Gialle in the provinces of Bologna, Rimini, Modena, Milan, Varese, Arezzo, Frosinone, Teramo, Pescara, and Ragusa on the front lines.
The operation – codenamed "Cagliostro" – led to ten people being placed under investigation.
A transnational criminal group with a pyramid scheme structured according to the so-called "Ponzi scheme" : a sales model that promises high profits to early investors, to the detriment of new investors, who in turn become victims.
The renewable energy investment proposal in this case did not involve installing physical systems in homes, but rather renting photovoltaic panels located in countries with high energy productivity—which in reality do not exist—with attractive monthly or quarterly returns in "energy points."
However, the invested funds were tied up for three years, thus allowing for a significant increase in financial leverage. As mentioned, it is estimated that approximately 6,000 people across the country were affected by the numerous procurers who persuaded them to invest in the portal, generating an estimated investment volume of approximately 80 million euros.
(Unioneonline)