FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
It is learned that hundreds of students, teachers and educational officials throughout Albania fell for this fraud.
It has been finalized with the arrest of 20-year-old Ermes Hoxhalli from Devolli, the destruction of the fraud scheme with scholarships and free visas for the USA, detected a month ago by the US Embassy in Tirana.
Initially, on June 4, two women were arrested who were allegedly part of the "Let's Talk Together" "About US24" project, through which citizens and students were deceived.
One of the arrested women was revealed to be part of the education system, more precisely, an education official at the local level, part of the General Directorate of Pre-University Education in the Ministry of Education.
After a 6-month investigation carried out by a special investigative group of investigators from the United States Embassy in Tirana, in cooperation with the Prosecutor's Office of Tirana, it became possible to destroy the group and capture the person who created the scheme, Ermes Haxholli.
According to information, the 20-year-old had created a false identity, engaging with officials of the Ministry of Education and other educational institutions throughout Albania.
Hundreds of students, teachers and educational officials throughout Albania participated in these fraudulent programs as part of this fraud.
" An Albanian citizen is arrested, involved in a large fraud scheme, targeting the education system throughout the country. On 22.07.2024, citizen EH, 20 years old, resident of Devoll, was arrested.
The Criminal Police Department, in cooperation with the Criminal Investigations Unit at the Diplomatic Security Service of the United States Embassy in Tirana, under the direction of the Prosecutor's Office of the General Section of Tirana, has executed an "Arrest in Prison" security measure, issued by The Court of General Jurisdiction Tirana, for the criminal offenses "Computer forgery" and "Forgery of documents".
After a six-month investigation, by a special investigation group, consisting of officers of the Criminal Police Department and investigators from the Office of Criminal Investigations at the Embassy of the United States in Tirana, under the direction of the Prosecutor's Office of the General Section of Tirana, a fraud scheme organized by the already arrested citizen EH, who defrauded educational institutions, with the so-called "Let's Talk Together about US 23" and "Let's Talk Together about US 24" projects.
The programs promised students and teachers free trips to the United States. The arrested EH had created a false identity, engaging with officials of the Ministry of Education and other educational institutions throughout Albania. Hundreds of students, teachers and educational officials throughout Albania participated in these fraudulent programs.
The Albanian State Police thanks the Prosecutor's Office of the General Section, Tirana and the Criminal Investigations Unit at the US Embassy in Tirana, for the help in this complex investigation and for the ongoing partnership" , the police announcement states.
Meanwhile, in June, the US Embassy in Tirana came out with an announcement, asking citizens to be careful and not fall prey to such frauds, related to visas and scholarships.
" The US Embassy is aware of a so-called project known as "Let's Talk Together About US24." This group has no affiliation with the US Embassy, the US Department of State, the US Department of Education, our educational programs, or embassy personnel. The US State Department's Diplomatic Security Service will continue to work with the State Police as they investigate the extent of this fraudulent scheme.
We urge all Albanians to be wary of scams that guarantee free travel to the United States, as well as free or low-cost American visas. We also urge anyone to contact the US Embassy if they suspect that any person or organization is attempting to falsely represent themselves as affiliated with the embassy ," the US embassy announced at the time.
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