The program's first example concerns men from Latvia who literally come to pick up the money carrying plastic bags, posing as secret agents, police or bank representatives. In truth, they are little more than cash mules who are paid around €500 for a delivery.

One of their victims, whom "Impulss" refers to as Alina, received a call last February and ended up handing over €20,000 in cash.

"The victim was involved in a mock undercover operation. She was supposed to deliver the cash personally after withdrawing it from an ATM. Alina met the crooks nearby," said District Prosecutor Anneli Masing.

The swindler stepped up to 70-year-old Alina, handed her a folder which was supposed to contain his credentials, took the money and left. The old lady took a picture of the man just in case. Alina, who kept in touch with the criminals promised to hand over another €39,000 but needed a few days in which to sort out the bank's limits on cash withdrawals.

Alina contacted the authorities after her friend made her realize she was being had. From there, a real undercover operation followed. Crooks who had driven from Riga to pick up the money in front of an apartment building in Lasnamäe were welcomed by plainclothes officers instead.

The police arrested 25-year-old Artjoms Ratnikovs who it turned out had perpetrated other such fraud cases. The man has been handed a criminal punishment by now.

Ratnikovs was surprisingly forthcoming and gave up his boss in Latvia who has been declared an international fugitive. This was a rare stroke of luck, as cash mules in Estonia usually have no idea who they're working for or the extent of the scheme in which they're involved.

For example, the police apprehended another Latvian cash mule called Andrejs Zubrevics (52) who manage to con his victims out of €36,000. However, Zubrevics remained tight-lipped when asked about the organizers of the scheme. It is also a known fact that only a fraction of cash couriers ever find themselves dealing with the police.

Last year, 524 Estonians were registered as having fallen victim to cash fraud, losing a total of almost €3 million. These figures for the two months of 2024 are already at 64 victims and €250,000 to suggest that such calls are showing no signs of abatement.

Cases on Facebook Marketplace

But the average Estonian is had on Facebook Marketplace. By putting a €50 pair of shoes up for sale and ending up losing €10,000.

"Impulss" decided to conduct an experiment, putting up for sale a flowerpot for €15 and a laptop computer for €600. While no crook took an interest in the latter, the flower pot proved a real hit. One offered a loan, while another two promised to send a courier to pick up the pot.

The police said that swindlers go after smaller and cheaper items, such as clothes and footwear.

The con sees the swindler promise to send a courier to pick up the goods, saying that the money has been transferred and a statement needs to be signed. Filling out the latter, the victim enters their bank details. This gives the perpetrator attack to the victim's bank account.

While such scams raked in €314,000 last year, €108,000 has already been lost in the first two months of 2024. The police say that the sums in question range from €200 to more than €50,000.

"They usually take as much as they can from the person's bank account. Or, if possible, take out loans in the person's name. This continues until an obstacle arises. Whether the person discovers that something is off by themselves and asks the bank to close their cards, or if someone else intervenes," the authorities said.

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