14/04/2020 (Agence Europe) – German, Irish, Dutch and British authorities, with the help of Europol and Interpol, have managed to thwart a multi-million euro face mask scam, the two agencies reported on Tuesday 14 April. In mid-March, German authorities placed an order for the purchase of 10 million masks on what turned out to be a fake website in Spain. The company ultimately indicated that it was unable to fulfil the order and referred the buyers to a “trusted” reseller in Ireland, who in turn put the buyers in contact with another supplier in the Netherlands. An agreement for an initial delivery of 1.5 million masks was reached, but the order never arrived. With the help of Europol and Interpol, the funds already paid out, worth €1.5 million and €880,000, could finally be frozen and returned. The operation, which has already led to two arrests in the Netherlands, is still ongoing. (MF)