“I am Taulant Balla, I need 100,000 euros”: how two young men tried to extort FSHF chief Armand Duka

Edison Korra, 24, and Orest Balla, 23, two young men from Elbasan, devised a plan to extort 100,000 euros from the head of the Albanian Football Federation (FSHF), Armand Duka.

They managed to communicate with Duka via the Signal app, introducing themselves as Taulant Balla and telling him they needed 100,000 euros in cryptocurrency. Duka grew suspicious and notified the police. He told the two young men they would have to speak with his son to receive the sum, while an undercover agent set up a meeting with the suspects, where they expected to collect the requested amount, as TCH reports.

The meeting took place in Elbasan, where the young men were caught red-handed.

Taulant Balla also reacted to the case. “I congratulate the Tirana State Police, who very efficiently cracked another criminal case of fraud on online communication networks. Citizens must be very careful and must immediately report every case! Meanwhile, social networks must strengthen control over fake accounts,” Balla wrote on social media.

Police announcement: “Another attempt to obtain large sums of money through fraud on online communication platforms has been foiled. Specialists of the Economic and Financial Crime Investigation Section, in cooperation with the ‘Operational’ Special Force, acting on the immediate report of a 64-year-old man over suspected fraud on an online communication platform, finalized the coded operation ‘Seen,’ during which citizens E. K., 24, and O. B., 23, were caught red-handed as they were taking 100,000 euros from the complainant, and were arrested. From investigations conducted with special methods, aimed at fully clarifying the authorship and circumstances of this case, it is suspected that these citizens communicated with the 64-year-old through a fake profile on a social network. The profile had been activated with the data of an acquaintance of the 64-year-old, with the aim of defrauding him. Investigations continue to identify and bring to criminal responsibility other citizens who may have been involved in this case. The procedural materials were referred to the Prosecution for further action.”