Police catch Israeli crooks who promised to free French soldiers from ISIS

To convince those organizations that were not being hoodwinked, the gang would send letters with France's government official seal on it.

By YVETTE J. DEANE
A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. (photo credit: STRINGER/ REUTERS)
A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014.
(photo credit: STRINGER/ REUTERS)
Lahav 433, the Israeli crime-fighting organization, and French police caught Israelis suspected of duping French organizations out of EUR 10 million under the pretense that these organizations were helping free French soldiers from the Islamic State, Ynet reported on Tuesday.
The alleged Israeli scam artists, based out of Netanya and Ashdod, denied the whole the incident.
The police raided their apartment Netanya and then a yacht anchored in the port of Ashdod to apprehend the crime crew.
According to the report, the crew of three posed as senior French government officials promising French organizations that the money they were collecting would help release captured french soldiers.
The crime gang would call the organizations and claim everything had to remain secret.
"You are saving lives, but it is important to maintain complete discretion," the impostors would warn, according to the report. The crew would then claim they would return the money, but could not make the transfer themselves to maintain discretion. Often the money would be transferred to a bank account in China.
To convince those organizations they were not being hoodwinked, the gang would send letters with France's government official seal on it.
In another scam, the same crew allegedly impersonated France's defense minister, asking an organization for one million euros to free captured soldiers in Mali.