US federal agencies are now involved in a multi-state investigation into an Irish criminal fraud and construction scam gang.
Victims of the fraud gang have reportedly paid the gang tens of millions of dollars, RTE Prime Time has revealed.
Reports have stated that individual victims lost up to a hundred thousand dollars.
According to RTE, police in the Pacific Northwest say they have identified around 30 people who had involvement in the scam, with most of them being Irish ment who travelled to the US.
Police have estimated that the victims have lost in total $15 million, with the victims including elderly people who have now lost their "life savings and retirement funds," reports have stated.
Speaking on Prime Time, the Seattle police said that they have footage of 30 people that are linked to the criminal gang.
Those suspected are Irish men who travelled to the US from Ireland and are on overstayed visas.
A victim of the fraud gang spoke to Prime Time via video call, he told them that his partner approached by a man outside of their home and was told that their chimney needed work.
"I think his initial estimate was $2,300. And I was like, 'oh, that's very reasonable,’" the victim said.
The Irish man then hiked up the price by saying it needed more work than initally said. "We're going to have to take it down to the roofline. It'll be another $1,400," they told him.
The victim explained that after the price had risen multiple times, the conversation got heated and he ended up paying 8,000 dollars for an unfinished job.
Police told RTE that some of the victim's money is being laundered in businesses in New York and some is being transferred overseas into cryptocurrencies. It was also revealed that some of the money has been found in Ireland.
