Four men were arrested in Lisbon by the PJ criminal police for fraudulenty convincing people to give them money which they said could be multiplied by a sophisticated copying technique.
The group of swindlers, aged between 33 and 49, would tell their victims that they could multiply €50, €100, €200 and €500 notes by using special papers and liquids.
In exchange for the money, the con-artists would give their victims a package of the same size as the notes they handed over. Only the first couple of notes, however, were real.
The police searches led to the confiscation of numerous stacks of multi-coloured paper, bottles of liquid used in the swindle, two cars and various mobile phones.
The detained were to appear before a court.
