St Paul’s Bay Woman Denied Bail After Alleged €1 Million Online Bank Impersonation Fraud

A 25-year-old woman from St Paul’s Bay has been remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to charges accusing her of scamming roughly 200 individuals by allegedly pretending to be a bank. Tammy Caruana, who informed the court that she is currently unemployed, was arraigned following a large-scale online fraud probe conducted by the Malta Police Force’s Financial Crimes Investigations Department. The investigation was carried out in collaboration with Europol as well as law enforcement authorities in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The investigation resulted in the arrest of Caruana on 2 February, along with her 82-year-old grandfather. Police identified Caruana as the primary suspect in Malta and believe she ran an online fraud operation in which she allegedly impersonated a financial institution. Investigators have so far identified approximately 200 victims who together suffered financial losses totaling around €1 million.

According to police findings, Caruana is suspected of having links to an international criminal organization with operational connections in Ireland and the United Kingdom. During the police operation, officers confiscated about €8,000 in cash from a property located in Paola. In a separate operation conducted in Qrendi, authorities seized multiple mobile phones and other electronic equipment. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to analyze seized material.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo, approved a request to freeze and seize Caruana’s assets. The defence requested bail for the accused, but prosecutors opposed the request, pointing to the seriousness of the alleged crimes. The prosecution argued that granting provisional release at this stage would be inappropriate because investigators still need to extract data from the accused’s electronic devices. Prosecutors also warned that if released, she might regain access to her online accounts and potentially delete crucial evidence.

Magistrate Farrugia Frendo ultimately rejected the bail request. The prosecution was led by Inspector Claire Vella Borg, with legal support from lawyers Marica Ciantar and Mauro Abela acting on behalf of the attorney general. Lawyer Stefano Filetti appeared as parte civile representing Bank of Valletta plc. The accused was represented in court by lawyers Roberto Spiteri and Franco Galea.

By fLEXI tEAM