Jerusalem District Police and the Tax Authority on Monday morning arrested residents of Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods suspected of systematically defrauding elderly and unsuspecting customers.
The suspects, who own a tire and auto repair shop in southern Jerusalem, are believed to have scammed customers out of tens or even hundreds of thousands of shekels in total.
According to an undercover investigation by the Moriah police station, the Kedem crime investigation unit, and the Jerusalem District Economic Enforcement Unit, the suspects charged exorbitant fees for unnecessary repairs, sometimes inventing faults that didn’t exist at all.
Police described a recurring pattern: customers, many of them elderly, came in for routine checks or car washes and were told they had urgent vehicle issues.
The suspects, posing as a licensed business, often demanded thousands of shekels in cash, credit, or through fictitious charges. In some cases, victims were reportedly forced to withdraw cash from nearby ATMs and hand it over on the spot.
Searches of the business and the suspects’ homes yielded tens of thousands of shekels in cash, equipment, a vehicle, batons, and cleaning supplies. At the same time, the Tax Authority has opened a separate investigation into suspected income concealment totaling more than NIS 1.5 million.
The suspects, aged in their 20s and 30s and residents of Silwan, are expected to appear in court Monday for a remand hearing.
Police have urged the public to report any business demanding unusual payments or performing services without consent.
“We will use every means to bring suspects to justice, especially in cases involving exploitation of the elderly,” the police stressed.
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