October 23, 2023 at 11:07AM
The Spanish National Police dismantled a cybercriminal organization involved in various computer scams, stealing and selling the data of over four million people. Law enforcement conducted raids in multiple cities, resulting in the arrest of 34 individuals. The group used phishing techniques, made distress calls, and exploited insider positions to carry out their scams. The profits were obtained by selling stolen data and were estimated to be €3 million. The leaders of the group are already in custody, and investigations will continue.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes are as follows:
1. The Spanish National Police have successfully dismantled a cybercriminal organization involved in various computer scams and data theft.
2. The operation included targeted searches in multiple locations and the arrest of 34 members of the crime group.
3. Firearms, hand weapons, high-end cars, cash, and computers with a database containing information on four million people were seized during the police raids.
4. The arrested individuals are connected to activities such as email and SMS phishing, impersonating delivery firms and electricity suppliers.
5. The scammers also engaged in ‘son in distress’ calls to defraud parents and took advantage of insider positions in tech firms to reroute merchandise.
6. The group had a diverse range of scamming methods and targeted financial and credit institutions specifically.
7. By breaching databases, they not only stole customer data but also used their access to credit customers’ accounts and tricked them into repaying non-existent loans.
8. The scammers profited from reselling the stolen data to other cybercriminals, estimated at €3,000,000 ($3.2 million).
9. The threat group’s leaders invested the proceeds in crypto assets to hide the money trail.
10. Some members of the cybercrime ring are already in custody, but efforts to identify more perpetrators and victims will continue in the coming months.