Family diverts one million euros through fake banking messages in Gaia
Group of 19 people, including parents, grandmother and cousin, created fraudulent pages for financial institutions to deceive customers.
Family diverts one million euros through fake banking messages in Gaia
A criminal network comprising 19 individuals, led by a 25-year-old nicknamed Vítor, created fake bank pages for institutions such as Caixa Geral de Depósitos and Novo Banco to deceive customers and divert money. The group operated from a house in Vila Nova de Gaia and managed to collect approximately one million euros between 2022 and 2024, according to Correio da Manhã.
Among the accused are the leader's girlfriend, his brother, his parents, his paternal grandmother and a cousin, forming a predominantly family structure. The suspects impersonated bank employees and sent fraudulent SMS messages that redirected victims to cloned websites of the financial institutions.
On these falsified platforms, the targets were convinced to enter their banking account access credentials, allowing the criminals to carry out unauthorised transfers. The scheme operated for approximately two years without raising major suspicions in the neighbourhood.
The investigation culminated in the identification and accusation of the 19 members of the network, who await trial. The case highlights the growing sophistication of digital fraud in Portugal, where cybercriminals exploit citizens' trust in established banking institutions.
Source: Correio da Manhã