Eight detained in online fraud case with damages exceeding one million euros
Eight people have been detained in a case involving computer fraud and money laundering. The gang operated by compromising accounts of companies on an online trading platform based in Germany.
Eight detained in online fraud case with damages exceeding one million euros
A criminal group comprising at least twenty members, based in Vâlcea county, was targeted in an operation by DIICOT prosecutors. Eight individuals were charged and detained for cybernetic fraud and money laundering offences. The total damage amounts to over one million euros, according to investigators' estimates.
The modus operandi of the network, as described by România Liberă, involved infiltrating the accounts of real companies present on a sales website based in Germany. After taking control of these profiles, the criminals posted false advertisements for automobiles and other goods that they did not possess. The total number of fictitious offers exceeded five thousand.
Deceived customers paid the price requested into accounts provided by the fraudsters, without ever receiving the products ordered. Additionally, gang members altered the banking details or contact information of commercial companies, redirecting payments to their own accounts.
The illegally obtained money was subsequently transferred through more than one hundred accounts opened in Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The funds then reached Romania, where they were withdrawn in cash from ATMs in Râmnicu Vâlcea.
Among the eight arrested individuals, two were on the list of persons wanted by German police.
Source: Romania Libera