- The page obtained profits of more than 3.7 million euros in 16 months.

Stock image of a computer scammer.

142 people arrested in a raid against a website that offered identity theft services to scammers

At least 142 people have been arrested during an operation by France, Germany, Australia, Ukraine, the United States, and Canada to remove a website that offered identity theft services to scammers who wanted to impersonate trusted companies or contacts of their victims.

As announced by the Eurojust agency on Thursday, it is estimated that this website is behind a worldwide loss estimated at more than 115 million euros, although the platform has already been inaccessible since November 8, after the US and Ukrainian authorities managed to confiscate and disconnect the server.

Identity fraud

The platform allowed scammers who signed up and paid for their services to make anonymous calls or send recorded messages, intercept one-time passwords, and access their victims' confidential information, a cybercrime known as spoofing. (identity fraud).

Users could impersonate an infinite number of entities, such as banks, retail companies, and government institutions. The web obtained profits of more than 3.7 million euros in 16 months.

A total of 142 people have been arrested during the internationally coordinated operation, including the main administrator of the platform, who was arrested in the United Kingdom.

International judicial cooperation

Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran recalled that "cybercrime knows no borders" and underlined the importance of effective judicial cooperation between different jurisdictions at the European and global levels as the "key to bringing perpetrators" to justice.

"Today's arrests send a message to cybercriminals that they can no longer hide behind perceived international anonymity," added Europol director Catherine de Bolle.

"The exploitation of technology by criminals is one of the biggest challenges for law enforcement in the 21st century. By eliminating tools and systems that allow fraudsters to deceive innocent people on a large scale, this operation shows how we are determined to attack corrupt people who are trying to exploit the most vulnerable," added London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.

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