106 arrests as police dismantle Mafia-linked online crime gang
106 people have been arrested, mostly in Spain and some in Italy, following a multi-national investigation into online fraud.
Police forces in Spain and Italy, assisted by Europol, arrested most of the alleged criminals last week on the Spanish island of Tenerife, as part of an operation dubbed “Fontana Almabahia”.
16 houses were searched in a series of raids in the Spanish Canary Islands, especially Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as well as Turin and Isernia in Italy.
Some 118 bank accounts were frozen by the authorities, as computers and other electronic devices, hundreds of credit cards, SIM cards, and point-of-sale terminals were seized by investigators.
Police claim that they have dismantled an organised crime group with links to the Italian Mafia, involved in online fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking, and property crime.
Hundreds of victims are alleged to have been defrauded through phishing, SIM-swapping, and business email compromise (BEC) attacks orchestrated by the gang, with the illegally-obtained proceeds of the crime laundered through “a wide network of money mules and shell companies.”
A press release from Europol estimates that the gang’s activities illegally netted more than €10 million in profit last year alone.
From their base in Tenerife, the suspects are alleged to have tricked their victims into sending large amounts of money into bank accounts controlled by the gang.
The majority of the gang’s victims were based in Italy, but English, German and Irish citizens were also targeted by the criminals, claim investigators.
Stolen funds were then said to have been reinvested in other criminal activities such as drugs, prostitution, and arms trafficking, or laundered through the purchase of cryptocurrency.
Italian police posted a video showing some of the house searches and arrests conducted by the “Fontana Almabahia” team.
With statistics released earlier this year by the FBI revealing that more than $4 billion worth of losses are caused by interent crime every year, and how business email compromise accounts for almost half of that figure, it should be no surprise to anyone that serious organised criminal gangs are behind many of the attacks.
About € 10 million was stolen in just a year
The Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), supported by the Italian National Police (Polizia di Stato), Europol and Eurojust, dismantled an organised crime group linked to the Italian Mafia involved in online fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking and property crime. The suspects defrauded hundreds of victims through phishing attacks and other types of online fraud such as SIM swapping and business email compromise before laundering the money through a wide network of money mules and shell companies. Last year alone, the illegal profit is estimated at about € 10 million.
Overall results:
106 arrests, mostly in Spain and some in Italy
16 house searches
118 bank accounts frozen
Seizures include many electronic devices, 224 credit cards, SIM cards and point-of-sale terminals, a marihuana plantation and equipment for its cultivation and distribution.
This large criminal network was very well organised in a pyramid structure, which included different specialised areas and roles. Among the members of the criminal group were computer experts, who created the phishing domains and carried out the cyber fraud; recruiters and organisers of the money muling; and money laundering experts, including experts in cryptocurrencies. Most of the suspected members are Italian nationals, some of whom have links to mafia organisations. Located in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), the suspects tricked their victims, mainly Italian nationals, into sending large sums to bank accounts controlled by the criminal network. They then laundered the criminal proceeds through a wide network of money mules and shell companies.
Europol experts to support the field activities
Europol facilitated the information exchange, the operational coordination and provided analytical support for this investigation, which lasted over a year. During the operational activities, Europol deployed two analysts and one forensic expert to Tenerife, Spain and one analyst to Italy. Additionally, Europol funded the deployment of three Italian investigators to Tenerife to support the Spanish authorities during the action day.
The Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (J-CAT) at Europol supported the operation. This standing operational team consists of cyber liaison officers from different countries who work from the same office on high profile cybercrime investigations.
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Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, Europol supports the 27 EU Member States in their fight against terrorism, cybercrime, and other serious and organised crime forms. Europol also works with many non-EU partner states and international organisations. From its various threat assessments to its intelligence-gathering and operational activities, Europol has the tools and resources it needs to do its part in making Europe safer.