Polish police dismantled an international cybercrime group that allegedly stole $665,000 from victims through impersonation scams. The suspects pretended to be bank employees or law enforcement officers, deceiving at least 55 individuals into transferring money. Authorities said the fraud was sophisticated and used spoofing software to fake caller ID information from trusted institutions. These spoofed calls convinced victims they were speaking to legitimate bank or police representatives.
The operation started in April 2023 and extended across multiple countries in Europe.
Most of the arrested individuals are Ukrainian nationals, while others came from Georgia, Moldova, and Azerbaijan. Nine suspects, aged 19 to 51, were detained by Polish authorities in coordinated raids. Officials confirmed that previously, 46 other people had been charged in connection with this criminal network.
The suspects allegedly laundered the stolen funds by converting them into cryptocurrency to avoid detection. Authorities noted that spoofing software allowed the group to impersonate banks, prosecutor offices, and police departments. Some suspects were placed in pre-trial detention, while three Ukrainian nationals were banned from entering Poland and other European countries.
The detainees face charges including organized crime involvement, money laundering, and illegal online banking access.
Investigators continue probing the group’s operations and warned more arrests could follow. In related developments, a Dutch court sentenced a 24-year-old to 18 months for phishing attempts. Meanwhile, a Belarusian national was sentenced to five years for ransomware attacks against French companies. That individual was arrested in Georgia and later extradited to France for trial.
Reference:
