Online fraud takes on ominous proportions
Cybercrime authorities note 3,656 cases and hundreds of attempts, with victims amounting to 3,733
Online fraud is becoming a veritable scourge with more than 3,000 cases recorded in 2023 alone, according to cybercrime authorities.
More specifically, 3,656 cases and 273 attempts were recorded, with only 627 solved so far, while the victims of fraud amounted to 3,733.
These scams include attempts to capture personal passwords through misleading messages, including the old trick of sending prospective victims emails or text messages about supposedly “forgotten” parcels at the post office. In recent days, misleading calls to mobile phones have also been recorded with greater frequency, with the most widespread method involving a recorded message in English purporting to inform citizens of “interception of their identity details.”
A case in point is the recent arrest in northern Greece of four 24-year-olds who siphoned off thousands of euros from unsuspecting victims in Thessaloniki.
One of their victims had his email hacked. The perpetrators then used his mail to enter a new phone number to retrieve passwords and, in successive steps, gained access to the Viber app and one-time OTP codes to authorize bank transactions, grabbing €3,400. It was found that the phone number used by the perpetrators had been used in four other cases of similar fraud, in the Menemeni and Harilaou areas of Thessaloniki, as well as in Pella and Glyfada.
During their investigation, the police gained access to the emails of the defendants in the scams. They were using Proton Mail which is considered one of the most secure providers with an emphasis on privacy of communications. Over a period of two months, investigators identified files containing access credentials to bank websites, as well as to services of the General Secretariat for Information Systems. It emerged that these data corresponded to 19 individuals, two of whom had already filed complaints against unknown persons for fraud.
According to the investigation, the defendants also found ways to divert calls and text messages to their own phone number so that they would receive the OTP code and complete illegal transactions. They had even managed to deceive the authorities by issuing tax numbers (AFM) to three nonexistent persons. Using this information, they set up bank accounts where they channeled their loot, or authenticated their accounts with cryptocurrency exchanges and betting companies.
