International network of Romanian cybercriminals dismantled
On 16th July 2014 an international organised cybercrime network,composed mostly of Romanian citizens, was successfully taken down in Romania and France with the support of the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol.
The cybercrime network is suspected of sophisticated electronic payment crimes including intrusions into international non-cash payment systems (through malware attacks), illegal worldwide financial transactions and money transfers, card data compromising (via skimming attacks), money laundering and drug trafficking. Members of this criminal network were using malware – RAT (Remote Access Tool) with key logger functionality – to take over and gain access to computers used by money transfer services all over Europe (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Norway, UK).
More than 115 individuals were interrogated and 65 detained in coordinated raids by Romanian and French law enforcement and judicial authorities, supported on the spot by EC3. Large sums of money, luxury vehicles, IT equipment and variety of evidence were seized during the raids. Around 450 police officers were deployed to execute 117 house search warrants during the operation.
Losses incurred by the criminals’ activities are estimated to be at least two million euros. The proceeds of their crimes were invested in different types of property, deposited in bank accounts or transferred electronically to hide their illicit origin.
For more information see https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/international-network-romanian-cybercriminals-dismantled
