7 Greeks and 2 foreigners were arrested for frauds on Greek territory by the method of sim swapping.
The Greek Police just issued a press release with the arrest of a total of 9 people in Athens, Thessaloniki and Imathia, for frauds that cost them 185.000 euros. The victims were from Athens, Thebes and Mytilene. Specifically, the criminals managed to pass malicious software on the victims' computers and thus stole the names and codes from e-banking platforms.
But because electronic banking they now have control over two factors and require you to write the temporary code that is sent to your mobile phone, the criminals, using fake credentials and documents, managed to issue a new sim card for the victims' mobile phones and with them to complete the bank money transfers.
Maybe that is why banks they now want to change the way two factors are controlled and instead of a code to put biometric checks.
On the other hand, it seems that cyber fraud is no longer a privilege of foreign states, but Greek criminals have also entered the dance for good. We will not be surprised if we hear that Greeks are selling ransomware. And it seems that in Imathia they have good programmers. it's not the first time where this county sounds for electronic scams.
Read the announcement of the Greek Police:
ATTICA JOURNALISTS INFORMATION OFFICE
Athens, November 7, 2020
BULLETINWHERE
(9) people were arrested for computer fraud, with a total damage exceeding -185.000- euros
(3) cases were investigated
They were arrested by warrant, in the morning hours of 5-11-2020, after a coordinated police operation in Athens, Thessaloniki and Imathia, by police officers of the Dionysos Attica Security Department, the Northeastern Attica Security Sub-Directorate, the Environmental Protection and Property Protection Sub-Directorate of the Security Directorate of Thessaloniki and the Security Department of Alexandria Imathia, nine (9) people (seven locals and two foreigners), accused of computer fraud with damage totaling more than -185.000- euros, forgery after use and money laundering.
As for the timeline of the case, there had been previous complaints from citizens to the T.A. Dionysos, at the Security Department of Thebes and the Sub-Directorate of Security of Mytilene, for transport sums of money from their bank accounts to the accounts of third parties, without their knowledge, and corresponding Litigations were filed.
After the correlation of the Cases and the thorough investigation carried out by the T.A. Dionysos, the perpetrators of the fraud were revealed, who in the months of February and March 2020, committed computer frauds, at least for the three examined cases, having extracted sums of money totaling at least -185.500- euros.
The withdrawn sums of money, as it turned out, ended up in the bank accounts of the (9) arrested, as well as another wanted person.
As for the methodology, the perpetrators use the fraud method, more widely known as "sim swapping". Specifically, the perpetrators initially intercept the secret login codes (username – password) to the e-banking platforms, through installationof malware on the victims computer.
Then, using fake authorizations or other forged documents, they go to stores provider of telecommunications services and achieve the issuance of a new sim card, to the telephone number used by the victim, to receive the verification codes required to complete a banking transaction on e-banking platforms. In this way, they extract sums of money from the accounts of their victims.
The action of the arrested extends throughout the Greek Territory, as the investigation revealed that they have replaced sim cards in various areas of the country.
The arrested were brought before the Prosecutor of Criminal Execution of the Athens Court of First Instance.
