A complaint in Soclemos led to the arrest of 60 people from several countries for technical fraud

In 2021, a complaint by a company in the city of Soculamos, Ciudad Real, has ended in the arrest of 60 people from several Spanish provinces and different countries, both from the European Union and other non-EU countries.

The manipulation of its email manager was reported by unknown authors, who managed to intercept the company’s incoming and outgoing email traffic. He then changed the bank account number to which the invoices were sent.

More than a hundred complaints have been filed in Ciudad Real province related to this case. The author managed to defraud more than one and a half million euros.

‘Man in the middle’, methodology

In these telematic scams, the method used is known only man in the middle, This method involves intercepting communication between two or more interlocutors.

To achieve this, an anonymous person is placed between both the companies (the one providing the services and the one making the payment), who intercepts the communication between them. This way it knows the information, and what is worse, it can modify it, as is the case with the account number on an invoice, subsequently allowing the message to continue its course, without the company knowing. Understand that the content of the message has been changed.

Furthermore, there were also ‘economic mules’ who, in return for financial remuneration, registered bank accounts through the verification channels of video-selfie banking institutions: they only lent their image because they produced a false document, in which The image matched that of the person taking the video-selfie. However, the data on the document matches that of a third person whose identity was previously stolen.

In this way, accounts were opened in the names of third parties who, in addition to not being guilty of these scams, were also victims.

Investigation

once it was discovered working styleA line of investigation can be drawn up to try to identify, trace and make cyber criminals available to judicial authorities, with a total of 60 people of more than twenty nationalities being arrested and investigated during Operation Somoi. Can be managed, which confirms the scattered branch of the organization.

It has been possible to recover almost half a million euros of the defrauded funds, which required blocking more than a hundred bank accounts from which the victims’ money was received, more than a hundred in the province of Ciudad Real alone.

The crimes attributed to them are bank fraud, money laundering, falsification of public documents, identity theft and membership in a criminal organization.

All judicial districts of the province of Ciudad Real have participated in carrying out the proceedings, as well as the arrest and investigation of alleged criminals.

Prevention and Recommendations

It is usually very difficult to detect when you are suffering from a man-in-the-middle attack. “Prevention is the first security measure,” says the Civil Guard, which has collaborated with the Ciudad Real Chamber of Commerce to provide advice and security practices in this case.

According to him, the key to prevention is to confirm information related to bank details such as transfers through other means, and not just by email, confirming these numbers by telephone, instant messaging or regular mail.

You must protect the company Wi-Fi network with strong and non-guessable passwords, prevent attackers from penetrating the local network, enable guest networks for clients with restricted access if necessary, and update equipment software. Must, particularly operating systems and browsers, enable two-step verification whenever possible.

We should avoid connecting to open Wi-Fi networks that we may find in hospitality establishments or airports, avoid spreading personal information when connecting to social networks or online banking and avoid opening email links from unknown sources and Corporate websites should be protected through SSL certificates. ,

If you suspect that you are a victim of this criminal activity, it is recommended to file a complaint immediately, then talk to your bank and try to block the destination account and reverse the movement of funds.

If you have any queries related to the use of technology and connected devices, you can contact the cyber security helpline 017, where they will resolve any queries related to this matter.