Authorities in Romania and Moldova have successfully uncovered a large international criminal group specializing in financial fraud on the internet. This group managed to deceive over 150 individuals, with their fraudulent activities totaling about 15 million lei (approximately 750,000 euros).
The investigation into this criminal group began in 2022, following a report from the Romanian financial supervision management. A total of 120 criminal cases were linked to this investigation, as other prosecutors received statements from the victims.
The fraudulent scheme devised by the criminals was intricate. They utilized online advertisements promising quick and significant returns from small investments in promotions and cryptocurrencies. To enhance the credibility of their scheme, they included photographs of well-known personalities and logos of banks and economic publications.
Once individuals clicked on the link provided, they were directed to a fake investment platform. Subsequently, they would be contacted by members of the criminal group, who posed as financial consultants or brokers. These individuals would convince victims to transfer money by guaranteeing profits.
To give the appearance of legitimacy to their operations, the scammers requested copies of documents and bank cards from the victims. They would then persuade the victims to install remote access programs, purportedly for managing investments. However, this allowed the criminals to gain control over the victims’ computers, smartphones, bank accounts, and cryptocurrencies.
On August 7, 2024, a coordinated operation conducted in Moldova involved more than 60 searches. During these searches, authorities seized computers, weapons, money, and other pieces of evidence. Additionally, 10 cars were impounded, and 12 suspects were taken into custody. The investigation into this criminal group is ongoing.