Criminal Phishing Network Taken Down in Spain and Latin America

A joint operation between Europol and the Specialized Cybercrime Center of Ameripol dismantled a criminal phishing network that had targeted more than 480,000 victims worldwide.

The operation occurred between 10 and 17 September, resulting in 17 arrests, 28 searches, and the seizure of 921 items. Although most of the seized items were mobile phones, other kinds of items included electronic devices, vehicles, and weapons.  

The operation was also supported by international cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Spain.

The criminal enterprise operated in Spain and Latin America and targeted mainly Spanish-speaking people from European, North American, and South American nations.

Investigators reported there were roughly 483,000 victims worldwide. When these victims tried to regain access to stolen or lost phones—which the criminals had unlocked—this criminal network phished them.

The phishing platform’s administrator, an Argentinian national, had been allegedly developing and governing phishing services since 2018, according to a press release published by Europol.

The administrator allegedly offered and provided a phishing-as-a-service platform for unlocking mobile phones during the last five years. For a price, he offered access to his website and charged additional costs for phishing, SMS, emails, or calls. Other criminals who used the platform provided phone unlocking services to other criminals who possessed stolen or lost phones.

The alleged administrator, who has not been identified by yet by law enforcement, was arrested during the operation.

As part of the operation, investigators were able to identified more then 2,000 criminals who unlocked phones because these criminals were registered in the phishing platform. Altogether, the network unlocked more than 1.2 million mobile phones.

The investigation into this network began in 2022, with Europol providing impacted countries with dedicated information about the case. After months of work, the nations were able to identify most of the victims and began taking action against the network.

Along with coordination, Europol also provided other authorities with analytical support. A Europol expert was sent to Argentina and Spain to offer expertise in the field during the time when law enforcement would be actively dismantling the network.