Cybercrime: Interpol announces 1,000 arrests and $ 27 million seized

Operation HAECHI-II has revealed how organized criminal groups manage to steal millions of dollars from their victims on the internet.

REUTERS - Kacper Pempel

Text by: RFI Follow

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While Interpol is in the spotlight following the election of its new president accused of severe repression of political opponents and human rights activists ... The international organization for police cooperation announces a crackdown: 1,000 suspects arrested and $ 27 million seized as part of a major operation to fight cybercrime. 

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It is a large-scale operation: baptized HAECHI-II, it revealed how organized criminal groups manage to extract millions of dollars from their victims on the internet. 

It is by usurping certain email addresses that these criminal groups have been able to steal such sums: in Colombia, this was the case of an executive of a textile company.

The hackers were able to transfer $ 16 million to two Chinese bank accounts through his online account.

The authorities were able to intercept and freeze the transfer thanks to cooperation between Bogota, Beijing and Hong Kong. 

Interpol says they have been able to uncover at least ten new criminal modus operandi thanks to Operation HAEICHI-II, which testifies to the evolving nature of cybercrime.

Investigators also noted the use of "Squid Game" as a theme for malware distribution campaigns.

Hackers took advantage of the popularity of the Netflix series to hide apps that automatically enrolled users in “premium” services and inflated their bills, while their distributors collected the income.

According to the international organization for police cooperation, "

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