Police in Algeciras arrest sophisticated ‘phishing’ gang

Twenty suspected cybercriminals were arrested by the Spanish police in Algeciras for setting up an online “phishing” scam that netted more than €150,000 from their victims.

The victims were sent emails they believed were from their bank with a link to the fraudulent website.

The gang, which operated from Algeciras, set up websites that were similar to the original versions, with very small unnoticeable differences, the police said.

They would then ask people for their personal bank details and passwords to these bank accounts.

With this information, this group transferred money to third-parties, or “mules”, before receiving it themselves or withdrawing the cash, the Policía Nacional said.

This was a “sophisticated operation”, the Spanish police added, with IP addresses registered in Morocco and those who they chose as “mules” were either friends, family or work colleagues who were trusted to return the money.

Some 35 people were identified as being part of this gang, but some 20 were arrested and will appear before the Algeciras courts.