Teacher
Professional
- Messages
- 2,669
- Reaction score
- 819
- Points
- 113
Over the past six months, more than 12,000 SIM cards have been connected, with more than 150 million rubles spent on their balance sheets.
Police officers in St. Petersburg stopped technical support for an international network of IT scammers. Malefactors stole funds of Russians by means of social engineering. This was announced on Thursday by the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Irina Volk .
"Employees of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region detained three alleged participants in an international fraud scheme. The organization of technical support for mass embezzlement of money from Russian citizens has been stopped, " Volk said.
According to her, the detention was made possible by the interaction of the police with the security service of one of the mobile operators. Law enforcement agencies received information that Kolpino has special equipment for redirecting traffic. For six months, more than 12 thousand SIM cards were connected there, and more than 150 million rubles were spent through their balance accounts.
"All this money was stolen by telephone scammers using social engineering methods," said the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It is reported that the attackers who were abroad called the victims and reported an attempt to make unauthorized transfers from their bank cards. Then the scammers persuaded them to transfer money to so-called secure accounts and dictated the phone numbers linked to them. When funds were transferred to the balance accounts controlled by criminals, they were immediately transferred to electronic wallets, and then converted into cryptocurrency. In order not to attract the attention of the mobile operator, each SIM card was used no more than twice during the day, and then replaced with a new one.
Volk added that the detainees may be involved in at least 13 episodes of fraud. Criminal cases were initiated for each of them, and they were combined into one production.
During searches at the places of residence of the defendants in Kolpino and the Moscow region, special equipment for simultaneous connection of several dozen mobile numbers, Internet centers, routers, modems, laptops, communications equipment and more than 1.5 thousand SIM cards were found and seized.
+++++
Employees of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region stopped the activities of a criminal group, whose members used SIM cards as electronic means of payment for illegal acceptance and transfer of money. Based on the results of two years of work by police and investigators to prevent the sale of "gray" SIM cards, a criminal case was opened on the grounds of a crime under Article 187 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
"In November 2022, employees of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region stopped the activities of accomplices of telephone fraudsters.
• Video:
Operatives detained three intruders who connected more than 12,000 SIM cards using special equipment. More than 150 million rubles stolen from Russian citizens and taken abroad were subsequently spent through them.
As a result of further operational search activities and investigative actions, two more defendants were identified and detained. As participants in mobile commerce and using their contacts with current employees of companies that provide cellular communication services, they supplied large quantities of such SIM cards to their accomplices. During the search at their residential addresses, almost three thousand more SIM cards, two SIM card activators and three SIM banks were seized," said Irina Volk, an official representative of the Russian Interior Ministry.
Criminal cases were initiated on the grounds of crimes under Articles 159 and 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
"After some time, police officers came out on the trail of two commercial firms-dealers of large mobile operators. For several months, the development and comprehensive documentation of their activities was carried out, during which it was established that in 2022 these organizations purchased, registered and then sold SIM cards to previously detained malefactors.
To use SIM cards for criminal purposes, employees of dealer organizations entered fictitious data about non-existent customers into contracts for the provision of communication services and a specialized automated system of the operator company. After that, the SIM cards were activated and transferred to the scammers.
Six managers and employees of dealer organizations, as well as an employee of a mobile communication operator, were detained on suspicion of illegal circulation of payment funds. Phones, contracts, over a thousand SIM cards, a system unit, a laptop and a hard drive were seized, " Irina Volk said.
Currently, the defendants are charged with incriminated acts.
"The General Director of one of the dealer firms and an employee of a mobile operator were given a preventive measure in the form of a ban on certain actions. The rest are under recognizance not to leave and proper behavior. The preliminary investigation continues. All participants and episodes of illegal activity are identified," Iryna Volk said.
• Video:
Police officers in St. Petersburg stopped technical support for an international network of IT scammers. Malefactors stole funds of Russians by means of social engineering. This was announced on Thursday by the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Irina Volk .
"Employees of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region detained three alleged participants in an international fraud scheme. The organization of technical support for mass embezzlement of money from Russian citizens has been stopped, " Volk said.
According to her, the detention was made possible by the interaction of the police with the security service of one of the mobile operators. Law enforcement agencies received information that Kolpino has special equipment for redirecting traffic. For six months, more than 12 thousand SIM cards were connected there, and more than 150 million rubles were spent through their balance accounts.
"All this money was stolen by telephone scammers using social engineering methods," said the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It is reported that the attackers who were abroad called the victims and reported an attempt to make unauthorized transfers from their bank cards. Then the scammers persuaded them to transfer money to so-called secure accounts and dictated the phone numbers linked to them. When funds were transferred to the balance accounts controlled by criminals, they were immediately transferred to electronic wallets, and then converted into cryptocurrency. In order not to attract the attention of the mobile operator, each SIM card was used no more than twice during the day, and then replaced with a new one.
Volk added that the detainees may be involved in at least 13 episodes of fraud. Criminal cases were initiated for each of them, and they were combined into one production.
During searches at the places of residence of the defendants in Kolpino and the Moscow region, special equipment for simultaneous connection of several dozen mobile numbers, Internet centers, routers, modems, laptops, communications equipment and more than 1.5 thousand SIM cards were found and seized.
+++++
Employees of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region stopped the activities of a criminal group, whose members used SIM cards as electronic means of payment for illegal acceptance and transfer of money. Based on the results of two years of work by police and investigators to prevent the sale of "gray" SIM cards, a criminal case was opened on the grounds of a crime under Article 187 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
"In November 2022, employees of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region stopped the activities of accomplices of telephone fraudsters.
• Video:
Operatives detained three intruders who connected more than 12,000 SIM cards using special equipment. More than 150 million rubles stolen from Russian citizens and taken abroad were subsequently spent through them.
As a result of further operational search activities and investigative actions, two more defendants were identified and detained. As participants in mobile commerce and using their contacts with current employees of companies that provide cellular communication services, they supplied large quantities of such SIM cards to their accomplices. During the search at their residential addresses, almost three thousand more SIM cards, two SIM card activators and three SIM banks were seized," said Irina Volk, an official representative of the Russian Interior Ministry.
Criminal cases were initiated on the grounds of crimes under Articles 159 and 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
"After some time, police officers came out on the trail of two commercial firms-dealers of large mobile operators. For several months, the development and comprehensive documentation of their activities was carried out, during which it was established that in 2022 these organizations purchased, registered and then sold SIM cards to previously detained malefactors.
To use SIM cards for criminal purposes, employees of dealer organizations entered fictitious data about non-existent customers into contracts for the provision of communication services and a specialized automated system of the operator company. After that, the SIM cards were activated and transferred to the scammers.
Six managers and employees of dealer organizations, as well as an employee of a mobile communication operator, were detained on suspicion of illegal circulation of payment funds. Phones, contracts, over a thousand SIM cards, a system unit, a laptop and a hard drive were seized, " Irina Volk said.
Currently, the defendants are charged with incriminated acts.
"The General Director of one of the dealer firms and an employee of a mobile operator were given a preventive measure in the form of a ban on certain actions. The rest are under recognizance not to leave and proper behavior. The preliminary investigation continues. All participants and episodes of illegal activity are identified," Iryna Volk said.
• Video:
