Europol stopped the activities of the international group of skimmers

[Tomcat]

During the operation to arrest the criminals, more than 1,000 counterfeit credit cards were confiscated.

Europol announced the arrest in the framework of the so-called "Operation Neptune" of key members of an international criminal group specializing in skimming. Four Bulgarian citizens were arrested on November 30, 2020.

The operation involved officers from the Italian police, the General Directorate of Bulgaria for Combating Organized Crime, the Police of the Czech Republic and the European Center for Combating Cybercrime (EC3).

According to Europol representatives, the alleged leaders of the group led the installation of skimmers at ATMs in Central European cities, theft of credit card data, and also used the information obtained to produce fake cards and then cash out funds at ATMs in countries outside Europe , including Belize, Indonesia. and Jamaica.

According to Europol, the attackers modified dozens of ATMs with subtle cameras and skimmers. In the course of the operation, more than 1,000 counterfeit credit cards were confiscated, and evidence of fraudulent activities was found, causing damage in the amount of more than € 50,000.

As representatives of Europol noted, today it is not difficult to compromise ATMs, since many devices are technically outdated or use outdated versions of operating systems.

Recall that in June this year, Europol liquidated an international criminal network that traded credit card fraud.

Skimming is a type of fraud with bank cards, which involves the use of various devices such as a skimmer. With the help of such devices, fraudsters read the information contained on the magnetic stripe of the card.

Skimmers are usually attached to ATM machines, namely the receiving slot. The PIN-code of the card is fixed using a video camera additionally fixed next to the ATM. Such devices are usually equipped with transmitters that transmit received information remotely. After receiving information from the card, fraudsters make a duplicate of the card, and knowing the PIN-code, they can withdraw money from the account of the owner of the original card.

 

[Brother]

Europol is looking for five Russian hackers who tried to steal about $ 100 million​

In the course of an international operation, in which law enforcement officers from several countries took part, it was possible to neutralize a large cybercriminal group. According to representatives of Europol, among the members of the group were citizens of Russia.
Cybercriminals used a malicious program dubbed GozNym. Using this program, the cybercriminals tried to attack 41 thousand victims from whom they wanted to steal about $ 100 million.
The main targets of the grouping were various businessmen and financial structures.
The liquidation of the criminal group required the participation of law enforcement agencies in Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Moldova, the United States and Ukraine. According to TASS, criminal cases were initiated in Georgia, Moldova, the United States and Ukraine.
Currently, five Russian citizens who took part in the group's attacks are wanted by Europol. Three of them directly developed the main attacker's tool, GozNym. The remaining two were responsible for laundering illicit money.