Cybercriminals have racked up millions of phishing attacks, so it's no surprise that the Italian mafia has adopted similar tactics in recent years. According to a new Europol press release, the Spanish National Police with the support of the Italian National Police, Europol and Eurojust dismantled an organized criminal group linked to the Italian mafia that was involved in online fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking and crimes against property. . . However, the suspects in this case also used phishing attacks and other types of online fraud, including SIM card swapping and Business Email Compromise (BEC) to defraud hundreds of victims. In the last year alone, they were able to raise 10 million euros (€11,7 million) in illegal funds before laundering that money through a vast network of mules and shell companies. In total, the operation resulted in 106 arrests mainly in Spain with some in Italy, 16 house searches and 118 frozen bank accounts. Law enforcement also seized various electronic devices, as well as 224 credit cards, SIM cards, point-of-sale systems, and a marijuana plantation.
Become cybercriminals
The vast criminal network interrupted by the Spanish National Police and the Italian National Police was very well organized in a pyramidal structure that included different specialized areas and roles. Members of the criminal group included computer scientists who created the phishing sites used in their attacks and carried out cyber fraud. However, there were also recruiters and organizers tasked with finding mules to move the stolen money and money laundering experts, including several cryptocurrency experts. Most of the suspected members of the group are Italian citizens, some of whom have ties to the Italian mafia. The operation was based in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, and the suspects instigated their victims (many of whom were Italian nationals) to send large sums to bank accounts controlled by the criminal network. This money was then laundered through a vast network of money mules and front companies. Now that the Italian mafia has shown that it is possible to use tactics commonly used by cybercriminals, other criminal organizations may follow suit and try to become cybercriminals. Via BleepingComputer