In a huge blow against internet crime, police in Spain detained 76 people for internet fraud. The fraud damages are valued at $4 Million USD, or three million euros. That’s a substantial bust, and one of the largest online crime busts so far in the battle to keep the internet crime free.
The fraud occurred in two separate ways. Some of the people detained and accused of the internet fraud were busted for listing items for sale, taking the buyers’ money and then never delivering the products. The rest of the fraud perpetrators committed bank fraud and identity theft, stealing the account information and identity information of several online bank accounts, then walking away with the money.
The internet is an international fraud playground. No where is this more evident than in the demographics of the bust. While a significant amount of those busted in Spain were in fact Spaniards (47), the rest were divided between other nationalities. The nationalities represented included Ukrainians, Guineas, Romanians, Russians and Moroccans. That’s quite a melting pot of criminal activity!
Police are recommending increased caution with online transactions in the face of rising internet fraud and online crime.
