European law enforcement agencies have arrested a large digital fraud group operating in Latvia. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
It was revealed that this group deceived thousands of people, causing damage amounting to at least five million euros. According to official information, the Latvian police conducted a joint operation named "SIMcartel" in cooperation with Estonia, Austria, Europol, and Eurojust.
During the investigation, it was found that the fraudsters illegally managed thousands of SIM cards through a special SIMbox platform, enabling them to conceal identities and create fake accounts. According to investigation data, approximately 50 million online accounts operated through this system.
Using these accounts, various financial crimes such as banking frauds, investment scams, and other offenses were committed in different countries. According to Europol data, more than 3,200 individuals were registered as victims.
The majority of the damage, about 4.5 million euros, belonged to Austrian citizens, while 420 thousand euros of damage were recorded in Latvia. Additionally, during the investigation, it was discovered that the "SIMcartel" group was involved not only in online fraud but also in crimes related to illegal migrant smuggling and extortion.
Currently, seven suspects have been detained, mostly Latvian citizens. Their communication systems and computer devices have been assigned for expert examination.
Europol plans to expand the investigation and trace this fraud group in other countries as well. Experts consider this crime one of the largest digital fraud operations in Europe in recent years.
Investigators believe that the group's activities pose not only a financial risk but also a serious threat to cybersecurity. According to Europol, the operation is ongoing, and additional work is being carried out to identify new suspects.
European countries have realized the necessity to further strengthen digital security through this incident.
