Law enforcement authorities from Germany and Romania have successfully dismantled a group of scammers that defrauded customers of over €400,000.
The criminals used phishing techniques to obtain login credentials from legitimate sellers on a well-known online commerce platform. Once they gained access to the sellers’ accounts, they quickly changed the passwords, effectively locking the rightful owners out of their accounts.
The scammers then published online advertisements for fake goods on the sellers’ accounts. A total of 556 gullible consumers completed their orders and purchased goods that would never arrive, causing financial damages of more than €400,000.
Eurojust established a joint investigation with German and Romanian law enforcement agencies, which led to a series of actions in December 2024. Police officers conducted house searches in Germany, Romania, and Austria, and arrested seven suspects in total: four in Romania and three in Germany.
Despite the arrests, the criminal organization kept selling fake products via compromised seller accounts. Law enforcement authorities discovered that three group members continued their fraudulent operation.
German and Romanian investigators quickly identified the individuals and detained the three members on June 24th, thanks to a European arrest warrant. Eight more houses were searched by police officers, who also seized IT systems containing more evidence.
Investigations into the criminal group are still ongoing.
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