In an investigation into gang-related computer fraud conducted by the Dresden public prosecutor's office and the Saxony State Criminal Police Office, a serious blow was struck against an internationally active group.
The currently 15 defendants are accused of having obtained goods worth over 18 million euros
In the period from June 12th to 15th, 2018, 31 apartments and business premises in Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, Switzerland, Cyprus, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ukraine, Finland and Latvia were searched during the so-called “ Atlantis ” action day.
A total of four arrests were made near Würzburg, Switzerland and in Lithuania. The alleged organizer of the network was arrested in Cyprus. A formal extradition request has already been made by the Dresden public prosecutor.
Since September 2015, the Organized Crime Department has been investigating the case LKA Saxony As a result of judicial legal assistance with the Republic of Lithuania, the investigation was finally conducted on the basis of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) between Germany and Lithuania under the supervision of Eurojust and Europol in The Hague. Authorities from eight European countries were ultimately involved in the investigation.
The investigations revealed that in over 35,000 crimes since 2012, high-quality goods were ordered fraudulently obtained credit card details
Through extensive and complex investigations, both the identity and whereabouts of the organizer and other members of the network were determined. This turned out to be very difficult because all perpetrators only acted with nicknames and used encrypted access to the network. Payments were processed using so-called cryptocurrencies, which also played a major role in the investigation.
As part of the operation, a large number of data carriers and valuables were seized. In Finland, a parcel recipient and sender were arrested red-handed.
The accused are said to have purchased goods online using illegally obtained credit card details. This is said to have happened both from Germany and abroad. The recipients of the goods were goods agents recruited specifically in Germany, who forwarded the shipments to addresses abroad based on instructions. From there it is said to have been passed on to other people involved in the crime in order to conceal their own identity and the final recipient. The goods are said to have been sold predominantly in Eastern Europe.
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