Cybercrime Southeast Europe Newsletter No. 16
Cybercrime Southeast Europe
Dear clients,
Here is some good news:
Joint Press Release from the Prosecutor’s Office in Erfurt and the State Criminal Police Office of Thuringia, Germany
Investigation into Investment Fraud
The Prosecutor’s Office in Erfurt and the State Criminal Police Office of Thuringia are conducting an investigation into those responsible for an investment scheme suspected of commercial and organized fraud. The suspects promoted alleged investment products related to cryptocurrencies, particularly through leasing cryptocurrency ATMs, promising an unrealistic return of 200% in three years. This is a large Ponzi scheme with a total damage of 113 million euros.
On June 11, 2024, in a joint operation, extensive measures were carried out, including searches and asset seizures from suspects in Thuringia, Saxony, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic. Six arrest warrants were executed. The operation involved 280 police officers and several prosecutors.
Combating cybercrime is progressing. This example shows that there is no reason for victims not to report their damage. If you do not report it, you cannot expect compensation. It does not happen by itself.
In the cases we are representing before the Serbian judicial authorities, there have been no new updates in the past week. Our clients have reported several cases of harassment via email or Viber. In these messages, fraudsters attempt to extort additional money by posing as financial experts. Here is an example of an email from fake financial experts:
johanna.hager@stafinance.net
kotlin
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Good day,
I hope everything is fine!
I am contacting you regarding Coinmarket and the transaction you used, more than 60,000 euros. Can you tell me when I can reach you?
Through our lawyer, we will support you in the payment of this capital.
Best regards,
J. Hager
In this particular case, it involves our client who invested in a fake platform, and the fraudsters are still trying to extort more money by posing as alleged financial experts. They present themselves as employees of real financial institutions (FCA, Blockchain, etc.). When we, as the client’s representatives, contact them and request evidence and guarantees that the money will be returned to our client, communication usually ceases. Ignore such emails or forward them to us for verification.
If you are in doubt or have any questions, write to us through our website defendme.global in the “contact us” section.
Attorney at Law
Zoran Miljakovic