Cybercrime Southeast Europe Newsletter No. 18

Cybercrime Southeast Europe

Dear clients,

We would like to inform you that this week we have filed new criminal charges with the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, Special Department for High-Tech Crime. Additionally, a criminal complaint has been prepared and will be submitted to the competent authorities in Austria next week.

This week has seen a rise in phishing scams, with malicious attempts to obtain sensitive information such as passwords and bank account details through fake emails that appear to come from trustworthy sources.

In one of the cases we filed this week, the victim was contacted via Viber by someone posing as a customer support specialist, urging them to invest money in the Market Trading platform. After installing the AnyDesk application, the victim inadvertently granted access to their computer and bank accounts to the fraudsters, who subsequently transferred money from the victim’s bank account to their digital wallet.

Following this, the victim received an email from a person claiming to be a financial advisor, promising a large sum of money in exchange for a security deposit. Subsequently, they received another email purportedly from the European Central Bank, requesting a payment to finalize the transaction, with a guaranteed promise that the money would be transferred to their account post-payment.

We urge you to exercise caution and recommend not opening suspicious emails or clicking on links received through email or other communication channels.

Grandpacifictrade is a fraudulent stock trading platform. Organized fraudsters operated through a call center. Companies like Olympus Prime and Asgard, based in Belgrade, were used to give an appearance of legitimacy. Suspects have been arrested, and criminal proceedings are underway at the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade. Most victims are from Australia, Germany, and Canada. We already represent the victims in this case, and if you are also a victim, we encourage you to report any damages incurred.

Sincerely,
Zoran Miljakovic
Attorney at Law