Gardaí arrested six people and carried out searches in Dublin, Meath and Louth as part of an international investigation into a website which enabled fraudsters to make phone calls from trusted numbers to commit cybercrime |
The website iSpoof.cc was taken down earlier this month, but is believed to have been used by 21,000 fraudsters worldwide.
Fraudsters paid to gain access to the website, which made automated phone calls and sent texts that appeared to come from trusted and recognised numbers, such as the HSE or An Garda Síochána. In the 12 months up to August this year, around 10 million fraudulent calls were made from the website.Operation Elaborate is a global law enforcement investigation into a type of cybercrime known as spoofing.They also identified 64 suspect accounts and seized 132 phones, tablets, computers and other electronic devices.
Europol's Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said the arrests send a message to cybercriminals that they can"no longer hide behind perceived international anonymity".
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