They dismantle a band of hackers that carried out scams with cryptocurrencies

The Cybercrime area of the Argentine Federal Police managed to dismantle a gang of hackers that operated throughout the country, emptying bank accounts and converting stolen funds into cryptocurrencies. The organization, which followed a meticulous modus operandi, was finally dismantled after simultaneous raids in various regions, from the City of Buenos Aires to the province of Tucumán.The operation, the result of an investigation that lasted for several months, allowed to identify the leaders of the gang and 23 other people who acted as intermediaries in the process of converting funds. Master hackers, who managed to maintain their anonymity and avoid traces by transforming stolen money into virtual currencies, now face justice. One of the key tests that led to the discovery of the band took place in Junín, where the company “Forte Car” reported a loss of $ 50,000,000 due to a cyberattack. In addition, numerous clients of different banks suffered from this wave of cyber thefts, with amounts stolen that exceeded $ 7,000,000. Most surprising was the method used by criminals to evade detection, by converting stolen money into cryptocurrencies, making tracking efforts extremely difficult. The operation culminated in the arrest of 10 people, including the two main hackers, as well as the seizure of a broad body of evidence. Among the items confiscated are 25 cell phones, 6 laptops, 5 central processing units, 8 hard drives, 12 bank cards, 1 point of sale terminal, 2 routers, 2 iPads, 3 SIM cards, 1 32-caliber revolver, $10,100 dollars and $377,000 pesos in cash, as well as 3 cryptocurrency wallets valued at $3,543. It is important to note that this is the first case at the national level in which a federal force achieves the seizure of virtual wallets with cryptographic assets. Those arrested are being flagged for involvement in cases of computer fraud and fraud. They are being held in cells at the premises of the Superintendence of Investigations of the Argentine Federal Police.

Original source in Spanish