Woman arrested for hacking bank accounts through insider contacts at telecom companies.

Cybercrimes are becoming increasingly common, and scams are being used to deceive and steal from potential victims. Just at the beginning of this year, the Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that a woman has been accused of using personal data from different individuals to access their bank accounts and other services. According to the charges, she allegedly used personal data from telecommunications and banking companies to gain access to bank accounts, transferring funds to other accounts under her control or making unauthorized payments.

Not only is she facing accusations, but eight other individuals are also being charged, seven of whom have familial or friendship ties to the main suspect. One of them had direct access to customer data from different telecommunications companies and would provide that information to the suspect. The woman is facing a total of 56 charges of qualified fraud, 57 charges of unauthorized access, 57 charges of computer forgery, 57 charges of damage to computer programs or other data, two charges of card counterfeiting, four charges of receiving stolen goods, four charges of qualified theft, six charges of forgery, one charge of mail violation, one charge of money laundering, and one charge of acquiring cards or other payment devices obtained through cybercrime.

The suspect’s modus operandi was relatively simple. Through her contacts within the telecommunications companies, she obtained data from potential victims, which she then used to attempt to access various online banking platforms. Once she gained access, she would transfer funds from the accounts to others under her control, some of which were located outside of Portugal, or she would directly use the accounts to make payments for services and online purchases.

The accused also managed to clone the victims’ SIM cards and used the data to verify if they were associated with banking entities such as Wizink, Universo, or Unibanco. In cases where SIM card cloning was not possible, she would try to obtain direct correspondence from banks or different entities, which she would then use for her scheme. Using the stolen data from the telecommunications companies, she would request a duplicate credit card or similar, and then deceive the financial institutions into sending them to a different address.

It is estimated that the accused obtained over 188,000 euros through this method. These crimes serve as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding personal data and being vigilant against potential scams. As technology advances, so do the methods used by cybercriminals, making it crucial for individuals and organizations to stay informed and take necessary precautions to protect themselves from such fraudulent activities.