Cybercrime: dismantling a network of scammers with fake computer technical support

Four people were arrested in Île-de-France on April 25 as part of an investigation conducted by the Paris prosecutor's office and entrusted to the research section of the national gendarmerie of Bordeaux. The defendants are suspected by the authorities of having participated in a vast fake computer technical support scam throughout France.

The scam materialized in the form of a simple computer window appearing on personal computers. The window stamped "Windows", the same name as the famous operating system, told victims that a computer attack of viral origin was underway on their PC. The window mentioned a phone number to dial. At the other end of the line, an interlocutor "with very convincing arguments" then retrieved the victims' bank details, promising a quick resolution of the problem. The recovered money was finally deposited in a professional bank account specially opened for the occasion.

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€160,000 worth of cash found during a search

It was soldiers from the Cyber group of the Bordeaux gendarmerie research section who highlighted the existence of the scam, and this as early as October 2020. In looking into the scheme, the gendarmes also discovered a money laundering circuit. The sums recovered from the famous "business account" were then transferred to the accounts of companies subcontracting call centers in Tunisia.

The manager of the companies, supported by a partner and an accomplice acting as "accountant" in France, made the system work. Another accomplice, based in Tunisia, was liaising with a call centre with operators to respond to victims who fell into the trap in France. The authorities estimate that the damage associated with this nationwide scam could amount to up to 300,000 euros.

Four individuals were finally arrested on April 25 as part of a judicial police operation mobilizing about forty soldiers of the gendarmerie and several public security crews in Île-de-France. During the searches, investigators seized nearly 160,000 euros of cash and virtual money spread over bank accounts. Three of the four arrested were brought before an investigating judge on 27 April and charged with "organized fraud". One of them was remanded in custody, the other two were placed under judicial supervision.