A Polish cyber crime police unit from the town of Lublin says they have detained four Nigerian citizens who were operating as an organized criminal group committing online fraud in Poland and other countries.
There are various methods for extorting money in Poland. One of the most frequently used methods is extracting money from a victim under the guise of pretending to be a member of the victim’s family, most often an elderly person.
Another increasingly popular method used by fraudsters is the extortion of foreign soldiers, most often American ones, mainly due to the fact that a large number of them reside on Polish territory. The extortionists claim that they need help because, for example, they have returned from a peacekeeping mission or have been injured.
Four Nigerians deploying these types of fraud methods were caught by police officers dealing with cyberspace in the Lublin region. They contacted women via instant messaging, posing as peacekeepers. They then contrived to gain the trust of the victims and took advantage to extort large sums of money from them, which were meant to be used to help themselves or their family members.
The fraudsters also sent e-mails to companies impersonating real entities. In such messages, they claimed there had been a change to the contractor’s bank account number, which allowed them to obtain money deposits into bank accounts opened using stolen identities of other people.
Authorities seized mobile phones, SIM cards, laptops, foreign IDs, and numerous ATM cards from the detainees’ apartments. These items were reportedly lost in EU countries and used for unauthorized withdrawals. They also confiscated 68,000 zlotys in cash (equivalent to €15,800) and retrieved 70,000 zlotys (€16,300) from fraudulently acquired bank accounts.
The detained men were charged in the prosecutor’s office with fraud, participation in an organized criminal group, and money laundering. By decision of the court, all four suspects were placed in pre-trial detention.
