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| State Police officials speaking after the arrest of cybercrimes persons |
For the first time in the territory of the Republic of Albania, an extensive operation led by the Albanian law enforcement forces, in particular the cybercrime investigation unit, has led to the arrest of 4 Albanian and African citizens who had created an online fraud network, who managed the banking transactions of some commercial entities in their accounts.
The method is known as phishing, or rather a kind of e-payment fraud. These citizens, together with other citizens located outside Albania, controlled the electronic communications between customers and commercial entities.
After interfering with the computer system, they stayed "asleep" until they saw specific requests regarding various funds or payments. At this point, these citizens have made their moves. They have contacted the client, taking on the role of receiving the funds, informing them that the company bank details have changed, and asking them to transfer the funds to the new account. "They, being inside the communications, were able to produce an e-mail message with the same appearance as the real one", it is said in the official statement of the police.
The defendants had opened fictitious commercial entities and bank accounts with forged documents as administrators of entities. Once the monetary values were transferred to the accounts that these citizens had opened they were withdrawn and sent to other states. The deceived persons came from various countries, including the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Turkey, Switzerland and Belgium.
The entities that have been verified so far as fictitious commercial entities and registered in the National Business Center and that have later been opened bank account numbers in their name are:
1. CONNECTA INTERCONTINENTAL SHPK
2. WORLDWIDE GO LTD
3. WORLDWIDE TRADING LIMITED
4. AFRICAN-ALBANIAN COMERCE
5. KWOK TANG SHPK,
6. KRACO LIMITED SHPK
7. MICHAEL ODYLON LAGMON ROMERO SHPK
8. PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD SHPK
9. TANG KWOK YUE SHPK
10. LEKLIFARM GLOBAL sh.p.k.
11. MAIBOM GBMH
12. HORTIFEEDS
13. TEST FUCHS GBMH
14. GS ECOMETAL CO LTD
15. ECI PHARMACEUTICALS LLC
16. AGNES KATBETH KREIMER
17. XHENTIL KUPE
As a result of the operation, Donald Anu, 34, a Cameroonian national, also known as Ugochukwu Emmanuel Emereibenu, 39, a Nigerian national, was arrested; Marie Goufan, 31 years old, Cameroonian citizen, resident in Tirana; Fatbardh Danja, 40 years old, resident in Tirana and Xhentil Kupe, 54 years old, resident in Tirana.
Evidenced and suspected monetary values,