James Cox
A number of raids have been carried out here after a website, which scammed victims on an industrial scale globally, was disrupted.
Twelve searches were carried out in Dublin, Kildare and Waterford over the last two days.
As part of Operation Stargrew, law enforcement from 19 countries have disrupted one of the world’s largest phishing-as-a-service platforms.
Twelve searches were carried out in Dublin, Kildare and Waterford.
Operation Stargrew targets individuals suspected to be involved in organised fraud, where bulk “Phishing” or “Smishing” text messages are sent out, which are designed to deceive people into providing their personal data and credentials for the purposes of fraud. Many of these purport to be from banks and service providers.
LabHost enabled users to set up sites designed to trick victims into revealing personal information – with 116 users linked to Ireland.
During searches in Dublin, Kildare and Waterford €42,000 in cash, €10,000 in cryptocurrency, 82 smartphones, 25 computers, 9 tablet devices, and a Rolex watch were seized.
Armed gardaí, CAB and the Cyber Crime Bureau were involved in the operation, which saw two men arrested.
One of the men arrested has been charged, and will appear before the courts at a later date.
