The only accused in the case of the massive phishing attack, in which institutions, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were involved, remains in custody. The decision was made by the Sofia District Court, bTV reported.
It became clear in the courtroom that 34-year-old Denis Balabanov is currently unemployed. Programs and files were found on his laptop that are believed to have been used to carry out the phishing scam.
When asked whether it was said in the courtroom that 300 people had provided their data, Dobri Raykov, the accused's lawyer, replied: “There is data for only three. Ask the prosecutor's office“. Before the court, the accused stated that he wanted a lighter measure of detention and that he would not go into hiding. “I do not want to be detained. After I found out that the GDBOP had entered the house, I surrendered myself“, he said.
Several people are behind the attack, investigators are categorical. On Saturday, in addition to Balabanov, they detained another man. However, he was released, and at this point, only the 34-year-old defendant has evidence that he was involved in the crime.
“In conditions of an ongoing crime with several acts, he aroused delusion in various individuals, with some causing property damage, and in others the act stopped at the attempt phase“, says Nikolay Nikolaev, spokesman for the Sofia District Court.
The perpetrators used an Asian platform. In exchange for a monthly subscription, they sent tens of thousands of similar messages.
The messages read: “A fine has been issued for your car. Please pay the fine within 14 days“.
“The majority of these messages were sent from chat applications, which allowed them to remain unnoticed by mobile operators“, says Senior Commissioner Vladimir Dimitrov, Director of the “Cybercrime“ Directorate of the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Prevention-Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Each message contains a link to a website that states that the debt must be paid. The goal of the fraudsters is for the recipient to follow the link and enter their bank card details, including their 3D password.
“This allows the fraudsters to add the bank card to an online wallet“, investigators indicate.
When asked how much the dozens of victims lost, the answer is: “From 300 – 500 to several thousand euros“.
The money was spent by the perpetrators on gold, drugs for personal use, expensive equipment, cryptocurrencies and online casinos, investigators found. Artificial intelligence also helped them in their illegal activity – with advice on which platforms to use.
Investigators today stated that the phone numbers of the people who received the messages were randomly generated or appeared in existing databases. The phishing scam is mainly aimed at Bulgarians.
People continue to receive the fraudulent messages to this day. According to investigators, there are two explanations. First – it is possible that one of the fraudsters, who has not been arrested, continues to send them. Second – it is possible that this is due to the sending algorithm of the program they used.