Police reel in stolen phone ‘phishing’ gang

Phone or tablet theft victims were duped into sending fraudsters their password

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Some of the items seized by police (inset: sample of a message received by victims)

Police have arrested three people in the break-up of a gang that allegedly operated an elaborate ‘phishing’ scam to get the passwords of people whose smartphones or tablets had been stolen, so they could then re-set the stolen devices and sell them on the black market.

The Sevilla-based gang’s victims were in Málaga, Cádiz, Córdoba and Madrid as well as Sevilla, said National Police officials.

The investigation was launched following a police complaint filed in Málaga by a man whose phone was stolen at the Sevilla fair last year, and who later received a message saying his phone had been recovered but his user name and password were required in order to unblock it.

A lengthy investigation led to the alleged culprits, who police say operated a sales and repair shop for mobile phones and computers that served as a front for receiving stolen phones and tablets.

Read more in this week’s print edition or go to e-paper

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