Argentina prosecutor Diego Luciani targeted in fake‑news cyber‑fraud scheme

Prosecutor Diego Luciani filed a criminal complaint after a fabricated news article on a site mimicking the Clarín portal used his name and the signature of journalist Mariano Boettner to promote a fictitious AI‑driven investment platform called “Nuntron”. The false post claimed Luciani held undeclared funds of more than 2 billion pesos and included forged images of the Central Bank of Argentina, the National Bank and the Securities Commission. Luciani said the operation damaged his reputation, stating, “Como puede observarse fácilmente, esta operación de desprestigio afecta mi buen nombre y mi honor porque señala que llevé adelante maniobras ilegales para enriquecerme indebidamente, lo cual es absolutamente falso.” He urged urgent measures to preserve evidence, investigate the perpetrators and prevent further scams.

Separately, Buenos Aires authorities reported a sharp rise in cyber‑fraud, with more than 200 complaints per month in the first half of 2026, totaling about 1,300 cases and losses exceeding AR$24 billion. The Ministry of Public Prosecution highlighted the growth of phishing, identity theft, card cloning and crypto‑related scams. Specialized units – the Unidad Fiscal Especializada en Ciberdelincuencia (UFECI) led by Horacio Azzolin and the Fiscalía Especializada en Ciberfraudes (FISEC) headed by Miguel Kessler – were created to preserve digital evidence, trace perpetrators and advise the public on security measures.