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Operation Herakles: Authorities deactivate thousands of phone numbers to combat cyber fraud
Authorities in Germany and Austria have conducted a major crackdown against international cyber-investment fraud through 'Operation Herakles'. In the last three months, investigators have deactivated nearly 10,000 phone numbers used by cybercriminals. Since the operation began, a total of 13,888 numbers have been shut down, including 13,397 in Germany and 491 in Austria.
The operation targets 'Cybertrading-Fraud', a phenomenon where criminals use call centers to lure victims into investing large sums of money into fraudulent, unauthorized trading platforms. These criminals often use professional-sounding tactics and spoofing technology to make their calls appear to come from legitimate local numbers.
In addition to trading scams, police in various regions, including Switzerland and parts of Germany, are warning of other sophisticated phone-based frauds. These include 'shock calls' where scammers impersonate doctors, police officers, or prosecutors to claim a relative is in an accident or needs expensive medication. Other schemes involve scammers posing as technical support to gain access to e-banking credentials or impersonating senior management to authorize large corporate transfers.
Entities
Aargau Cantonal Police · BaFin · Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht · Bundeskriminalamt · Bundesnetzagentur · Cybercrime-Zentrum · Kantonspolizei Aargau · Kemnath Police Station · Landeskriminalamt Baden-Württemberg · Operation Herakles · Polizeipräsidium Oberpfalz
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] In a case in Pressath, a 39-year-old woman lost a low four-digit Euro amount in cryptocurrency after sharing her recovery phrase.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Fraudsters may use personal information obtained from previous phishing attacks or data leaks to build trust. www.polizeinews.ch · kantonspolizei.ch
- [● 3 SOURCES] Callers use spoofing technology to manipulate displayed phone numbers to appear as legitimate local numbers. www.polizeinews.ch · kantonspolizei.ch
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Aargau Cantonal Police are warning of a fraud scheme involving callers posing as technical support staff. www.polizeinews.ch · kantonspolizei.ch
- [● 4 SOURCES] Criminals impersonate employees of trading platforms, wallet providers, or technical support via phone, email, or messenger services. kantonspolizei.ch · www.polizeinews.ch
- [● 6 SOURCES] Authorities have deactivated nearly 10,000 phone numbers used by cybercriminals in the last three months. help.orf.at · www.waltroper-zeitung.de · www.it-daily.net · www.onetz.de · www.suedtirolnews.it
- [● 6 SOURCES] Since the start of Operation Herakles, a total of 13,888 phone numbers have been deactivated. help.orf.at · www.waltroper-zeitung.de · www.it-daily.net · www.onetz.de · www.suedtirolnews.it
- [● 6 SOURCES] The operation targets 'Cybertrading-Fraud', where victims are lured into investing in unauthorized trading platforms. help.orf.at · www.waltroper-zeitung.de · www.it-daily.net · www.onetz.de · www.suedtirolnews.it
- [● 6 SOURCES] Of the deactivated numbers, 13,397 are in Germany and 491 are in Austria. help.orf.at · www.waltroper-zeitung.de · www.it-daily.net · www.onetz.de · www.suedtirolnews.it