Despite being organized and waged on a global scale, phishing-based tax fraud schemes that target the United Kingdom have emerged in recent years as a significant development in the fight against transnational cyber-enabled financial crime.
An operation coordinated by Romanian law enforcement authorities and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the UK unfolded across the counties of Ilfov, Giurgiu, and Calarasi during the second half of 2011 and resulted in the arrests of 27 suspects aged between 23 and 53.
An operation coordinated by Romanian law enforcement authorities and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the UK unfolded across the counties of Ilfov, Giurgiu, and Calarasi during the second half of 2011 and resulted in the arrests of 27 suspects aged between 23 and 53.
A preliminary investigation suggests that the group organized a sophisticated campaign involving the use of phishing tactics to harvest personal information from people, then used this information to fraudulently apply for tax refunds and government benefits within the UK. In this case, more than 100 Romanian police officers and criminal investigators participated in a sweeping crackdown, demonstrating the size and urgency of the cross-border operation.
A related operation has been conducted, in which a 38-year-old man was arrested in Preston. HMRC officials seized several electronic devices that appeared to be linked to the broader network. Romanian prosecutors, the HMRC, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have recently come together to form a strategic alliance aimed at tackling complex cyber fraud and financial misconduct which has cross-border implications.
This article has been indexed from CySecurity News – Latest Information Security and Hacking Incidents
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