Naples – "Your credit card has been cloned, click here to access your account." This is the message many have received by phone or email in recent months.
A trap as simple as it is deadly, capable of emptying bank accounts in minutes. Behind that reassuring phrase—which promises protection—lies one of the most widespread digital scams: bank phishing.
The Carabinieri of the Stella Company's Operational Unit identified and dismantled one of the technical bases from which the false communications were being sent. It was a small apartment on Vico Campagnari, in the heart of Naples, a short walk from Piazza Mercato and Corso Umberto.
A working-class neighborhood, filled with narrow alleys, laundry lines, and graffiti on the walls. Right there, behind an anonymous door, a group of young people had set up a cyber-fraud center.
When the police burst in, they found five people. One of them tried in vain to hide a laptop under the bed. But the Carabinieri saw everything: in that room were customer databases, email drafts, and web interfaces imitating credit institution websites.
The classic "phishing" scam: targeting seniors
The classic “phishing” scam: victims received messages reporting suspicious access to their accounts.
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Once they obtained the data, the scammers connected to the real accounts and withdrew funds or made payments on virtual cards. According to investigators, those who fell for the scam were primarily elderly and inexperienced internet users, drawn by the alarmed tone and urgency of the messages.
Three young men, aged 22, 23, and 27, were arrested in the raid and are now in prison on charges of aggravated fraud and unauthorized access to computer systems. Two other men, aged 28 and 50, have been charged and are at large. A laptop and five smartphones, used to send and manage the fraudulent links, were seized.
Investigators hypothesize that the group was not acting in isolation, but was part of a larger network, active nationwide and linked to international cyber fraud networks.
Online scams using phishing techniques are experiencing exponential growth. In 2024 alone, according to Postal Police data, over 25 reports in Italy involved digital banking fraud. In Naples, the most recent investigations reveal a 40% increase compared to the previous year.
Experts recommend never clicking on links received via text message or email, not providing sensitive information, and always contacting your bank directly if you receive suspicious messages. But the trap remains just around the corner: online, as in the alleys of Naples, the new scammers speak the language of deception.
Comments (1)
It's incredible how these scammers can deceive people. I've heard many stories of people who have lost huge amounts of money. We should be more careful and better informed about how to protect ourselves from these situations.