Computer fraud involving over €387,000 against a holding company: two people reported

Carabinieri from Rome's Piazza Bologna station have charged a 54-year-old man from Sant'Antimo and a 52-year-old woman from Rome, both with criminal records, with computer fraud and money laundering. The operation was triggered by a complaint filed by the legal representative of a holding company that manages several companies, who was a victim of the scam.

Using a phishing technique known as business email compromise, the two suspects managed to eavesdrop on communications between the holding company and a real estate brokerage firm with which they had regular dealings. Using spoofed emails and fake invoices, they tricked the firm into making two wire transfers to fraudulent IBANs, totaling over €387.

The banks' timely intervention allowed the anomaly to be reported, enabling the Carabinieri to freeze the receiving accounts as a precaution and seize approximately €100. Although part of the money had already been divided and quickly transferred to secondary accounts via instant transfers and withdrawals, the investigation continues with a request for the precautionary seizure of the suspects' assets to cover the stolen amount.