European, Latin American authorities arrest 17 in crackdown on phishing network with 483,000 victims

European and Latin American law enforcement arrested 17 suspects in a bust aimed at a criminal phishing network that has claimed nearly half a million victims, Europol said Thursday.

Among those arrested were the Argentinian administrator of the phishing platform, through which the alleged criminals engaged in unlocking lost or stolen mobile phones, the European police organization said. The cyber firm Group-IB, which aided law enforcement in the crackdown, said the platform was called iServer.

“Investigators reported 483,000 victims worldwide, who had attempted to regain access to their phones and been phished in the process,” Europol said in a news release. “The victims are mainly Spanish-speaking nationals from European, North American and South American countries.”

Europol joined forces with law enforcement agencies in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Spain for the operation, as well as Ameripol, a police organization for the Americas, and EL PACCTO, a joint European-Latin American organization that cooperates on transnational crime. It was the first Europol-Ameripol team-up. Europol shared information with law enforcement that it obtained from Group-IB.

The crackdown took place between Sept. 10 and this Tuesday, and in addition to the 17 arrests, notched 28 searches and 921 items seized — mobile phones, mainly, but also other electronic devices, vehicles and weapons.

The criminal network’s platform has been active for five years, Euopol said.

“While iServer was essentially an automated phishing platform, its specific focus on harvesting credentials to unlock stolen phones set it apart from typical phishing-as-a-service offerings,” Group-IB said in a news release. “iServer’s platform features a web interface that enables low-skilled criminals, known as ‘unlockers,’ to steal device passwords, user credentials from cloud-based mobile platforms and other personal information from victims. This allows them to bypass ‘Lost Mode’ and unlock phones acquired through illegal means.”

Group-IB celebrated the operation.

“We are honored to stop millions of cyber attacks targeting mobile users. The arrest of the syndicate members, including the mastermind, has averted significant fraud and safeguarded the personal lives of individuals across various regions,” CEO Dmitry Volkov said in a news release. “This serves as yet another great example of cross border collaboration, and we will continue to support local and international law enforcement efforts to combat cybercrime globally.”