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Bank data fraud campaign/ Dutch young man arrested in Tirana, accomplice sought

2026-05-12 13:54:00, Kronika CNA

Bank data fraud campaign/ Dutch young man arrested in Tirana, accomplice sought

A 25-year-old man has been arrested after identifying a fraudulent campaign, through which various citizens received messages on behalf of a second-tier banking institution, asking them to update their banking details by clicking on a fraudulent link.

Citizen IK, a Dutch citizen, was arrested, and citizen AR, an associate of the young man, was declared wanted.

As a result of this criminal scheme, some citizens have provided their banking details, becoming victims of fraud.

Police announcement:

State Police/The operation codenamed "Fake Bank 2" is finalized.                                                                                                              

The State Police, continuing its work to crack down on criminal activity in the field of cybercrime and protect citizens from online fraud, successfully finalized the police operation codenamed "Fake Bank 2".

The operation was carried out after the identification of a fraudulent "smishing" campaign, through which various citizens received messages (SMS) on behalf of a second-tier banking institution, requesting them to update their banking data by clicking on a fraudulent link that imitated the financial institution's official website.

As a result of this criminal scheme, some citizens have provided their banking details, becoming victims of fraud.

Thanks to the immediate response of the Directorate for the Investigation of Cybercrimes, in cooperation with the Tirana Local Police Directorate and in coordination with the Prosecutor of the Tirana Judicial District, it was possible to identify and detain the suspected author of this scheme, citizen IK, 25 years old, with Dutch citizenship, as well as to declare citizen AR wanted as a suspected collaborator in this activity.

The procedural materials were referred to the Prosecutor's Office at the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Tirana, for the criminal offenses of "Computer Fraud" and "Computer Forgery", provided for by articles 143/b and 186/a of the Criminal Code.

The State Police appeals to citizens to show maximum caution against suspicious messages or links that request personal or banking information. No banking institution requests the disclosure of sensitive data via SMS or links sent to the phone.

In any suspicious case, citizens are invited to immediately report it to the State Police, as well as to their banking institution. /CNA





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