The police have arrested a 24-year-old man from Arnhem who is suspected of developing software for phishing panels.
Phishing panels can be used to set up websites with which criminals try to get people to click on a fake (payment) link. That link leads to a fake banking site where the criminals can see the data that the victim enters. With the stolen data, they can then log into the victim’s account and completely empty it.
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The developer of phishing panels is seen as the most important link in the phishing process. “No phishing without a developer,” the police said in a press release. The suspect will be brought before the examining magistrate in Rotterdam on Friday.
A 15-year-old boy was also arrested in Loenen aan de Vecht on Tuesday. He is suspected of selling phishing panels. He has been released pending further investigation. A third suspect, an 18-year-old boy from Hoogeveen, was searched yesterday.
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We often end up with a boy in a bedroom.
Phishing has exploded in recent years. In 2019, the damage amounted to 7.9 million euros, in 2021 this had increased to 12.8 million. The perpetrators of developing and selling phishing panels must take into account serious criminal consequences if they are caught, according to the police.
“There is a big difference between the online and offline identity of these perpetrators,” says Floor Jansen of the National Unit, Team High Tech Crime (THTC). “Online they pretend to be tough guys who handle their criminal affairs professionally, but we often end up with a kid in a bedroom. They usually don’t have much left. In fact, they often end up with years of debt.”