Three people in Auckland have been arrested this week for their alleged part in a “significant cybercrime operation” targeting thousands of people around the world.
Police – in partnership with Europol – carried out the New Zealand phase of multi-national Operation Camperdown, targeting phishing using service platform LabHost.
The platform allegedly “enabled users to operate ‘phishing kit’ websites, which imitate the websites of real online services to trick recipients of SMS phishing messages into providing their banking, bank card or other online account credentials”, cybercrime investigator Detective Sergeant Richard Briscoe said today.
“Offenders then use this information to fraudulently obtain funds or property.”
Briscoe said Europol coordinated with law enforcement agencies around the world, “beginning with the arrest of the administrators of the platform on April 15, 2024 followed by arrests of LabHost users around the world”.
New Zealand Police, with help from the Auckland City and Waitematā CIB, carried out three searches of homes across Tāmaki Makaurau yesterday. During the searches, officers found “a number of computers, other electronic devices and documents seized”, Briscoe said.
The equipment and docuements would be analysed as part of ongoing police investigations.
“Police and our partner agencies are committed to holding those who choose to engage in this type of offending to account,” he said.
“We hope this serves as a warning to potential scammers that New Zealand authorities will not tolerate scams of any nature.”
Briscoe said police “cannot rule out further arrests in relation to this investigation as our enquiries continue”.