Security services Arrest African Nationals Over Embezzlement Of Facebook Users’ Money

Algerian security services that are specializing in cyber crime in Oran, western Algeria, arrested during this week, a dangerous gang of African nationalities and an Algerian who embezzled dozens of victims across the country through Facebook and steal large amounts of money in national and foreign currency by posting fake stories.

Police services and the anti cyber crime team that belong to the provincial directorate of security in Oran, western Algeria, dismantle an organized criminal gang of four persons between the ages of 30 and 40, respectively, including three Africans of Niger and Mali and the third accused in wanted on charges of with the police forces of the Information Crime Task Force of the State Security Service of Oran, in cases of forgery and the use of counterfeiting and fraud,

According to the security services, the arrest was based on in-depth investigations into the activity of members of this organized criminal gang, which revealed that it was active in 10 different provinces of the country by targeting victims through Facebook with fake digital accounts, in order to implement fraud.

The accused convinced their victims that they come from rich African families or members of influential political personalities who have frozen assets in banks abroad, and enticed them by these scenarios to extort large amounts in national and even foreign currency.

According to the complaints of some victims, an investigation was launched into the case, and a plan was put in place which led to the arrest of the gang members, with six smart mobile phones, 30 SIM cards that were used in fraud, two laptops, a field telescope 10 kilometers away, and 200 units of receipts relating to the payment and withdrawal of funds and forged documents of multiple national and foreign identities, in addition to 4 books of Algerian postal stamps with forged identity and bank statements of large amounts of cash in national currency and hard currency, and bank accounts in euros and the national currencies.

Security services also seized DZD 100.000, two driving licenses and gray cards of a motorcycle and a Golf 6, and according to the above mentioned details, the defendants were transferred to justice, which issued a temporary detention order, pending their trial.