A total of 18 people have been arrested in different municipalities in Antwerp for over 40 instances of online phishing scams, according to the public prosecutor.
Across several Antwerp municipalities, a grand total of 19 house searches were conducted by authorities, resulting in the arrest of 13 adults between the ages of 18 and 24, as well as five 17-years-olds.
It is suspected that some of the suspects stole bank details and other confidential information from their victims by shoulder surfing. In other words, by looking over somebody's shoulder while they enter sensitive information online.
Stolen funds were collected in casinos in Antwerp and in casinos and ATMs in the Netherlands.
Authorities are categorising the instances of online theft as scams, forgery and extortion.
An investigating judge will determine the verdict of the adults arrested, while the five minors will appear before the juvenile court.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
