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.

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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.

The Department of Justice today announced the arrest of 281 suspects in connection with email scams and wire transfer fraud. The action is the biggest of its kind yet against this type of digital scammer, and is a strong symbol of law enforcement's sense of urgency in trying to contain a rapidly growing threat.

You're familiar with crimes like this, even if you don't know them by their proper name of "business email compromise" schemes. It involves the coordinated crafting of compelling scam emails that trick employees or vulnerable individuals into sending money, then using strategic mules to wire the funds back to the perpetrators. Such scams have ballooned in recent years, costing victims tens of billions of dollars over time. The DOJ said the new round of arrests took four months to carry out across 10 countries, and resulted in the seizure of almost $3.7 million.

reWired

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Tuesday's law enforcement initiative, dubbed Operation reWired, involved extensive international coordination to make 167 arrests in Nigeria, 74 in the United States, 18 in Turkey, and 15 in Ghana. The remainder took place in France, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. Research and law enforcement investigations have shown that a large proportion of all email scamming originates in West Africa, specifically Nigeria, but the scams have spread, partly because some West African actors have moved around the world.

The operation follows a 2018 email scam enforcement operation known as Wire Wire, in which 74 suspects were arrested around the world. But through international collaboration, law enforcement agencies have increasingly been able to make email scam-related arrests. Just three weeks ago the Department of Justice indicted 80 suspects, largely Nigerian nationals, in relation to a massive alleged email scam and money laundering scheme. Fourteen arrests were made in connection with that case.