Criminal suspicions|Using the vulnerability they found, the two took around 1.3 million euros from regular S-bank customers. The case will now move to prosecution.
S bank didn’t react in any way when the 16-year-old told about the vulnerability he found in the banking service, which made it possible to break into another customer’s account.
The incident happened in May 2022.
The crime commissioner will tell you about it Klaus Geiger From the police of Western Uusimaa.
“He told the bank about it and showed how it was [tunkeutuminen] it happened, but for one reason or another the matter did not progress at the bank”, he says.
“On leaving home, he thought that this is an easy way to make money, and the opportunity made a thief.”
According to the police’s estimate, around 1.3 million euros were taken from S-bank’s customers in an extraordinary series of frauds in the spring of 2022.
The police have said before that the 16-year-old suspected of the act discovered the vulnerability by chance. Now Greiger says in more detail that the teenager was logging into a relative’s account at his request, when he accidentally entered the wrong identification code. This led the teenager to the completely wrong person’s account.
At the bank after visiting, the young man started committing crimes with the help of vulnerability, the police suspect. He asked an adult for help, as he was unable to set up accounts himself.
The two transferred money to online casinos using a foreign payment service. After this, they transferred the profits they received to their accounts.
Later, the duo applied for loans worth up to 60,000 euros using the mobile certificate. Applying for the loans was successful, because after breaking into the accounts, the duo saw people’s income and employment information.
Helsingin Sanomat reported in the spring of 2022that the second suspect who assisted in the act was 23 years old at the time of the act. In addition to gambling, the duo squandered money on, among other things, traveling and luxury goods, such as Louis Vuitton bags. In addition, the money has been used to pay off the debts of close relatives and to buy drugs.
In addition to the two, 12 other people were involved in the case, whom the police suspect of having laundered the money. They had moved money through, among other things, foreign banking services, casinos and cryptocurrency casinos.
There were also minors among the money launderers. Among them were the main author’s siblings, parents and close relatives. In addition, there were some friends.
About the incident the police received 231 criminal reports. There are 71 interested parties whose accounts were taken. In addition, during the preliminary investigation, it was found that 149 people’s accounts had been hacked, but for one reason or another no money was taken from them.
According to the police, it has emerged from the criminal reports that the victims themselves had not contributed to the scam. For example, the victims did not know they had been scammed and they had not followed the fake links.
S bank patched the vulnerability in early August 2022. According to Geiger, the impetus for fixing the issue was given by the fact that another customer discovered the same vulnerability in the service as the 16-year-old and told the bank about it.
The police arrested the duo they suspected in August–September of the same year.
About 500,000 euros were returned to one victim, as the money had not yet left the account. Other customers were reimbursed by S-bank for the money taken from them.
The police suspect the duo of aggravated payment instrument fraud and aggravated money laundering. Next, the case moves to prosecution.
Regarding S-bank’s negligence, the police have assessed whether the preliminary investigation threshold is exceeded.
“The police have come to the conclusion, in cooperation between the authorities, that no crime has occurred with regard to S-bank,” says Geiger.
#Criminal #suspicions #bank #teenagers #warning #advantage #loophole #million #euros
