Azerbaijani security service exposes international cybercrime network

Azerbaijan's State Security Service has identified members of an international cybercrime network that used fake WhatsApp accounts in the names of executives and law enforcement officers to demand that civil servants and company employees transfer money to foreign accounts.

The governmental body said the criminal groups operate outside Azerbaijan and are led by foreign citizens, Caliber.Az reports.

The targets included civil servants, as well as employees of various enterprises and organisations.

It noted that to carry out the scheme, the criminals used numbers of Azerbaijani mobile operators and created fake accounts on social networks and messaging platforms.

Using special computer programs, they collected employees' contact details on a mass scale from the official websites of state bodies and organisations.

According to the SSS, the perpetrators then created fake WhatsApp profiles using photos of the heads of the relevant institutions.

Employees received supposedly "urgent" messages from these accounts. After contact was established, they were redirected to another fake profile whose owner posed as a representative of law enforcement agencies.

The recipients were then instructed to transfer money to foreign accounts or fulfil other demands.

As a result of operational and investigative measures, some members of the criminal network were identified. International legal procedures have already been launched against them.

The SSS further stated that work to fully expose the group is continuing jointly with the competent authorities of foreign countries, the security services of international technology companies and the operators of the relevant platforms.

The State Security Service urged citizens not to trust suspicious messages on social networks and messaging platforms, even if an account appears to belong to an acquaintance, manager or representative of a state body. Such contacts should be promptly reported to the competent authorities.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov