The prosecution stated on its official page that the couple was tasked with purchasing phone cards, activating them, and making them available en masse in ‘GSM modems,’ which they also acquired. These modems were configured in applications accessible to other group members through the server “agente.smshub.org.”
The other group members were generally responsible for creating WhatsApp accounts and sending fraudulent “Hello Dad, Hello Mom” messages, it added.
To purchase the phone cards, the accused used Facebook ads linked to a fake profile under the name Sofia Guimarães. Through the modems, the accused were also able to alter IMEI numbers blocked by operators and obscure the origin of communications.
“In two instances, the accused themselves authored the fraudulent messages,” the prosecution noted.
The availability of these tools to the network enabled these accused individuals to earn at least 218,000 euros received in cryptocurrency, which they converted by selling, depositing the amounts into bank accounts of affiliated third parties, it continued.
The prosecution explained that these two accused individuals and the established organization were joined by a third accused person responsible for providing entities/references and bank accounts for victim payments/transfers.
This accused person received 12,523 euros between August and September 2023.
One of the accused, a member of the couple, is currently in preventive custody—the most severe coercive measure.
