File photo.
Authorities are investigating whether two online fraud cases in Crete, reported just six days apart, may be connected after strikingly similar methods were used to transfer large sums of money to accounts whose holders were not the intended recipients.
The first case involved about 152,000 euros allegedly diverted from a regional government service in Rethymno. The money was moved through 55 successive transactions involving relatively small amounts, a technique known as “smurfing,” in which a larger sum is broken into numerous smaller transactions to make it harder to detect.
The money was initially transferred to accounts held by unknown individuals at a Greek bank and was then moved almost immediately to accounts at banks in several other countries. Authorities have identified and secured more than half of the money with the help of foreign agencies, according to reports.
Six days later, about 500,000 euros was allegedly diverted from a Rethymno municipal service using a similar method, prompting authorities to investigate whether the two cases have a common origin.
