Three Hondurans accused of hacking WhatsApp to scam are given preventive detention

In the courts of San Pedro Sula, Cortés, in northern Honduras, a formal indictment with preventive detention was issued against three Hondurans accused of being part of a gang that hacks accounts on the WhatsApp messaging platform to defraud citizens through the sale of dollars.

Brayan Meléndez Mendoza , José Arnulfo Bueso and Luis Sabillón Lara were arrested on October 14 and face charges filed by the Public Ministry , including criminal association, unauthorized access to computer systems, identity theft and money laundering.

The preliminary hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, November 6, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.

The case is being handled by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Intellectual Property and Computer Security (Feprosi), in conjunction with the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation (ATIC).

ATIC investigations indicate that the accused used phishing techniques to take over a WhatsApp account of one of the victims. They then used the person’s name to deceive others through the supposed sale of dollars.

The victims, believing in the transaction of buying and selling dollars, made transfers of considerable sums to bank accounts controlled by the fraudsters.

The deposits were made into the account of Luis Miguel Sabillón Lara, and the money was used for purchases in shopping malls, seeking to have the cash circulate within the national financial system to give it a legal appearance, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

What is Phishing?

It is a type of cyberattack where criminals trick people into stealing confidential information, such as passwords, credit or debit card numbers and personal data, through text messages, emails or fake websites. Once they obtain this information, they use it to commit financial fraud, among other crimes.