Investigation of banking hack leads to arrests in Europe, Brazil
German and Brazilian police arrested seven suspects over a 2023 hack that drained an estimated 30 million euros from German bank accounts.
Germany's BKA said three suspects were arrested in Europe and charged with fraud, while Brazil's federal police arrested four others and executed 21 search warrants under Operacao Klonen (Operation Clone). The November 2023 attack exploited a vulnerability at a payment provider and used cloned payment cards to make unauthorized withdrawals from German online banking users, draining an estimated 30 million euros (34.7 million dollars). Funds were laundered through Brazil and four European countries, and courts ordered seizure of assets worth more than 20 million dollars. Brazilian media identified the affected bank as Commerzbank, which said customers suffered no financial loss.