Yorkshire man among duo arrested over tool which compromised accounts worth £7.5m

The 24-year-old man was arrested in Field Avenue, Middlesbrough, on Tuesday morning (Apr 22) and is currently being held in custody and questioned.

A 30-year-old man was arrested in the Oos-Brabant area of The Netherlands by the Dutch National Police.

The pair were arrested as part of a three-year investigation into a tool that is alleged to have been designed to convince victims to provide authentication codes and other personal information which could be used to execute fraudulent bank transactions.

Over a two-year period, the tool is believed to have been used across 13 countries and over 28,000 times. It is suspected that financial accounts have been compromised, totalling £7.5 million.

The Middlesbrough man was been arrested on suspicion of supplying articles for us in fraud, conspiracy to supply articles for use in fraud, fraud by false representation, fraud by false representation and unauthorised access to computer material, money laundering, blackmail and unauthorised access to material.

The pair were arrested as part of a join operation between Cleveland Police’s Cyber Crime Unit, the Dutch National Police, National Crime Agency, Europol and North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU).

Detective Sergeant Kevin Carter, from Cleveland Police’s Cyber Crime Unit, said: “This is one of the biggest investigations into computer misuse and fraud that the force has worked on.

Over a three-year period, the team has been working closely with various law enforcement agencies to establish what activity has taken place, the number of victims believed to have been affected, and the identity of the individuals suspected of being involved.

“Today’s arrests further show how committed we are to investigating cybercrimes and targeting individuals suspected of this type of activity.

“The Dutch police, who were brought onboard in 2024, have provided invaluable support and expertise to the investigation. Without this partnership, the successful dismantling of the suspected network would not have been possible.

“Cybercriminals are not out of reach, and we have networks globally through which to pursue them.

“Our collaborative efforts with international partners demonstrate that we can, and will, track down individuals who we believe to be exploiting technology for criminal gain.

“Users of the JokerOTP bot platform can rest assured that law enforcement has been watching and will be in touch.”