Moroccan Bank Accounts Targeted by Hackers, Millions Stolen Through Mobile Apps

More than 30 million dirhams have been diverted, according to the latest statistics, through computer applications used by professional hackers. According to the daily Assabah, they exploit the "mobile banking" applications offered by banks, in order to facilitate access to banking services for their customers.

In general, criminal networks invite individuals to download useful or sometimes fun applications in order to access their confidential information. This very simple operation allows access to the phone number, identity, mailing service of the owner, as well as the different applications installed on his smartphone.

After contacting the Wali of Bank Al-Maghrib, Abdellatif Jouahri, and through him, the heads of the various banking institutions in Morocco, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) declared that it had identified a criminal network specialized in hacking bank accounts. It had managed to divert large sums from company accounts.

The investigations conducted by the police services made it possible to identify the location of the hackers, through the IP protocol. The operations were carried out from abroad, hence the probability of the involvement of an international criminal network. The DGSN is doing everything in its power to track down the main perpetrators, in collaboration with Interpol services.