Romania arrests 90 in eBay fraud probe

Police have arrested 90 people in Romania following an investigation into fraud on e-commerce sites eBay.com and Craiglist.org that duped about 1,000 buyers out of 20 million dollars. "Between 2009 and 2011, the suspects duped online buyers by selling fictitious (cars, motorbikes, electronics...) on www.eBay.com and on www.craiglist.org", the Romanian prosecutors specialised in fighting organised crime said in a press release. Money paid by the victims was collected abroad, mainly in the US and then sent to Romania, they added. The police conducted searches in 117 locations in several Romanian cities including Bucharest, Timisoara (west) and Pitesti (south). Those arrested faced charges related to computer fraud and taking part in a criminal organisation, prosecutors said. Several cybercrimes networks operating from Romania have been dismantled in the last years, often with the help of US cybercrime experts.