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Three Arrested in Buenos Aires in $34.9 Million Virtual‑Wallet Fraud Linked to Santa Fe Users

Prosecutors say the arrests expose failures in platform identity checks, prompting a wider probe to trace funds converted into cryptoassets.

Overview

  • The Policía de Seguridad Aeroportuaria detained two men and one woman in Buenos Aires on Wednesday and prosecutors requested their transfer to Santa Fe for formal charges.
  • Investigators say the group stole 34,867,763.07 pesos by opening fake virtual‑wallet accounts using doctored DNI photos and falsified biometric data, then linking those accounts to victims' real platform profiles.
  • After emptying three accounts, the suspects converted the money into cryptocurrencies and the Ministerio Público de la Acusación is tracing transaction routes to identify final recipients.
  • A judge in Santa Fe ordered four companies, including Invertir Online, Mercado Libre, BIND and Tecnopoint SA, to restitute nearly 29 million pesos to victims for lapses in identity validation; that ruling is under appeal.
  • Authorities have identified three additional suspects with active arrest warrants and have seized electronic devices in Buenos Aires as prosecutors expand the probe into a potentially larger, cross‑jurisdictional fraud network.