Three young men—Diogo C., Tiago A., and João M.—turned online hacking into a lucrative criminal operation after meeting in gamer communities just before the pandemic. Aged 17 to 18 at the time, they bought stolen access credentials and personal data from the dark web, which they used to forge medical prescriptions, death certificates, and even body transport documents.
The group also launched widespread spam campaigns impersonating companies like EDP and CTT to trick victims into paying fake invoices. They accessed Portugal’s Social Security platform, stole from MB Way and PayPal accounts, and kept detailed files on hundreds of credit card holders.
According to prosecutors, they face dozens of charges, including aggravated unauthorized access, computer forgery, and qualified fraud. The trio coordinated through a Discord group, where they shared tools, tips, and credentials—paid for with cryptocurrency. Diogo specialized in filtering leaked logins, Tiago hoarded banking data, and João compiled a trove of stolen cards.
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