According to the report by the Public Ministry and the National Police, the detainees will be brought before a judge of guarantees for committing fraud by stealing identities via Whatsapp and e-mails. The operations were carried out in the provinces of Panama Oeste, Panama and Colon, according to the statement.

It added that this criminal gang gathered banking information from their victims, who were contacted through messages in which they were told about supposed promotions or prizes, but they needed to provide information from their bank accounts to be able to collect them.

The prosecutor specializing in economic crimes, Aurelio Vasquez, told reporters that this gang stole 307,000 dollars through its criminal activity.

In the so-called Phishing operation, electronic devices, credit cards, and cell phones, presumably linked to these crimes, were confiscated.

Among the detainees is an official from the National Border Service, 12 women, three Venezuelan citizens, a Colombian and a Chinese, whose bank accounts were used to deposit the illegal sums.

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