Police in Romania on Wednesday detained 20 people suspected of cloning the Web sites of banks in other countries to deplete customers' bank accounts.
Stefan Negrila, chief of the organized crime police in the western city of Timisoara, said people in Italy and Spain were tricked into divulging their bank details.
The information was used by accomplices in those countries to withdraw cash, Negrila said, adding that the fraud could total hundreds of thousands of euros.
In another case, police detained a person suspected of hacking into the servers of U.S. universities and government agencies, including NASA. Police believe the suspect installed a program that registered a U.S. IP address to keep authorities from finding him.
No further information on that case was immediately available.
Negrila said two groups were targeted in Wednesday's action in several Romanian cities and towns, namely Caransebes, Timisoara, Lugoj, Pitesti and Hunedoara.