Police forces in Souk Ahras province have dismantled a criminal gang involved in online fraud. Operating under the name "Academic Center for Researcher Support" on social media, the group targeted students and university professors by offering services for writing and publishing research papers in academic journals in exchange for money. After victims sent payments via WhatsApp, the gang laundered the money through third-party postal accounts and virtual assets. Investigations identified 35 victims across the country and uncovered personal data belonging to 419 people, which the perpetrators used to fraudulently register mobile phone lines.