Romanian police arrested 23 people in the southern city of Pitesti as part of a clampdown on internet scam rings operating in the eastern European country.

The arrested individuals are among a group of 63 suspects wanted for questioning over allegations they ripped off in excess of $120,000 from 120 foreign marks.

FBI and US officials assisted in the investigation that culminated in the recent arrests, local police said on Saturday.

The suspects allegedly posed as well-known firms to clients of those companies after somehow obtaining at least portions of the email contact database of those firms, AP reports.

They then tricked these "clients" into updating their contact database, information that was used to create false identity documents and collect money abroad over the last two years.

If convicted, the suspects face up to 15 years imprisonment for ID theft offences. ®