US Secret Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement go after online cyber crime organization
The U.S. Secret Service, teamed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest 19 people the agencies said operated a cyber crime ring that specialized in identity theft and counterfeit credit card trafficking.
According to the Secret Service the group operated on multiple cyber platforms and members bought and sold stolen personal and financial information through online forums, particularly Carder.su. The investigation, known as Operation Open Market is the first Secret Service cybercrime case to result in a Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) indictment.
More: From Anonymous to Hackerazzi: The year in security mischief-making
US Secret Service and ICE arrested two persons in Las Vegas yesterday, and another 17 persons in California, Florida, New York, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey and West Virginia.
Though they didn’t provide any numbers, “the extent of the theft and sale of personal information uncovered by this investigation is astonishing,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden of the cyber theft group which was based in Las Vegas.
Ultimately 50 people are charged in the investigation. One indictment charges 39 defendants; however, the names of 16 of those defendants have been redacted and remain sealed because authorities have not yet arrested them, and 11 more are identified as John Doe and an alias. Another indictment charges seven individuals, and a third indictment charges four individuals, the Secret Service stated.
From the Secret Service: “The defendants are alleged to be members and associates of a criminal organization who traffic in and manufacture stolen and counterfeit identification documents and access device cards (debit and credit cards), and engage in identity theft and financial fraud crimes. The organization encourages members to sell contraband, such as counterfeit documents and stolen bank account information by way of the organization’s websites. Higher level members of the organization examined and tested the products that other members wished to advertise and sell on its websites, and posted summaries of these reviews on the websites.
Members of the organization used various procedures to mask their identities from law enforcement and to prevent detection from rival criminal organizations. Contraband available for purchase included money laundering services, fraudulent identification documents, stolen credit card account information or “dumps,” stolen PayPal accounts, and counterfeit plastic and counterfeit holograms used for producing counterfeit credit cards. The indictment states that “dumps” from the United States were the least expensive, and “dumps” from Europe, the Middle East and Asia were the most expensive.”
Follow Michael Cooney on Twitter: nwwlayer8 and on Facebook
Layer 8 Extra
Check out these other hot stories:
Navy, Army open labs looking for robot, energy, fuel, mechanical inventions
Ambitious Army project takes Arlington National Cemetery high-tech
How to attract the military’s rapt attention: Sell fake service-related documentation on the Internet
CIA director tells a funny computer engineering joke
FTC goes after deceptive online car loan payoff ads
NASA, General Motors team to build robotic glove for human hands
US military shows off non-lethal heat-beam for crowd control
DARPA wants on-demand satellite imagery for smartphones
Know your rights: Identity theft victims express problems with reporting system
Lockheed: Prototype Space Fence tracking orbital debris
NASA looking for Star Trek-like Tricorder to track astronaut health
FAA wants public feedback on unmanned aircraft test sites
NASA, Rovio take Angry Birds battle into space
