Dozens Charged With Running Computer Crime Ring
Date: May 27, 2008Source: Courant.com
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The Justice Department announced the arrests Monday while unsealing related indictments on both coasts. More than half the people implicated are Romanian, but the indictments charge that the alleged computer scammers also operated from the United States, Canada, Portugal and Pakistan.
The indictments outline a computer practice known as phishing in which perpetrators typically send fraudulent e-mails directing unwitting computer users to phony Internet sites that ask for sensitive personal data, such as Social Security numbers and financial account numbers. The counterfeit e-mails are designed to appear as if they originated from legitimate banks, financial institutions or other companies.
Phishers also may include attachments to their e-mail that, when opened, secretly install "spyware" that can capture personal information and send it to third parties over the Internet.
The ultimate goal of the criminals is to use the confidential information to empty victim bank accounts or run up credit card debt.
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles charged 33 individuals with racketeering-related crimes. Seven more were charged in Connecticut, including two who were named in the Los Angeles indictment as well.
Those named in the Los Angeles indictment allegedly obtained access to thousands of credit and debit card accounts. In just one of the "phishing attacks" they are accused of delivering 1.3 million fraudulent e-mails.
Seven Romanian citizens were named in the New Haven indictment after they allegedly targeted customers of Bridgeport-based People's Bank and other institutions. The purported People's e-mail was sent in June 2005 and was reported to authorities by a resident from Madison.
The fraudulent People's e-mail told recipients that, "For your security, the profile that you are using to access people's Bank Online Banking has been locked because of too many failed login attempts." It gave recipients options to unlock their accounts that included transmitting credit and debit card account numbers, Social Security numbers and personal identification codes.
The same group allegedly launched similar schemes, using e-mail purporting to come from the Brattleboro Savings and Loan Association in Vermont, as well as from Citibank, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase &Co., Comerica Bank, Wells Fargo &Co., eBay and PayPal.
If convicted, those named in the phishing schemes face up to dozens of years in prison. Authorities this week were making arrests and executing search warrants in Los Angeles and Romania.
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