Arrests in $400M SIM-Swap Tied to Heist at FTX?

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:41:37 +0000

Three Americans were charged this week with stealing more than $400 million in a November 2022 SIM-swapping attack. The U.S. government did not name the victim organization, but there is every indication that the money was stolen from the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which had just filed for bankruptcy on that same day.

Read more

Fla. Man Charged in SIM-Swapping Spree is Key Suspect in Hacker Groups Oktapus, Scattered Spider

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:07:18 +0000

On Jan. 9, 2024, U.S. authorities arrested a 19-year-old Florida man charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiring with others to use SIM-swapping to steal cryptocurrency. Sources close to the investigation tell KrebsOnSecurity the accused was a key member of a criminal hacking group blamed for a string of cyber intrusions at major U.S. technology companies during the summer of 2022.

Read more

Who is Alleged Medibank Hacker Aleksandr Ermakov?

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2024 18:12:09 +0000

Authorities in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States this week levied financial sanctions against a Russian man accused of stealing data on nearly 10 million customers of the Australian health insurance giant Medibank. 33-year-old Aleksandr Ermakov allegedly stole and leaked the Medibank data while working with one of Russia’s most destructive ransomware groups, but little more is shared about the accused. Here’s a closer look at the activities of Mr. Ermakov’s alleged hacker handles.

Read more

Using Google Search to Find Software Can Be Risky

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2024 18:38:43 +0000

Google continues to struggle with cybercriminals running malicious ads on its search platform to trick people into downloading booby-trapped copies of popular free software applications. The malicious ads, which appear above organic search results and often precede links to legitimate sources of the same software, can make searching for software on Google a dicey affair.

Read more

Canadian Man Stuck in Triangle of E-Commerce Fraud

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2024 15:34:53 +0000

A Canadian man who says he’s been falsely charged with orchestrating a complex e-commerce scam is seeking to clear his name. His case appears to involve “triangulation fraud,” which occurs when a consumer purchases something online — from a seller on Amazon or eBay, for example — but the seller doesn’t actually own the item for sale. Instead, the seller purchases the item from an online retailer using stolen payment card data. In this scam, the unwitting buyer pays the scammer and receives what they ordered, and very often the only party left to dispute the transaction is the owner of the stolen payment card.

Read more

E-Crime Rapper ‘Punchmade Dev’ Debuts Card Shop

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 17:00:40 +0000

The rapper and social media personality Punchmade Dev is perhaps best known for his flashy videos singing the praises of a cybercrime lifestyle. With memorable hits such as “Internet Swiping” and “Million Dollar Criminal” earning millions of views, Punchmade has leveraged his considerable following to peddle tutorials on how to commit financial crimes online. But until recently, there wasn’t much to support a conclusion that Punchmade was actually doing the cybercrime things he promotes in his songs.

Read more

Here’s Some Bitcoin: Oh, and You’ve Been Served!

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2024 13:39:37 +0000

A California man who lost $100,000 in a 2021 SIM-swapping attack is suing the unknown holder of a cryptocurrency wallet that harbors his stolen funds. The case is thought to be the first in which a federal court has recognized… Read More »

Read more

Meet Ika & Sal: The Bulletproof Hosting Duo from Hell

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2024 17:57:55 +0000

In 2020, the United States brought charges against four men accused of building a bulletproof hosting empire that once dominated the Russian cybercrime industry and supported multiple organized cybercrime groups. All four pleaded guilty to conspiracy and racketeering charges. But there is a fascinating and untold backstory behind the two Russian men involved, who co-ran Russia’s most popular spam forum for years.

Read more