US, European authorities carry out sweeping crackdown on prolific QQAAZZ cybercriminal group

U.S. and European law enforcement have embarked on a coordinated crackdown on an Eastern European cybercriminal group accused of trying to launder tens of millions of dollars stolen from victims. Fourteen people have been charged for allegedly laundering money for QQAAZZ, as the group is known, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday. Meanwhile, houses were raided across Europe, a number of arrests were made in Latvia and a cryptocurrency mining operation was seized in Bulgaria. It’s the most significant law enforcement offensive to date against QQAAZZ, whose members are allegedly from Bulgaria, Latvia, Georgia, Romania and elsewhere. The network has allegedly operated hundreds of bank accounts throughout the world to launder money stolen by criminal hackers, sometimes converting it to cryptocurrency. They stand accused of hawking their “bank drops service” on Russia-speaking cybercriminals forums. “The criminal gangs behind some of the world’s most harmful malware families are among those cybercriminal groups […]

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Bitcoin Exchange Owner Convicted for Role in Web Auction Fraud Scheme

A federal jury convicted the owner of a bitcoin exchange for his role in a multi-million dollar scheme involving online auction fraud. On September 28, a federal jury in Frankfort, Kentucky found Bulgarian national Rossen Iossifov, 53, guilty of one co… Continue reading Bitcoin Exchange Owner Convicted for Role in Web Auction Fraud Scheme

The FINCEN Files Leakage

This week began with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) providing a view and analysis into thousands of financial transactions contained within Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) that were leaked from with the U.S. FinCEN… Continue reading The FINCEN Files Leakage

UK man arrives to face charges in US after alleged $2 million email scam

A man charged as part of a business email compromise money laundering scheme that allegedly defrauded victims out of $2 million over the course of at least six years is set to face a judge in U.S. court in the Southern District of New York. The man, Habeeb Audu, who is a dual citizen of Nigeria and the U.K., was extradited from London last week for his alleged involvement in multiple money laundering and fraud scams, some of which leveraged information stolen during previous business email compromises, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. One of the operations in which Audu was allegedly involved ran from 2013 to 2018. Audu and several co-conspirators duped banks into giving them access to victim bank accounts to steal money, according to the Justice Department. They did so by using stolen personal information to deceive the banks into thinking they were legitimate account holders, according to court documents. They then supplemented those […]

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DoJ Aims to Seize 280 Cryptocurrency Accounts Used by Hackers

Complaint details collaboration with China to funnel $250m in stolen funds as part of state-sponsored attacks. Continue reading DoJ Aims to Seize 280 Cryptocurrency Accounts Used by Hackers

San Diego Resident Receives 46 Months after Pleading Guilty to Million-Dollar Scam Involving the Stolen Identities of Military Members

A 32-year old California man was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a million-dollar scheme involving stolen identities of United States service members and veterans. During his trial, Trorice Crawford admitted that he an… Continue reading San Diego Resident Receives 46 Months after Pleading Guilty to Million-Dollar Scam Involving the Stolen Identities of Military Members

Flashy Nigerian Instagram star extradited to US to face BEC charges

It’s a short jump from a Rolls Royce ride to extradition from the UAE. Goodbye, Dubai, goodbye, Palazzo Versace, hello, Chicago jail cell. Continue reading Flashy Nigerian Instagram star extradited to US to face BEC charges

Hushpuppi and Mr.Woodbery, BEC scammers: Welcome to Chicago!

There are quite a few West African scammers who try to explain away their wealth by claiming they are a “bitcoin entrepreneur” or “real estate investor” when in fact they conduct Business Email Compromise scams against American companies, and Romance S… Continue reading Hushpuppi and Mr.Woodbery, BEC scammers: Welcome to Chicago!