In what it called an "Information Age undercover
investigation", the US Secret Service announced that it has
arrested 28 people from eight US states and six countries allegedly
involved in a global organised cybercrime ring.
Charges filed against the suspects include identity theft,
computer fraud, credit card fraud and conspiracy.
The investigation, codenamed Operation Firewall, resulted in
what the Secret Service described as a significant disruption of
organised criminal activity online that was targeting the financial
infrastructure of the US. The suspects are alleged to have
collectively trafficked in at least 1.7 million stolen credit card
numbers.
Financial institutions have estimated their losses associated
with the suspects targeted by the investigation to be more than
$4.3m (£2.3m).
"Led by the Secret Service Newark Field Office, investigators
from nearly 30 domestic and foreign Secret Service offices and
their global law enforcement counterparts have prevented
potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in loss to the
financial and hi-tech communities," said Secret Service director W
Ralph Basham.
"These suspects targeted the personal and financial information
of ordinary citizens, as well as the confidential and proprietary
information of companies engaged in e-commerce."
Operation Firewall began in July 2003 and quickly evolved into a
transnational investigation of global credit card fraud and online
identity theft.
The underground criminal groups have been identified as
Shadowcrew, Carderplanet and Darkprofits. The organisations
operated websites used to traffic counterfeit credit cards and
false identification information and documents. The groups
allegedly used the sites to share information on how to commit
fraud and sold the stolen information and the tools needed to
commit such crimes.
International law enforcement organisations that took part in
the investigation and arrests included the UK's National Hi-Tech
Crimes Unit, the Vancouver Police Department's Financial Crimes
Section, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Europol.
Officials in Bulgaria, Belarus, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands
and Ukraine also were involved.
Dan Verton writes for Computerworld