40 Charged In Phishing Scheme

Filed in archive Spam News on May 30, 2008

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Rich Legg

U.S. and Romanian authorities have busted an international phishing scheme that is responsible for the theft of thousands of credit and debit card numbers. 40 people were indicted, 33 in California and 7 in Connecticut. Among the 65 charges the group is facing are aggravated identity theft, bank fraud, conspiracy to violate the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, and unauthorized access to a protected computer. The RICO and bank fraud charges carry a combined 50 year prison sentence.

The group sent out phishing emails that looked like legit communication from a variety of banks, including Capital One, Citibank, and People's Bank in Connecticut. Paypal was also a target. Over a million phishing emails were sent out per attack. None of the banking companies used in the attacks have had any comment.