Behind the Vape Counters: Fairfax Police Uncover Drug and Cash Scheme
Fairfax County, VA police have targeted over a dozen local vape shops in a sweeping investigation into illegal drug sales and money laundering. The extensive operation highlights a coordinated crackdown on illicit activities within these retail locations.
Continue ReadingFeds Pull the Plug on Record-Breaking IoT Botnets Behind Massive Global DDoS Attacks
U.S. and international authorities have dismantled the command-and-control infrastructure behind the world’s largest IoT-powered DDoS botnets, which were responsible for some of the biggest cyberattacks ever recorded—peaking at roughly 30 terabits per second. The coordinated operation, led by the U.S. Department of Justice alongside partners in Canada and Germany, disrupted four major botnets that had hijacked more than three million insecure devices worldwide to fuel hundreds of thousands of attacks, often offered as “cybercrime-as-a-service” and used for extortion.
Continue ReadingLeakBase Hacker Forum Dismantled by Global Law Enforcement Operation
On March 3 and 4, law enforcement in 14 countries including the United States took synchronized actions against LeakBase and its users in a coordinated effort hosted by Europol in The Hague. LeakBase forum has over 142,000 members and maintained an enormous archive of hacked databases, including hundreds of millions of account credentials. The forum, including all criminal account information, posts, private messages and logs have been seized by law enforcement.
Continue ReadingChilean National Charged with Financial Fraud Extradited to U.S.
Alex Rodrigo Valenzuela Monje, aka “VAL4K,” 24, of Chile was charged with trafficking tens of thousands of stolen credit card numbers and information. From at least May 2021 to August 2023, Valenzuela Monje operated an illegal online card shop, selling dumps of over 25,000 unauthorized access devices through Telegram channels.
Continue ReadingFour Chinese Nationals Indicted on Human Trafficking and Money Laundering
Four Chinese nationals residing in Flushing, New York, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of conspiracy, human trafficking, immigration violations, and money laundering for their roles in operating illicit massage businesses in Erie County, PA.
Continue ReadingSlovakian Man Pleads Guilty to Operating Darknet Marketplace
Authorities arrested Alan Bill, aka Vend0r, of Bratislava on December 15, 2023, at Newark Liberty International Airport after customs inspectors discovered two cell phones, a laptop, a thumb drive, and a cryptocurrency hardware wallet containing evidence that directly linked him to Kingdom Market. As part of his plea agreement, Bill agreed to forfeit five different types of coins in a cryptocurrency wallet, as well as the Kingdommarket.live and Kingdommarket.so domains, which have been shut down by authorities. Bill is scheduled to be sentenced on May 5. The drug trafficking conspiracy charge carries a penalty of at least five years in prison, with a maximum of 40, and the possibility of a fine of up to $5 million.
Continue ReadingMicrosoft Disrupts Global Cybercrime Subscription Service
Microsoft announced a landmark legal action to disrupt RedVDS, a global "cybercrime-as-a-service" platform responsible for approximately $40 million in U.S. fraud losses alone. In a joint operation with international law enforcement, including German authorities and the U.K., the initiative successfully seized malicious infrastructure to take the marketplace offline, a major step toward dismantling the networks behind AI-enabled fraud, such as real estate scams.
Continue ReadingGlobal Cybercrime Subscription Service Disrupted by Microsoft and International Law Enforcement
Microsoft is announcing a coordinated legal action in the United States and, for the first time, the United Kingdom to disrupt RedVDS, a global cybercrime subscription service fueling millions in fraud losses. These efforts are part of a broader joint operation with international law enforcement, including German authorities and Europol, which has allowed Microsoft and its partners to seize key malicious infrastructure and take the RedVDS marketplace offline, a major step toward dismantling the networks behind AI-enabled fraud, such as real estate scams.
Continue ReadingFrom Dhaka to Montana: Bangladeshi National Indicted for Selling Thousands of Counterfeit U.S. Passports and IDs Online. Fake ID Marketplaces Seized.
Zahid Hasan, 29, of Dhaka, Bangladesh, is charged with operating illegal online marketplaces “TechTreek” and “EGiftCardStoreBD” that sold digital templates of false identity documents. The indictment alleges that from at least 2021 through 2025, Hasan operated multiple online businesses based out of Bangladesh, and earned more than $2.9.
Continue ReadingFBI Disrupts Virtual Money Laundering Service Used to Facilitate Criminal Activity
Action taken in conjunction with international partners and Michigan State Police to disrupt and take down the online infrastructure behind E-Note, an exchange used by transnational cyber-criminals. Since 2017, more than $70,000,000 of illicit proceeds from ransomware and account takeovers have transferred via E-Note payment service and money mule network.
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