Suspected key figure of notorious cybercrime group arrested in joint operation
Operation Nervone has dealt a significant blow to the OPERA1ER group. Over the last four years, a highly-organized criminal organization has targeted financial institutions and mobile banking services with malware, phishing campaigns and large-scale Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams. Known as OPERA1ER, with aliases such as NX$M$, DESKTOP Group and Common Raven, the group is believed to have stolen an estimated USD 11 million - potentially as much as 30 million - in more than 30 attacks across 15 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Continue ReadingMusic Platforms Unite To Form Industry-Wide Anti-Fraud Alliance, "Music Fights Fraud"
Founding Members Include Digital Music Companies CD Baby and its parent company Downtown, TuneCore and its parent company Believe, DistroKid, UnitedMasters, Symphonic, EMPIRE, and Vydia as well as Digital Service Providers Spotify and Amazon Music. The National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance - a neutral third party - will operationalize protocol for the centralized prevention of cross-platform streaming fraud, currently costing the industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Continue ReadingTackling streaming fraud is becoming a key objective for the music business
Members of the Music Fights Fraud alliance say that they will provide “greater cross-platform collaboration and data sharing” in coordination with a third party, the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), a nonprofit partnership between private organizations, government, and academia.
Continue ReadingCEO of Dozens of Companies Pleads Guilty to Massive Scheme to Traffic in Fraudulent and Counterfeit Cisco Networking Equipment
A Florida resident and dual citizen of the United States and Turkey pleaded guilty yesterday in the District of New Jersey to running an extensive operation over many years to traffic in fraudulent and counterfeit Cisco networking equipment.
Continue ReadingMemphis Man Charged with Trafficking Counterfeit Airbags from China
Mohammed Al-Abadi imported counterfeit motor vehicle airbag parts from China, assembled them and then sold them on eBay to unsuspecting automobile repair shops and individual customers. Federal agents recovered more than 2,000 counterfeit airbags and parts from the defendant’s residence and place of business.
Continue ReadingFive Family Members Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Forfeit a Combined $51.9 Million Dollars in Proceeds from Their Fraudulent Sale of Counterfeit Trademarked Cellular Phones and Accessories
The family members operated a multi-million dollar scheme wherein they sold counterfeit cellphones and cellphone accessories on Amazon.com and eBay.com which they misrepresented as new and genuine Apple and Samsung products.
Continue ReadingTakedown of Darknet Cryptocurrency Mixer that Processed Over $3 Billion of Unlawful Transactions
The Justice Department announced a coordinated international takedown of ChipMixer, a darknet cryptocurrency “mixing” service responsible for laundering more than $3 billion worth of cryptocurrency, between 2017 and the present, in furtherance of, among other activities, ransomware, darknet market, fraud, cryptocurrency heists and other hacking schemes.
Continue ReadingIndictment Charges Alleged Darknet Marketplace Fentanyl Dealer
Jacob Blair, of Coraopolis Pennsylvania was charged with running a counterfeit drug conspiracy that sold fentanyl and methamphetamine disguised as Oxycontin, Xanax and Adderall on a Darknet Marketplace.
Continue ReadingCalifornia Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Role in International Conspiracy to Launder Money Taken from Fraud Victims
A Carson man who was a central figure in an international fraud and money-laundering network that targeted $25 million through a variety of frauds – including romance scams and elder fraud – was sentenced today to 135 months in federal prison.
Continue ReadingMissouri Couple Sentenced for Selling Counterfeit Disney Movies on eBay
A Columbia, Mo., couple was sentenced in federal court for a scheme to smuggle counterfeit Disney DVDs into the United States and sell them on eBay. Tabitha Rodgers was sentenced to four years in prison while her husband, Clint Rodgers, was sentenced to one year in federal prison.
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