Joint Phishing Operation Nets 38 Arrests
A joint investigation by U.S. and Romanian authorities has resulted the indictment of 38 people accused of taking part in a complicated Internet phishing scheme to steal thousands of credit and debit card numbers.
In the two indictments unsealed Monday and filed in the Central District of California and the District of Connecticut, there are claims that the schemes are tied to organized crime according to IDG News Service.
Phishing, a widely used form of identity theft, involves sending e-mail messages masked as official notices from banks or other financial institutions. If recipients are taken in by the messages and follow the links, they are led to fake Web sites that elicit account numbers and other personal data.
Among those charged are 33 people in Los Angeles and seven in Connecticut (two of whom also face charges in L.A.). Charges include violations of RICO, unauthorized access to a protected computer and aggravated identity theft, the news service reports.
Phony sites in the schemes includes ones that targeted consumers dealing with People’s Bank, Citibank, Capital One and PayPal.
