FBI Teams with 12 Countries to Disrupt International Cyber Crime Rings Distributing "Scareware"

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with 12 international law enforcement partners, announced the results of Operation Trident Tribunal, which targets international cyber crime. Two individuals from Latvia were indicted and over 40 computers, servers and bank accounts were seized as a result of the operation.

The countries involved in the operation include: the United States, Ukraine, Latvia, Germany, Netherlands, Cyprus, France, Sweden, Lithuania, Romania, Canada and the United Kingdom.

"Cyber threats are a global problem, and no single country working alone can be effective against these crimes," said Gordon M. Snow, assistant director of the FBI's cyber division.

The disrupted international cybercrime rings caused more than $74 million in total losses to over one million computer users. They focused on the sale of fraudulent computer security software known as "scareware" by threatening to erase victims' hard drives if they do not purchase an antivirus product.

Scareware is malicious software that appears to be legitimate security software that detects threats on a computer. However, once users see a threat notification, they are informed they must purchase what appears to be antivirus software to repair the threat. Then an array of notifications will appear requesting credit card information to pay for the fake antivirus software.

The FBI's Seattle office investigated the first scam that has been attributed to a group based in Kyiv, Ukraine. The perpetrators tricked consumers into infecting their computers in a variety of ways and claimed an estimated 960,000 victims who lost over $72 million.

The FBI's Minneapolis office investigated the second scam that led to the arrests of two defendants in Latvia on charges out of the District of Minnesota. This crime ring relied on online advertising to spread its scareware products and resulted in at least $2 million in total losses.

The operators of the scheme were charged with two counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and computer fraud. They face penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for the wire fraud and conspiracy charges and up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for the computer fraud charge.

Operation Trident Tribunal was conducted by the FBI's Cyber Division, Seattle and Minneapolis Field Offices; DOJ Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota; and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.

"Today's operation targets cybercrime rings that stole millions of dollars from unsuspecting computer users," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. "These criminal enterprises infected the computers of innocent victims with malicious scareware, and then duped them into purchasing fake anti-virus software. Cyber crime is profitable, and can prey upon American consumers and companies from nearly any corner of the globe. We will continue to be aggressive and innovative in our approach to combating this international threat."