Chinese Hackers Linked To A Global Cybercrime Syndicate Arrested In Singapore
Read also: Leaders of the NWO harassment group arrested in Germany, Nigerian sextortionists get a 17-year prison sentence, and more.
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Singapore police arrest six men linked to a global cybercrime org
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has announced the arrest of five Chinese nationals and one Singaporean man for their alleged involvement in a global cybercrime syndicate. The group is suspected of engaging in illicit cyber activities that could potentially impact international networks and businesses.
The suspects, aged between 32 and 42, were apprehended at different residences. The police discovered a laptop at a 42-year-old Chinese national’s residence containing credentials for accessing internet servers linked to known hacker groups. The authorities also seized five laptops, six mobile phones, over S$24,000 in cash, and cryptocurrency valued at approximately USD $850,000.
Three more Chinese nationals were also detained. In one case, a 38-year-old male was found in possession of laptops containing personal data, including personally identifiable information (PII) from foreign internet service providers. The police confiscated two laptops, three mobile phones, more than S$52,000 in cash, and foreign currency.
A 35-year-old male was caught with a laptop equipped with various hacking tools, and a 32-year-old suspect was caught with specialized malware such as PlugX on his laptop. The police confiscated a number of laptops, mobile phones and cash. Additionally, the police arrested a 34-year-old Singaporean man who allegedly helped the syndicate.
German authorities arrest 10 suspected leaders of the ‘New World Order’ online harassment group
The Frankfurt am Main Public Prosecutor's Office, in coordination with the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), has arrested ten individuals suspected of leading an online harassment group known as the ‘New World Order’ (NWO) believed to be responsible for various cybercrimes, including cyberbullying, cyberstalking, doxing, and swatting.
Authorities raided ten apartments in Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, and Lower Saxony, seizing numerous electronic devices and storage media. The efforts are part of an ongoing investigation led by Germany’s Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIT).
The NWO has terrorized victims, especially from the streaming community, through a series of targeted harassment campaigns. The group employed tactics such as "mask games," where victims, often vulnerable or cognitively impaired, were insulted, threatened, and doxed. Personal information, obtained via spoofed phone numbers and false identities, was maliciously exposed in public forums, and group members pressured their targets to abandon their online presence.
Another of the group’s tactics was so-called ‘swatting,’ where false emergency calls about violent crimes and emergency situations led police or emergency services to the victims' homes. The end goal of the group’s activities was to humiliate victims and force them to retreat from online platforms.
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A fraudster pleads guilty to hacking, credit card trafficking, and money laundering
Vitalii Antonenko, 32, a New York man, has pleaded guilty to a series of cybercrime offenses, including computer hacking, credit card trafficking, and money laundering.
As part of their criminal activities, Antonenko and his accomplices scanned the internet for vulnerable computers likely to contain credit card details, including account numbers, expiration dates, and security codes. They then used a technique known as “SQL injection” to gain access to the target machines and steal both payment card data and personally identifiable information (PII). The stolen data was then sold on various criminal online marketplaces.
Antonenko and his co-conspirators used a combination of Bitcoin transactions and traditional financial systems to launder the proceeds of the sales. According to the US Department of Justice, the group’s victims included a US-based hospitality business and a scientific research institution.
Antonenko was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in March 2019 when he arrived in the US from Ukraine. Following his arrest, Antonenko was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2020. His sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2024.
Nigerian brothers get a 17-year prison sentence in a sextortion case that led to the victim’s death
Two brothers from Nigeria were given a 17-year prison sentence for their involvement in a sextortion scheme that targeted a 17-year-old high school student and led to his suicide. In March 2022, Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, 24 and 21, used social media to trick the victim into sending nude photos of himself and then blackmailed him with the images.
The scammers used a hacked Instagram account to pose as an American teenage girl and persuade the victim to send the explicit content to them. The Ogoshi brothers are said to have targeted more than 100 victims in the US via social media, including 11 minors.
In related news, the US authorities have charged four residents of Delaware for their involvement in a global sextortion scheme that targeted young men and minors in Canada, the US, and the UK. The group posed as women to deceive victims into sending explicit images or videos, then threatened to share the compromising material with the victims' family, friends, and coworkers unless they paid money. The group reportedly earned nearly $2 million through payments via CashApp and Apple Pay.
Two members of the group were arrested earlier this year, one in the US and another in Ivory Coast. The suspects have been charged with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, interstate threats, conspiracy to launder money, as well as money laundering and wire fraud. If found guilty, each defendant could face up to 20 years in prison for each conspiracy and money laundering charge, and an additional 20 years for each wire fraud charge.
Software engineer arrested in India for a $6.67M cryptocurrency theft
Police officers from the Cyber Crime unit of Bengaluru's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have arrested 26-year-old Shubhang Jain, a software engineer from Haryana, for allegedly stealing cryptocurrency worth $6.67 million from his former employer. Jain had been on the run for two years before being apprehended in Mumbai.
Jain, who was employed by a Bengaluru-based cryptocurrency management company, had access to and control over the company’s digital wallets. According to the police, between May 2021 and April 2022, Jain exploited his position to transfer cryptocurrency from the company’s accounts to several private wallets that he had created using fake identities. In an attempt to cover his tracks, he set up wallets in the names of his parents and relatives, diverting the stolen funds through these accounts.
The fraudulent activity was uncovered in April 2022 when the company noticed the theft and reported the issue to the police. An analysis of Jain’s call logs revealed frequent interactions with real estate brokers, suggesting that he might be attempting to invest the stolen money.
After over a month of surveillance, investigators managed to trace Jain’s location in Mumbai when he turned on his mobile phone, leading to his arrest.
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Key Dutch has been working in information technology and cybersecurity for over 20 years, starting his first job with Windows 95 and dial-up modems. As the Editor-in-Chief of our Cybercrime Prosecution Weekly blog series, he compiles the most interesting news about police operations against cybercrime, as well as about regulatory actions enforcing data protection and privacy law. 
