Dutch Police Arrest “Most-Wanted” Genesis Market Data Broker
Read also: Alphapo hacked for over $60M in crypto, the UK to tighten rules on illegal online ads, and more.
Thursday, July 27, 2023
Dutch police arrest one of the top Genesis Market users
Dutch police announced the arrest of a 32-year-old Dutch national, a resident of Brazil, who they believe was one of the top 10 users of Genesis Market, a dark web marketplace used to sell stolen credentials, including usernames and passwords, session tokens, and other data.
Genesis Market, which has been in operation since 2018, was dismantled as a result of an international law enforcement operation named “Operation Cookie Monster” in April 2023. As part of the operation, 119 suspects were arrested.
The authorities didn’t name the arrested man in their press release nor did they provide information about his crimes, apart from saying that the suspect made large purchases on Genesis Market and robbed “a lot of people” of tens of thousands of euros.
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Hong Kong police arrest 6 suspects linked to $22M fraud syndicate
Hong Kong police arrested six men allegedly involved in a criminal syndicate suspected of laundering an estimated HK$175 million (US$22.4 million) of illicit proceeds obtained via phone and online scams.
Five suspects were holders of 33 bank accounts used by the criminal organization to launder illicit earnings. They were paid between several hundred dollars to HK$1,000 for each bank account they opened but they were required to surrender the account details to the syndicate.
The police also apprehended a 34-year-old man believed to be a key member of the syndicate who allegedly used the bank accounts to collect money obtained through illegal activities.
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A high-tech thief jailed for $1M gas station skimmer scheme
A Los Angeles resident has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for his involvement in a gas station skimmer scheme that saw over $1 million stolen from victims’ accounts.
Haykaz Mansuryan, 34, has admitted to breaking into dozens of gas pumps throughout the Southern California region and installing credit card skimmers - electronic devices designed to steal customers’ card information.
Mansuryan and his co-conspirators used the stolen financial information to make unauthorized cards or sold victim’s data to other criminals. In addition to his prison term, Mansuryan was ordered to forfeit $931,213 he received through the scheme and to participate in paying restitution of $923,374 to the victims.
The UK to tighten rules on illegal online ads
The UK authorities are planning to impose stricter regulations on social media and online platforms such as Google Ads to combat illegal ads, influencer scams and protect children online.
Under the new rules, social media platforms, websites, and advertising display networks will be required to take tougher action to prevent children from seeing age-restricted adverts for products like alcohol or gambling.
The new regulation aims to address fake celebrity scams, pop-up malware, and promotions for illegal products such as weapons and drugs.
Alphapo hacked for over $60M in crypto
Crypto payment processor Alphapo suffered a hack, which saw millions of dollars worth of crypto drained from its hot wallets.
The attackers appear to have swapped the stolen funds on Ethereum for ETH and then bridged them to multiple different blockchains. Following the breach, some of Alphapo’s clients have halted withdrawals, citing an issue on the cryptocurrency provider's side.
The amount stolen is estimated to be more than $60 million worth of crypto assets. “A very distinct fingerprint on-chain” indicates the involvement of Lazarus, a North-Korean state-sponsored hacker group known for its massive crypto heists.
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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. 
