Italian police seize €250M euros from Telecom Italia for alleged phone fraud
Read also: A hacker who stole data from 40 million license plates arrested in Spain, a former cop faces charges for hacking, and more.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Italian police seized 250 million euros from Telecom Italia for alleged phone fraud
The Italian Finance Police has seized about 250 million euros ($271 million) from Telecom Italia (TIM) in connection with an alleged fraud scheme involving the unauthorized activation of services for customers.
The police also conducted further seizures of money from six content service providers collaborating with TIM, bringing the total amount seized to 322 million euros.
According to prosecutors, a user only had to visit a web page or use an application on their mobile phone, or inadvertently click on banners and certain messages to become a subscriber to services that require a weekly or monthly fee.
The alleged fraud scheme ran between 2017 and 2020, prosecutors said. A total of 23 people are being investigated for fraud, all working for different companies.
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A hacker responsible for stealing data from 40 million license plates arrested in Spain
Spain’s National Police has apprehended a cybercriminal responsible for pilfering data from 40 million license plates using the computer systems of various autonomous communities.
The suspect has allegedly been siphoning vehicle and owner information through the computer network of Murcia since 2020 using a vulnerability in the forms on several autonomous community websites for property transfer tax payments, amassing over 40 million records of vehicle and owner data.
The suspect also infiltrated the computer systems of Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands with the same purpose.
The hacker was charged with unauthorized access to databases, constituting crimes of discovery and disclosure of secrets. The authorities seized the database containing stolen records, as well as two additional backup copies “secreted in different locations to prevent their exploitation by criminal elements.”
A former cop faces charges for hacking, distribution of explicit material
A former police officer from New Jersey, the US, has been indicted on a slew of charges related to hacking and the distribution of explicit material. According to the authorities, Ayron Taylor, 24, allegedly hacked into the social media accounts of at least 20 women, sending sexually explicit photos they took of themselves to their Facebook and Snapchat contacts.
Taylor faces 97 charges, including computer theft, endangering the welfare of a child, and distribution of child pornography. The investigation into his activities was launched in September 2022 after a victim complained to the police that her Snapchat and Facebook accounts had been compromised. The unknown perpetrator then sent explicit images she had taken of herself to her Snapchat contacts and Facebook friends.
All victims, the authorities said, had a student email account via Rowan College of Burlington County (RCBC). Taylor is said to have illegally accessed around 5,000 email accounts.
Following the initial charges, the Mount Laurel Police Department suspended Taylor from duty. His next court hearing is scheduled for March 11, 2024.
A Tampa man faces 62 years in prison for hacking
The US authorities have charged Timothy Burke, aged 45 and residing in Tampa, with conspiracy, unauthorized access to protected computers, and violations of the Wiretap Act.
Burke, along with an unnamed co-conspirator, obtained compromised usernames and passwords to hack into computers belonging to targeted organizations identified in the indictment as “National Sports League” and “StreamCo.”
In the case of StreamCo, Burke and his accomplice accessed a website belonging to StreamCo-Net using compromised credentials and stole proprietary information. The accused used this information to intercept, download, and save the streams of StreamCo broadcaster customers.
If found guilty on all counts, Burke faces a maximum penalty of 62 years in federal prison.
WarZone RAT peddler loses extradition battle to the US
A Maltese man, Daniel John Meli, who faces extradition to the United States for allegedly selling malware on the Dark Web, saw his appeal denied by the court.
The US authorities allege that Meli has been selling malware, including WarZone RAT and Pegasus, since 2012. Meli was arrested on February 7, 2024, as part of an international law enforcement operation that resulted in the shutdown of the WarZone malware service. He was charged in the US with conspiracy, unauthorized access, and distribution of interception devices - offences that carry a potential combined sentence of up to 40 years in prison.
Initially consenting to extradition, Meli later contested it after obtaining new legal representation. His lawyers argued the court failed to ensure he fully understood the implications, especially given his documented mental health history. Additionally, they invoked the principle of territoriality, suggesting that any alleged crimes should be addressed in Malta before extradition.
However, the Court of Appeal ruled that Meli had been adequately informed of the consequences of his consent and agreed to face the specified charges in the United States. The judge said that jurisdiction over a potential offense in Malta did not preclude extradition to another country.
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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. 
