Hackers net $45M in '21st century bank heist'

In a 26 country cyber theft spree 8 hackers from the New York cell of Cybercrime organization have been indicted in a $45 Million cybercrime campaign that netted the group over $45M by hacking into a prepaid debit card database.

In a press release from the US Attorney's Office, it states seven of the eight defendants have been arrested on the charges in the indictment: the arrested defendants are Jael Mejia Collado, Joan Luis Minier Lara, Evan Jose Peña, Jose Familia Reyes, Elvis Rafael Rodriguez, Emir Yasser Yeje, and Chung Yu-Holguin, all residents of Yonkers, New York. Rodriguez was arrested on a criminal complaint on March 27, 2013, when he attempted to flee the United States for the Dominican Republic. Peña was arrested on a criminal complaint in Yonkers, New York, on April 3, 2013. Lara, Reyes, and Yeje surrendered to law enforcement authorities on April 15, 2013, and Collado and Yu-Holguin were arrested yesterday afternoon. The indictment also charges an eighth defendant, Alberto Yusi Lajud-Peña, also known as “Prime” and “Albertico,” who is reported to have been murdered on April 27, 2013, in the Dominican Republic.

The “Unlimited Operation” begins when the cybercrime organization hacks into the computer systems of a credit card processor, compromises prepaid debit card accounts, and essentially eliminates the withdrawal limits and account balances of those accounts. The elimination of withdrawal limits enables the participants to withdraw literally unlimited amounts of cash until the operation is shut down. “Unlimited Operations” are marked by three key characteristics: the surgical precision of the hackers carrying out the cyberattack, the global nature of the cybercrime organization, and the speed and coordination with which the organization executes its operations on the ground. These attacks rely upon both highly sophisticated hackers and organized criminal cells whose role is to withdraw the cash as quickly as possible.

Prosecutors told Fox News the scheme involved two worldwide attacks in which hackers obtained the debit card data, eliminated the withdrawal limits on the accounts, and then sent a network of operatives fanning out across multiple cities to rapidly withdraw money.

Law enforcement agencies in Japan, Canada, Germany, Romania and 12 other countries have been involved in the investigation, and “The arrests today reflect the government’s joint efforts to bring a global cybercrime enterprise to justice,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Hayes. “HSI is proud to be part of a proactive federal law enforcement initiative that uses its collective resources to pull the plug on those who attempt to use the Internet to commit bank robbery.”