ISLAMABAD: The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) said this week it has coordinated with the Dutch National Police to seize 39 domains linked to a Pakistan-based cybercrime network selling hacking and fraud-enabling tools, adding that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case.
In a statement dated Jan. 30, the DoJ said Saim Raza, also known as HeartSender, used these cybercrime websites since at least 2020 to sell phishing toolkits and other fraud-enabling tools to transnational organized crime groups.
These tools were used to target numerous victims in the United States, resulting in over $3 million in victim losses, it said.
“The Saim Raza-run websites operated as marketplaces that advertised and facilitated the sale of tools such as phishing kits, scam pages, and email extractors, often used to build and maintain fraud operations,” the statement said.
It added that the Pakistan-based group made these tools available on the open Internet and also trained end users on how to use them against victims. This was done by linking the tools to instructional YouTube videos on how to execute schemes using these malicious programs, making them accessible to criminal actors that lacked this technical criminal expertise.
“The group also advertised its tools as “fully undetectable” by antispam software,” the DoJ said.
It disclosed that transnational organized crime groups and other cybercrime actors who bought these tools primarily used them to facilitate “business email compromise schemes” in which they tricked victim companies into making payments to a third party.
Those payments would instead be redirected to a financial account the perpetrators controlled, resulting in significant losses to victims, the statement said.
These tools were also used to acquire victim user credentials and utilize those credentials to further these fraudulent schemes.
“The seizure of these domains is intended to disrupt the ongoing activity of these groups and stop the proliferation of these tools within the cybercriminal community,” the Justice Department said.
It said the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Houston Field Office is investigating the case.
US, Dutch police seize 39 domains linked to ‘Pakistan-based cybercrime network’
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US, Dutch police seize 39 domains linked to ‘Pakistan-based cybercrime network’
- Pakistan-based group Saim Raza sold phishing toolkits, fraud tools to transnational crime groups, says Department of Justice
- Says these tools were used to target numerous victims in the United States, resulting in over $3 million in victim losses
International Cricket Council in talks to revive India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash
- Pakistan face two-point loss and net run-rate hit if they forfeit Feb. 15 match
- ICC seeks dialogue after Pakistan boycott clash citing government directive
NEW DELHI, India: The International Cricket Council is in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board to resolve the boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India on February 15, AFP learnt Saturday.
Any clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsor and advertising revenue.
But the fixture was thrown into doubt after Pakistan’s government ordered the team not to play the match in Colombo.
The Pakistan Cricket Board reached out to the ICC after a formal communication from the cricket’s world body, a source close to the developments told AFP.
The ICC was seeking a resolution through dialogue and not confrontation, the source added.
The 20-team tournament has been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up after Bangladesh, who refused to play in India citing security concerns, were replaced by Scotland.
As a protest, Pakistan refused to face co-hosts India in their Group A fixture.
Pakistan, who edged out Netherlands in the tournament opener on Saturday, will lose two points if they forfeit the match and also suffer a significant blow to their net run rate.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said this week that his team would travel to Colombo for the clash.
Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade, and meet only in global or regional tournaments.
