Two Russians Running A Group Called "Evil Corp" Have Been Charged With Cybercrimes
Two Russian nationals face hacking and bank fraud charges after being accused of running a cybercriminal organization, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
The alleged organization goes by the name "Evil Corp." Yes, Evil Corp.
According to the federal indictment, Maksim V. Yakubets, 32, and Igor Turashev, 38, allegedly ran a scheme in which they hacked into victims' computers, accessed their personal and financial information, and stole money from them.
The two Russia-based men allegedly used a malware program called Dridex to show victims fake online banking login pages, then stole their account details when they entered them.
Yakubets, the ringleader of the operation, will be arrested and extradited to the US if he "ever leaves the safety of Russia," said the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), which assisted in the investigation.
The NCA released several photos of the accused criminals' rich and glamorous lives, including one of Yakubets' garishly painted Lamborghini, which has a custom license plate that translates to "thief." (These guys were not subtle.)
Photos of Yakubets' extravagant wedding were also made public. The affair cost roughly $330,000, the NCA said.
In total, the group managed to allegedly steal more than $100 million "from hundreds of banks and financial institutions in over 40 countries," according to the US Treasury Department
The Treasury Department also announced sanctions against the group and those who led it on Thursday.
“Treasury is sanctioning Evil Corp as part of a sweeping action against one of the world’s most prolific cybercriminal organizations," said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. "This coordinated action is intended to disrupt the massive phishing campaigns orchestrated by this Russian-based hacker group."
The two men face a slew of charges that include fraud conspiracy, bank fraud, and wire fraud.
A $5 million reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of Yakubets.
According to the federal indictment, Maksim V. Yakubets, 32, and Igor Turashev, 38, allegedly ran a scheme in which they hacked into victims' computers, accessed their personal and financial information, and stole money from them.
The two Russia-based men allegedly used a malware program called Dridex to show victims fake online banking login pages, then stole their account details when they entered them.
Yakubets, the ringleader of the operation, will be arrested and extradited to the US if he "ever leaves the safety of Russia," said the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), which assisted in the investigation.
The NCA released several photos of the accused criminals' rich and glamorous lives, including one of Yakubets' garishly painted Lamborghini, which has a custom license plate that translates to "thief." (These guys were not subtle.)
Photos of Yakubets' extravagant wedding were also made public. The affair cost roughly $330,000, the NCA said.
In total, the group managed to allegedly steal more than $100 million "from hundreds of banks and financial institutions in over 40 countries," according to the US Treasury Department
The Treasury Department also announced sanctions against the group and those who led it on Thursday.
“Treasury is sanctioning Evil Corp as part of a sweeping action against one of the world’s most prolific cybercriminal organizations," said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. "This coordinated action is intended to disrupt the massive phishing campaigns orchestrated by this Russian-based hacker group."
The two men face a slew of charges that include fraud conspiracy, bank fraud, and wire fraud.
A $5 million reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of Yakubets.