Nobody likes scareware - save for the bums who use it to dupe unsuspecting folks out of their hard-earned cash. Know who especially dislikes it? The Federal Bureau of Investigation. On Thursday the FBI announced it had "disrupted" two different global rings engaged in various scareware-related criminal activities. The organization's international effort, dubbed "Operation Trident Tribunal," was aided by authorities in a dozen countries, including domestic bureau offices in Seattle and Minneapolis.
The two distinct scams afflicted over 1 million people altogether and raked in around $74 million for the perpetrators, said the official report. Describing both criminal enterprises in detail, the FBI broke down the exact methods behind the illegal operations.
One scam, investigated by the FBI's Seattle office, was clearly larger and relied on tried-and-true scareware tactics to trick 960,000 people out of $72 million. Once infected, victims' computers would constantly redirect them to fake computer scanning sites where the option to purchase fraudulent anti-virus software for $129 was presented. Obviously, many people took the bait and ponied up.
The other scam, tackled by the FBI's Minneapolis branch, was apparently run by two individuals - now in custody - who used "malvertising" to coax $2 million from around 40,000 victims. The pair "created a phony advertising agency and claimed to represent a hotel chain that wanted to purchase online advertising space on a Minneapolis newspaper's website" according to the indictment. The posted ads were then accessed and altered by the suspects; the new versions containing scareware that would launch when clicked.
Despite confirming that "more than 40 computers, servers, and bank accounts" were seized in the expansive undertaking, only two arrests have been made so far.
Interested in learning more? Check out our previous coverage of these fake anti-virus scams.
