The SSU Cyber Security Department and US intelligence agencies conducted a joint operation to expose Ukrainians who were engaged in money laundering through the Dark Web and legalized tens of millions of dollars over the course of their activities. According to the SSU, the criminals’ clients were hackers engaged in cyber theft.
To get money, the criminals organized a large-scale scheme. They used different nicknames on the Dark Web, had many fictitious persons, and worked through various financial services.
The clients of the criminals were hackers engaged in cyber theft who wanted to take the stolen money in cash; for example, criminals who hacked into the bank accounts of companies around the world and took the victims’ virtual money.
Furthermore, these individuals made and sold flash drives with malware that hacked digital wallets and stole cryptocurrency from them.
The SSU arrested the criminals in Mykolaiv in international cooperation with the US authorities. As a result of searches, the law enforcement officers seized from the perpetrators:
- Computer equipment with evidence of illegal activities
- Malicious software and hardware
- Draft notes and cash
The investigators are now analyzing the obtained evidence to bring criminal charges against all responsible persons, including foreign beneficiaries of the frauds.
