Nikhil Kolbekar, aka HellsAngel, was arrested in Mumbai, India on the 11th of July. Eric Bogle, aka Swat Runs Train, was taken into custody in Canada and Justin Mills, aka xTGxKAKAROT, was taken into custody in Colorado.
Kolbekar and Bogle are suspected of selling complete credit card information, to include: names, addresses, social security numbers, birth dates, and bank account information.
Kolbekar also sold remote desktop protocol (RDP) access data that could be used to break into computers and steal credit card information and identity information from PCs located in Turkey, India, CZech Republic, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and other countries.
Kolbekar was brought before Esplanade Court last Thursday and has remained in judicial custody. He will be brought before the Patiala House court in Delhi on the 25th of this month, and the US is pushing for his extradition through Interpol.
Janice K. Fedarcyk, the assistant director in charge of the New York FBI said that cross-border law-enforcement operation is targeting "highly organized cyber criminals" and their focus is to "root out criminal behavior on the Internet." Fedarcyk says that the arrests in India, Canada, and the US are all part of Operation Card Shop, and that these arrests serve as an example that cyber criminals will be stopped even if they cross boarders.
Operation Card Shop is an international operation aimed at catching those involved in the buying and selling of stolen identities, exploited credit cards, counterfeit documents, and sophisticated hacking tools. 27 people have been arrested since 26 June, 2010 as part of this ongoing operation.
It's exciting to see that there's something is being done to crack down on identity and credit card theft, but looking at the numbers, 27 arrests in a little over two years doesn't seem that hefty, but if these individuals are major players in operations the numbers may not be as important as the message that it sends to those who are involved in this type of criminal activity.
References:
Hacker wanted by FBI arrested (2012): Retrieved 15 July, 2012, from: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hacker-wanted-by-fbi-arrested/973844/
Manhattan U.S. Attorney And FBI Assistant Director-In-Charge Announce Additional Arrests As Part Of International Cyber Crime Takedown. Retrieved 15 July, 2012, from: http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/july12/cardshopfollowup.html
THN Security Analyst (2012). Hacker wanted by FBI held in India for carding crimes. Retrieved 15 July, 2012, from: http://thehackernews.com/2012/07/hacker-wanted-by-fbi-held-in-india-for.html
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