In this age of increasing cyber crimes, it’s not easy to evade the
The analysts have also said that this thing can easily happen again and it won’t be easy to stop this.
On Tuesday, United States prosecutors announced indictments against a hacking ring which is linked to stock manipulation, gambling and fake pharmaceuticals. Reportedly, conmen veiled recipients as pet-supply and dress stores to move money through the global banking system. On being objected upon by financial firms, the group pretended to be shocked, paid fines and opened new accounts.
Also, in a shocking turn of events, the hackers even hacked a security company, which was ironically supposed to detect their con.
"Shame on this firm for being a victim, because if you're in that position you know the bad guys are coming after you," said Julie Conroy, a security specialist at payments researcher Aite Group. Big banks from around the globe have made a pledge to step up their efforts to stop these crimes; some would even pay billions of dollars in fines for past failings.
Al Pascual, director of fraud and security at Javelin Strategy & Research said that this was going to become much more common. "The level of complexity and sophistication here is very unique. But that being said, it's not as though others aren't trying to replicate it or are actively replicating these very steps,” he said.
These tactics, via which money is laundered, were just one aspect of the actual picture, which is bigger and scarier. Gery Shalon, a 31-year-old Israeli from the Republic of Georgia who was arrested in July is at the center of all this. He is said to have used hacking as the backbone of a criminal conglomerate, which is reported to run illegal Internet casinos and elaborate pump-and-dump stock schemes. Shalon is being waited to be transferred to New York for trial.
As per security analysts, the case clearly indicates how financial firms need to be more aware about their customers and the merchants who accept payments in form of cards. Regulators also need to consider making some change in its rules so that it is easier for the firms to share information with each other about cases they feel could be potential threats.
"Everyone is subject to sophisticated data breaches, none of us are immune. From the best banks to the worst to the watchdogs. Good criminals can break in anywhere."
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