The Watch Mother Fuckers Onlinescheme was deemed one of the most "sophisticated" phishing scams of all time. But now, the five alleged cybercriminals thought to be behind the group that security researchers have called "Scattered Spider" have officially been criminally charged.
Four individuals from the U.S. – Ahmed Hossam, Eldin Elbadawy, Noah Michael Urban, Evans Onyeaka Osiebo, and Joel Martin Evans – have been chargedby a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. In addition, Tyler Robert Buchanan of the UK has also been charged with an additional wire fraud count.
SEE ALSO: AT&T, Ticketmaster data breach hackers charged with stealing 50 billion recordsThe five defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as up to five years in federal prison for conspiracy, and a mandatory two year sentence for aggravated identity theft. Buchanan also faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge.
"We allege that this group of cybercriminals perpetrated a sophisticated scheme to steal intellectual property and proprietary information worth tens of millions of dollars and steal personal information belonging to hundreds of thousands of individuals," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada according to a Department of Justice statement. "As this case shows, phishing and hacking has become increasingly sophisticated and can result in enormous losses," Estrada continued.
As Ars Technicareports, Microsoft researchers called Scattered Spider "one of the most dangerous financial criminal groups," and for good reason.
The alleged cybercriminals are thought to have carefully planned out an elaborate and hyper-targeted phishing scam that went after employees of large companies like MGM and Twilio. In fact, Scattered Spider's breach at MGM, which involved a phone call to the company's help desk, resulted in a temporary shut down of the company's hotel and casino operations, costing the company $100 million.
The Scattered Spider plan of attack involved sending text messages to employees at the targeted companies while pretending to be part of their employer's IT department. The texts urged the employees to login to a link provided in the text message, otherwise, the text message claimed, their employee accounts would be deactivated.
Instead of an internal company page, the link led to a phishing website designed to steal the user's information. Once on the fake website, employees would input their login credentials and two-factor authentication under the assumption that the request and website were legitimate.
From there, Scattered Spider would have the necessary information to access the computer systems of both employees and employers. Scattered Spider allegedly stole confidential information from businesses, such as intellectual property and confidential work products, and employees, such as names, email addresses, and telephone numbers.
According to federal documents, the group was able to utilize this information to steal millions of dollars from victims' cryptocurrency wallets.
Scattered Spider's scam lasted from September 2021 to April 2023.
"The defendants allegedly preyed on unsuspecting victims in this phishing scheme and used their personal information as a gateway to steal millions in their cryptocurrency accounts," said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, in the DOJ's statement. "These types of fraudulent solicitations are ubiquitous and rob American victims of their hard-earned money with the click of a mouse."
Topics Cybersecurity
Best soundbar deal: Save $300 on the Sonos Arc
Apple Watch updates will be huge for Apple's health ambitions
The Atlantic Ocean is packed with storms. What's going on?
Here's when Apple's new watchOS and tvOS updates will be available
The Amazon Book Sale is coming April 23 through 28
7 video games for people who don't like guns
The new iPhones are jaw
Watch this musician expertly twerk and play the flute at the same time
Best Sony deal: Save $100 on WH
Holy hell, the 512GB iPhone XS Max costs $1,449
Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
Here are the best puns about The Beatles and masturbating
Killed Baton Rouge police officer posted Facebook message
Hands on with the iPhone XS Max
Astronomers saw one galaxy impale another. The damage was an eye
Here's how to get pre
Apple unveils iPhone XS and massive iPhone XS Max
Inbox by Gmail, Google's experimental email client, has only 6 months to live
Character AI reveals AvatarFX, a new AI video generator
Here are Michelle Obama and Melania Trump's speeches, side
Jibo robot review: Lifelike, adorable, unfinished8 ways actual Ragnarok is much scarier than 'Thor: Ragnarok'Second actress accuses 'Gossip Girl' star Ed Westwick of rapeTripAdvisor will warn users about hotels with sexual assault incidents, but only for a whilePortrait mode compared: iPhone X vs. Pixel 2 vs. Galaxy Note 8It really sounds like this Christmas advert contains a NSFW insult to Paddington bearMarvel unveils a stunning set of character posters for 'Black Panther'Las Vegas and AAA's selfMark Cuban is heavily invested in these two tech companiesWill Hopper die in Stranger Things 3? David Harbour says he's 'very killable'Liam Gallagher asked someone to peel a potato live at his showRian Johnson to produce new Star Wars trilogySnapchat redesign will introduce algorithmic feed, report saysThat $1,000 iPhone X actually costs about $370 to make, report claimsTrump Twitter notifications have completely ruined my yearPortia de Rossi says Steven Seagal sexually harassed her during auditionApple has shipped way more iPhone 7s than iPhone 8s, says reportCoffee Meets Bagel adds a video featureThat $1,000 iPhone X actually costs about $370 to make, report claimsYour star sign actually determines how you use your iPhone, trust us Redux: Nor Staple Down to Fact by The Paris Review The Mickey Mouse horror game is already changing its name CES 2024: 5 car trends we're expecting to see 10 deals for a better 2024 — Home goods, exercise equipment, and more How hot will Earth get? How to Draw the Coronavirus by Rebekah Frumkin X, aka Twitter, now worth 71 percent less than what Elon Musk paid for it Redux: The Tempo Primed by The Paris Review Redux: The Heavenly Dolor by The Paris Review My Mother by Brit Bennett Twitter/X appears to restrict Japanese emergency alert account hours after earthquake Staff Picks: Gabbert, Guzzler, and Greene by The Paris Review Poets on Couches: Jake Skeets by The Paris Review Vanished into Music by Olivia Laing On Translationese by Masatsugu Ono The Land Empty, the World Empty by Jean Giono American, Indian by Jaswinder Bolina Poets on Couches: Saskia Hamilton by Saskia Hamilton How to use your phone less Wordle today: The answer and hints for January 3
1.3985s , 10131.921875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Watch Mother Fuckers Online】,Inspiration Information Network