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Ringleader of RBS WorldPay Heist Faces Charges in US
Late in 2008, the most sophisticated and well-coordinated international e-crime yet pulled off netted $9 million for its perpetrators. We discussed the RBS WorldPay heist when news about it emerged, and the indictments some months later. Now one of the accused ringleaders has been extradited from Estonia to face charges in the US. "...in the span of 12 hours around Nov. 8 [2008], the group hit 2,100 ATM terminals in 280 cities spanning the world, from the United States to Russia to Italy to Japan. ... Despite the technical and international challenges of the case, US investigators believe they were able to trace the scheme back to its origin. On Friday they brought one of the accused ringleaders from Estonia to Atlanta to face arraignment on several fraud charges — a rare appearance in US courts for an accused international hacker. Sergei Tsurikov, 26, of Tallinn, Estonia, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment to conspiracy to commit computer fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. ... The increasing scope of foreign attacks comes as college students around the world are focusing heavily on technology degrees only to emerge into a difficult job market with low pay, officials said."
I think the flaw here was the ringleader(s) probably had was anonymity. They can't be identified by the cashers or tracked back by mail or cameras (because they went to a bank to pick up money, computer ip address etc), or other means. The timing sounds like it was done right. I doubt the FBI and law enforcement and everybody were able to pick up on it and trace it all fast enough to catch up with them in 11 hours. However I wouldn't have risked it because who knows when they picked up on it really. They were 'hacking' too. With somewhat legitimately obtained wealth nobody would have noticed the withdraws of significant quantities of cash. Or less likely. Even if they did the money would be legitimate as far as anybody could tell. The ringleader would still want to use cashers though just to be safe and a hangman to simultaneously get access to the cash without ever coming into contact with security cameras or people who could identity them as the ringleader. That would make it impossible to locate the funds after they go missing. The hangman would be the last person with the funds. And the hangman would only know he left the bag at a location x which has no cameras for the ringleader to pick up. Assuming this is all done within a very short period of time there just won't be anybody but the hangman to go back to and the cashers. Now how to spend that money? You might also have other issues to deal with like the IRS. If are you spending money and reporting no income they'll do certain types of reverse audits? I forget what it is called. But in any case there are problems to be solved... But I suppose those could be resolved simply by simulating a fake business that gets cash from fake customers and then reporting those "profits" to the IRS. I spent $100 on advertising and got back $2,000 on my return in cash. I suppose the only question that then needs to be answered is what business might you be able to convince them you are a success at you can make such profits with investing only $100 in and making $2,000 return? Maybe art? Time to buy some art I guess and pain in case the IRS comes round.
Hello, I'm your friendly translator here to convert the parent post into easily understood English. I will do so by pretending that I am the parent poster, so the following use of the words "I", "me", "my", and so on should be construed in that light.
Let me start off by saying that I approve of forcible rape in prison. I believe it is a good and right thing to promote among the prison population. You see, it acts as an effective deterrent to those who are considering a criminal act. Once they start thinking that their asshole might get torn asunder by the stereotypical black-dude-in-prison we so lovingly call "Bubba", they should reconsider their actions.
In fact, I would go so far as to say we should hold rape contests. Prizes are to be awarded to the prisoners who cause the most amount of bleeding, to those who have the most stamina, and a whole array of other achievements. Prison guards can identify prisoners deserving of extra-special justice and protect the rapists who go to work on the assholes of those prisoners. Through judicious use of a billy club and handcuffs, rape victims can be made to endure all sorts of demeaning acts upon their bodies.
All this because if you are sent to prison, then you must be sub-human and you deserve to have any human rights stripped away from you. I love American justice -- the land of the free and the home of the brave proudly supports waterboarding and forcible anal rape in prisons.
Thank you.