Young British Cybercriminal Arrested in Palma de Mallorca for Hacking 45 US Companies
Palma de Mallorca, Spain: A 22-year-old British national has been arrested by Spanish National Police in a joint operation with the FBI for orchestrating a series of cyberattacks on 45 companies in the United States. The suspect, identified as the leader of an organized group specializing in stealing company information and cryptocurrencies, had seized control of 391 bitcoins, valued at over $27 million.
The group’s modus operandi involved using phishing techniques to obtain login credentials from individuals, which were then used to access sensitive company information or cryptocurrency wallets. The suspect was apprehended at Palma de Mallorca Airport while attempting to leave Spain on a charter flight to Naples.
The investigation, led by the Central Cybercrime Unit with assistance from the Balearic Police, began in late May after the FBI’s Los Angeles office, through its liaison in Spain, requested information on the suspect. Authorities determined that he had entered Spain via Barcelona’s El Prat Airport at the end of May.
“The modus operandi consisted of obtaining access credentials from individuals through phishing techniques, which were then used to access companies and seize sensitive information or access the victims’ cryptocurrency wallets and take them over,” reads the police’s announcement.
Following the FBI’s issuance of an International Detention Order from the Central District Court of California, efforts to locate the suspect intensified, leading to his arrest on May 31 in Palma de Mallorca. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of a laptop and a mobile phone, which were confiscated. He has since been remanded in provisional custody by judicial order.
“The agents arrested him at Palma airport when he was about to leave Spanish territory on a charter flight to Naples.”
According to the investigators, the particular threat group stole $27,000,000 worth of cryptocurrencies using the above scheme.
The arrest of the threat group leader resulted from an investigation that started following a tip from the FBI that the individual was in Spain.
This arrest underscores the importance of international cooperation in combating cybercrime and highlights the sophisticated methods cybercriminals employ to exploit vulnerabilities in digital security.
