Of Bytes and Badges

I was checking my Twitter account today (@davidioxley) when I saw that the FBI Press Office (@FBIPressOffice) had just posted a lengthy series of tweets concerning wanted fugitives. Among these were terrorists, pimps, drug kingpins, and your regular run-of-the-mill scum of the earth. Alas, no one looked familiar. Guess I’m going to have to work for that $1,000,000 instead…

What caught my attention, however, were three tweets that began with the words “Cyber Criminals.” Currently there are four cyber criminals profiled on the FBI site. It’s not quite “America’s Most Wanted,” but here’s our lineup (in alphabetical order). All pictures are courtesy the FBI website:

Jie Dong
Crime: Fraudulent Online Auctions

Most likely currently residing in China or Hong Kong, Mr. Dong is accused of bilking around 5,000 winning bidders out of almost a million dollars through online auction sites, not producing the purchased merchandise after receiving payment. It’s been nearly six years since Dong went on his crime spree, and more than five since he was indicted in California on mail fraud and wire fraud charges. (Link)

Saad Echouafni
Crime: DDoS Attacks Against Competitors

Mr. Echouafni is not a nice man. In a time frame similar to Mr. Dong’s, he committed DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks against a competitor in the satellite communications field, as well as several other companies. Losses totaled in excess of $1 million. He’s likely in Morocco, his home country, and is another target of a California warrant for his crimes. (Link)

Tobechi Enyinna Onwuhara
Crime: Financial Fraud and Identity Theft

Mr. Onwuhara is the kind of Nigerian who gives Nigeria its less-than-savory associations. He participated as part of a crime ring inside and outside the US that stole identities and the finances attached to them, ultimately making more than $44 million from bank fraud. How he and his accomplices got access to the database records has not been disclosed, as far as I can tell. (Link, Link)

Claudiu Virgil Turlea
Crime: Banking Fraud and Fraudulent Online Auctions

Mr. Turlea seems to be a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to cyber crime. He’s stolen millions of dollars through banking sites (sounds like either by phishing or stealing credentials via malware), and has also participated in fraudulent online auctions, like Mr. Dong before him. This Romanian specimen of virtue and honesty has been on the run for a little over a year. (Link)

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As you can see, online cyber criminals are a varied, diverse bunch. Obviously there four are by no means the full extent of cyber crime out there, or even the most heinous of its purveyors. However, the shadows have been lifted, l33t nicks replaced with full names, and their faces exposed. Sooner or later, someone’s gonna make a mistake while on the run, and it’s the hope of the FBI, this security student, and law-abiding citizens everywhere that when they do, someone will be there to catch them.

- David Oxley