‘One-Man Cybercrime Wave’ Arrested by U.S. and U.K. Authorities

According to a report by Delaware Online, West was arrested by undercover authorities while traveling first class in a passenger train. The arrest came following a lengthy investigation dating back to 2015, after reports of several hacks involving Just Eat, Ladbrokes, Sainsburies, Uber, and more. During his capture, West — also known by his online username Courvoisier — was logged into several of his cryptocurrency wallets, allowing the police to easily recover a large fraction of his stolen funds. Documents on his computer revealed further hidden stashes that were also recovered. The arrest marked a milestone for the U.K. Metropolitan Police, being the first time cryptocurrency has been seized from a cybercriminal in Britain. Between the periods of July and December 2017, West launched a phishing campaign targeting users of Just Eat — offering readers a voucher in return for providing personal information. In total, West was able to accumulate the personal details of more than 165,000 people, including 63,000 payment cards. The personal details were then sold on the dark web via the now-defunct site Alpha Bay, an online marketplace where users could sell drugs, credit card information, and host of other illegal goods. It is estimated that West earned in excess of $2m through the proceeds of his crime. West was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison after admitting to multiple offenses — including conspiracy to commit fraud, computer misuse, and drug offenses, after the police also found 1kg of cannabis whilst raiding his home. During sentencing, West was described as “a one-man cybercrime wave,” due to the scale of his crimes — costing British Airways around £400,000 in damages. Just Eat and Barclays Bank lost more than £200,000 a piece as a result of his actions. A year prior, U.S. Secret Service agents in Delaware aided British police by seizing over $200,000 worth of Bitcoin (BTC) from one of West’s online accounts — successfully retrieving the money from his wallet at Poloniex, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Have you ever fallen victim to identity theft or fraud? Do you think regulators need to do more to control the movement of illicit funds? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!