Federal government pays for criminal hackers satisfaction

80 francs you get for each day you have to spent a lot of in Swiss cells. The power in 786, 734, and 149 days, exactly 133'520 francs. Of this amount, the Federal government must pay three sentenced for credit card data thieves, because they are sitting for too long in detention. The results of a criminal command, the daily Gazette.ch/Newsnet.

Behind the document is a story of three young Moroccans who were captured from Thailand in the Internet at least 180'000 data records of credit cards from 150 countries and landed later in Swiss prisons – and were then the protagonists of a failed test case of the Federal Prosecutor.

tens of thousands of duped

The hackers knew each other from childhood, were, in part, grew up in the same neighborhood of Morocco's capital, Rabat. They belonged to a loose network of IT-savvy Criminals who helped each other while Stealing credit card data. Part of the data thieves collected the numbers in the Darknet, and some establishments even so-called Phishing – you drew a card holder with fake E-Mails on reconstructed sites, where naive customers are your card details entered. Tens of thousands were trapped, including many Swiss.

law officers of the Federal government was able to identify the three and from Thailand to Switzerland to deliver. In the fall of 2016, the Federal government tried to advocacy, to make the caught thieves on behalf of all countries of origin of the captured card data in the process. The three of them were guilty, cooperated with investigators and accepted three years ' imprisonment as part of a deal. The investigators produced about 400'000 pages of files, printed out the two tons of paper would be. The costs of the proceedings exceeded at the end of 700'000 Swiss francs.

The main offender Farid Essebar now lives in Russia. Photo: Keystone

In the case of the Federal Prosecutor's office had built up over the years, hundreds of unprocessed Phishing Ads. The credit card case was an attempt to clarify how this new type of criminals is to deal with the inexperienced of Internet users around the globe your money is out of the bag, equipped only with a Laptop and knowledge.

Deal

burst, The Federal criminal court in Bellinzona not met was, however, the gleisten trade. The judge decided that one could punish the hackers only for those cards which they had looted from local customers. For the abroad by foreigners stolen cards Switzerland is not responsible.

So the whole Deal fell through. The office of the attorney General in a written Statement, criticism of the decision alluded to: You have had the consent of all the affected countries, as well as the confessions of the accused. Bellinzona have, however, "refused to approve the indictment".

Then nothing else remained, the investigators left, as the data thieves immediately. Only a small part of the cards came from Switzerland – which meant that the penalties would be much lower.

payment of the full amount is uncertain

This is confirmed now: In the current criminal command only 942 instead of 180'000 cards are listed. And the hackers get a much deeper punishment: six months instead of three years, the Maximum the state can impose lawyers by criminal command. The amount of time the three spent in addition, in the cell, is called Überhaft and must be compensated.

Whether the three hack will receive your satisfaction is, however, uncertain. Because there is still a group of interested parties: the Injured party. To do this, Postfinance, Cornèr Bank and UBS. They came at least in part, for the missing customer funds. Postfinance has now covered according to a source on a part of the satisfaction of a so-called Arrest – the money so blocked, to the damage cover.

contact

This procedure is still running. But it could be that the 133'520 francs in state funds at the end of flow partly into the coffers of the credit card providers, which reduce the losses that you have into the data thieves.

One of the three hackers who now lives in Russia, where he was tried according to the lawyer, build a new life. Whether he will fight for "his" compensation, is still unclear. The other two have cut off contact to their Swiss lawyers; they are submerged.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 21.02.2019, 22:04 PM