Check Point
So, this is fascinating. While we all digest the latest warnings about the accelerating risk of online scams, malware, hacks, credit card fraud, fake sites and apps, the question of who’s behind the crimes and how they operate lurks in the background. Well now the cyber team at Check Point has delved into the detail, looking for the people behind the crimes, putting names to the threat.
It’s little surprise that the team’s research took them to Nigeria: Home to countless cyber scams, the country has built a reputation—some deserved, some overblown for perpetrating online crimes around the world. Last September, when the Department of Justice announced 281 arrests in a crackdown on business email compromise, a staggering 167 of those arrests were in Nigeria. This week another 13 Nigerians were charged by the FBI for participating in a $30 million fraud.
Check Point happened upon one such Nigerian, best described as a cyber career criminal. Nicknamed Dton, this 25-year-old resident of Benin City in Edo State, has been engaged in cybercrime since his teens. In the last seven years he has bought around $13,000 in stolen cards, which he has turned into $100,000 in gains. Not bad for a country in which the average salary is around $500 per month.
“This guy is a cyber criminal,” Check Point’s Yaniv Balmas tells me. “He steals whatever he can get his hands on. So from a consumer perspective, this is just a new vi ..
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