38 charged in international phishing scheme
WASHINGTON (AP) - May 19, 2008 Indictments unsealed in Los Angeles and New Haven, Conn., say a
global crime ring sought to rip off thousands of consumers and
hundreds of financial institutions.
The Justice Department announced the busts in two separate but
related cases Monday morning during a trip by the deputy attorney
general to Romania.
More than half of the people charged are Romanian, although the
alleged scam also operated from the United States, Canada, Portugal
and Pakistan.
The practice known as phishing typically involves sending
fraudulent e-mails that include links directing recipients to fake
Web sites where they are asked to input sensitive data. Phishers
may also include attachments that, when clicked, secretly install
"spyware" that can capture personal information and send it to
third parties over the Internet.
