Federal prosecutors in the United States have charged five individuals with carrying out a sophisticated hacking operation that targeted corporate employees and stole millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.
Between September 2021 and April 2023, the defendants used phishing tactics that included sending fake text messages that appeared to be urgent alerts from employers.
These messages led victims to fake websites that resembled official company portals, where login credentials were captured and later used to hack into internal systems and steal digital assets.
Authorities said the scheme resulted in the theft of sensitive data, including intellectual property and personally identifiable information, and the withdrawal of millions of dollars from cryptocurrency wallets, including $6.3 million from one victim.
The suspects, aged between 20 and 25, were arrested from various US states and the UK.
They were charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, with penalties of up to 20 years in federal prison.
The FBI has stressed the seriousness of these attacks, warning the public of evolving phishing and hacking tactics.
He noted that phishing has become common in the cryptocurrency space, with significant losses for investors, such as a high-profile case in October that saw $36 million stolen from a single investor via a malicious signature exploited to gain full access to his funds.
