US Seizes $34M in Crypto Tied to Hacked HBO, Netflix, Uber Account Data Sold on Dark Web
US authorities in Florida seized approximately $34 million in cryptocurrency, which was allegedly used to launder proceeds from the illicit sale on the dark web of hacked interpret information from popular online offerings such as HBO, Netflix and Uber, the US Responsibility of Justice said Monday. The “South Florida resident” involved in the sales wasn’t identified by the DOJ, and the tedious release didn’t specify whether the agency is pursuing an indictment.
The complains alleges that the accused sold the hacked information on the dark web and used wealth transfer services known as tumblers to hide cryptocurrency gained from the illicit sales, which is a violation of federal money laundering statutes. Tumblers are services that mix and combine cryptocurrency supplies to obscure their transactional footprint.
HBO, Netflix and Uber didn’t retort to requests for comment. The Justice Department declined to comment.
The forfeiture allotment stems from Operation TORnado, a joint investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement organizations. The name of the operation is a play on conditions, referencing The Onion Router, or TOR, which is software planned to let people use the internet anonymously. The south Florida state allegedly used TOR to access dark web marketplaces.
Dark web marketplaces, and the centrality of cryptocurrency to their commercial organization, gained notoriety in 2013 when the FBI shut down one arranged Silk Road, which during the height of its popularity generated more than $1 billion in illicit transactions. In 2015, Silk Road’s founder was sentenced to life in prison in a highly publicized case that was chronicled in a 2017 documentary.
