KEY POINTS:
The US Secret Service has been cyber sleuthing, and today made public numerous international arrests resulting from on-going Internet-based investigations.
The operations targeted financial fraud, forgery and identity theft.
"Technology has forever changed the way commerce is conducted, virtually erasing geographic boundaries," said Michael Stenger, assistant director of the Secret Service's office of investigations.
"While these advances continue to have a profound impact on the financial crimes we investigate, sharing information and resources through international partnerships is the best way to combat these types of crimes."
One operation based in Miami hunted down a fraudster known online as Lord Kaisersose.
Frauds worth $US14 million were uncovered and Kaisersose was arrested, along with three others, by French National Police.
Numerous computer systems, hard drives and illegal weapons were seized. Secret Service officers in Maimi executed search warrants revealing 28,000 compromised credit card numbers.
An individual using the screen name THEEEL was arrested in Marseille after buying stolen access device numbers.
Police executing warrants found multiple external hard drives, skimming and encoding devices, counterfeit identification and counterfeit credit cards.
Canadian Nicholas Joehle was charged with manufacturing and selling high-quality skimmers (devices to intercept electronic information from banking and credit cards) over the internet.
Secret Service agents found around 100 skimmers in various stages of production, a skimmer manufacturing lab and tens of thousands of dollars in Canadian and US currency.
- NZ HERALD STAFF
