Biggest identity theft scam uncovered
A man in the US has been charged with stealing data in the biggest identity theft case in American history.
US officials claim Albert Gonzalez, 28, and two un-named Russian co-conspirators, hacked into the payment systems of retailers, stealing the details of 130 million credit and debit cards.
Prosecutors said the man used a sophisticated hacking technique called an "SQL injection attack," which finds a way around a network's firewall to steal credit and debit card information.
Among the corporate victims of the attacks are Heartland Payment Systems, a New Jersey-based card payment processor, convenience store chain 7-Eleven and Hannaford Brothers, a Maine-based supermarket chain.
The data collected was sold on, allowing others to make fraudulent purchases, it is alleged.
If convicted, Mr Gonzalez faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud conspiracy charge and an additional five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, as well as a fine of $250,000 for each charge.
Mr Gonzalez is already awaiting trial for his alleged role in several other data theft cases across the US.
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