US law enforcement seized approximately $ 2.3 million (approximately Rs 17 million) in cryptocurrency related to the infamous ReVil hacker group. The defendant has been identified as a Russian national suspected of being associated with REvil, known for its ransomware attacks.
REvil ransomware is a file-locking virus that encrypts files after infection and dismisses a ransom request message. The message demands that the victim pay a ransom in Bitcoin and when the ransom is not paid on time, the demand is doubled. Ransomware gang affiliates are responsible for front-line hacking work and data theft from victims' machines.
According to a report from Bleeping Computer on Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized a cryptocurrency wallet containing 40 Bitcoin from Aleksandr Sikerin, a suspected REvil affiliate.
Sikerin's last known address was located in St. Petersburg, Russia, the complaint added, CNN reported. "The United States of America files this in rem verified complaint against 39.89138522 Bitcoin seized from Exodus Wallet (" the defendant property ") which is now in the custody and administration of the Dallas Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (" FBI "), One Justice Way, Dallas Texas," reads the complaint, which was filed with the Dallas Division of the Northern District of Texas.
Last month, the US Department of Justice announced the seizure of more than $ 6 million in ransom payments allegedly made to Yevgeniy Polyanin, another Russian resident linked to REvil. The criminal had carried out around 3,000 ransomware attacks.
Meanwhile, the FBI in November had issued a warning Against cybercriminals who use Bitcoin ATMs and QR codes to defraud unsuspecting people. The FBI in a published public service announcement (PSA) said it witnessed an increase in scammers directing victims to use physical cryptocurrency ATMs and digital QR codes to complete payment transactions.
"Such schemes include online spoofing schemes (the scammer falsely identifies himself as a family entity such as the government, law enforcement, a legal office or a utility company), romance schemes (the scammer establishes a relationship online with a victim creating a false sense of intimacy and dependency) and lottery schemes (the scammer falsely convinces the victim that he has won a prize and consequently demands that the victim pay the lottery fees) โ, noted the PSA.
