International Credit Card Gang Operated In OZ

At least one Australian law enforcement agency was reportedly involved in an international cybercrime sting operation that saw 24 people arrested on suspicion of buying and/or selling stolen credit card information.However – despite one news report claiming Australians were among those arrested – there has been no confirmation of this. A report by US prosecutors said 11 people had been arrested in the USA and 13 others arrested in  countries including UK, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Norway and Germany.

According to New York federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, the sting operation “prevented estimated potential economic losses of more than US$205 million, notified credit card providers of over 411,000 compromised credit and debit cards, and notified 47 companies, government entities, and educational institutions of the breach of their networks.”

• Separately, Australian Federal Police has issued six cautions to young people suspected to be engaging in cybercrime related activities. Throughout June, AFP officers raided residences in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth, according to an AFP statement,  but didn’t make any arrest.

“The individuals and their parents or guardians were each provided with a copy of the relevant Commonwealth legislation and educated as to the illegality or potential illegality of their activities,” the feds say.