Local
Online criminals' operations include Malta
By MaltaMedia News
Mar 18, 2008 - 9:00:50 AM

The Guardia di Finanza, the anti-financial fraud corps within the Italian Military, has discovered an organized network of online criminals based in Siracusa with branches in Spain, Germany and Malta.

Apcom news agency said the network operated an illegal activity known as "pharming"  whereby false "cloned" websites are created to redirect a website's traffic to another site. In the case of this online organization, it illicitly traded hacked chips for pay-tv cards of TV network provider Sky.

The case goes back to 2004 when a man was being investigated in a separate case related to drugs. Along the investigations, the police discovered two computers, an external hard disk and 67 smartcards ready to be used to decode pay-tv programmes.

Further investigations led to various other people, revealing a well-organised network of criminals and hackers who established a proper business of dealing in decoded smartcards for Sky television.

The agency did not go into details on the Maltese operations of this illegal network.




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