KABOOM! Vladislav Horohorin Arrested In France On U.S. Warrant After Undercover Operation On Forums; Secret Service Will Traverse The Globe ‘In Pursuit Of Online Criminals,’ Agency Says
EDITOR’S NOTE: The arrest of Vladislav Horohorin is notable on a number of levels. First, the arrest in Europe was a result of an online fraud scheme that allegedly crossed international borders and made its way to the United States, where criminal charges were filed. At the same time, the crime allegedly involved the transfer of money though international payment processors. Perhaps more than anything, however, the case against Horohorin demonstrates that the U.S. Secret Service is “plugged into” forums that promote international lawlessness. His arrest is very bad news for credit-card crooks and HYIP and autosurf Ponzi schemers — and their corrupt colleagues.
Here, now, the story on the arrest of Horohorin . . .
A credit-card trafficker based in Russia has been arrested in France on U.S. charges after the U.S. Secret Service infiltrated an online scheme operating internationally through Internet forums, the Justice Department said.
Undercover Secret Service agents “negotiated the sale of numerous stolen credit card dumps,” the Justice Department said.
Vladislav Anatolievich Horohorin, 27, was arrested in Nice. He was indicted under seal in November 2009 on U.S. charges of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. The seal was lifted today.
Authorities said they believed he was “one of the most prolific sellers of stolen data” in the world, noting Horohorin was known in web forums as “BadB.” He lived in Moscow, and was a citizen of both Israel and the Ukraine.
The Justice Department revealed today that the U.S. Secret Service used an “online undercover identity” to interact with operators of the international scheme, which featured the sale of stolen credit-card information known as “dumps.”
Payments were transferred through online currency services, including a service known as “Webmoney” that was hosted in Russia, the Justice Department said.
“Cyber criminals who target U.S citizens should not fool themselves into believing they can elude justice simply because they commit crimes outside of our borders,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer. “As this and so many other cases demonstrate, working hand in hand with our partners around the globe, we will do everything in our power to bring these criminals to the United States to answer for their alleged crimes.”
Horohorin was arrested Aug. 7 as he attempted to board a flight to Moscow. He will be extradited to the United States, the Justice Department said.
A top Secret Service official said the agency would be relentless in its pursuit of cyber-criminals.
“This arrest is an illustration of the success that comes from international law enforcement and private sector partnerships and confirms the Secret Service commitment to traversing the globe in pursuit of online criminals,” said Michael Merritt, assistant director for investigations.
In August 2008, Merritt was among the officials who announced the seizure of tens of millions of dollars in the alleged AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme.
Assisting the Secret Service in the Horohorin probe were the French Police Nationale Aux Frontiers, the Netherlands Police Agency National Crime Squad High Tech Crime Unit, and the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office.
Horohorin was one of the founders of a network known as CarderPlanet, a forum through which criminals sold stolen financial data to other criminals.
Using his “BadB” forum identity, Horohorin “advertised the availability of stolen credit card information through these web forums, and directed purchasers to create accounts at “dumps.name,” a fully-automated dumps vending website operated by Horohorin and hosted outside the United States,” the Justice Department said.
“The website was designed to assist in the exchange of funds for the stolen credit card information,” the Justice Department said.
Quick note:
The Horohorin case was brought in the District of Columbia, the same venue from which the e-Gold prosecution occurred and the AdSurfDaily forfeiture case is occurring.
Here is what Ronald Machen Jr., the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, had to say:
“Computer hackers and identity thieves threaten the security of millions of innocent Americans with their crimes. These criminals are mistaken to think that they can escape detection by committing their crimes behind a computer screen in a foreign country. The arrest and prosecution of Mr. Horohorin demonstrates that we will identify, apprehend, and bring to justice in the United States even the most sophisticated international computer hackers.”
Patrick
This case just does not make any sense? Horohorin is of ukranian jewish ethnicity and the USA is the greatest money and weapons supplier of zionism.
Why would a jew want to hurt and ridiculize people like Bush Jr. and Condie Rice, both shown in Horohorin’s mocking flash-cartoon clip, if they are staunchest supporters of the Zionist Entity?
What does their ethnicity have to do with being a scammer? Scammers don’t care what ethnicity they are or their victims are.
Exactly!
Perhaps you’d like to explain exactly what you mean, Janos.
Fraud is about money.
Not ethnicity or loyalty.
Which is why governments worldwide have found it necessary to warn about the proliferation of “affinity fraud”
For example, read up on the Bernard Madoff scam and how he targeted the Jewish community and used “friends” to recruit new victims.
[…] about the U.S. Secret Service case against Vladislav Horohorin, who was arrested in France earlier this month after undercover agents infiltrated an online crime […]
[…] a story about a Secret Service probe in which undercover operatives were used to infiltrate criminal forums: Related Posts:BULLETIN: KABOOM x 1,215! Feds Announce ‘Operation Stolen Dreams’ […]
yea for you that guy is a fraudster a criminal,to me he is an opportunist creative blame it on the companies who saying that your personnal data wont be shared to anyone but what about goverment politician what they are…good people…they are stealing us we are slaves waking up every fucking morning to be the clocks bitch go vote if want attention yea when you start workin not all the money goes to your pockets they doeasnt give you back what they took in your paycheck they gives you 75% and depends the country and keep the rest…what do they do with the 25% could somebody say what they do…they say what the people wants to ear any bullshit like save the planet open new business create new jobs…some happens some not irs taxes taxes du quebec uk and all other country…no that guy did what he has to do owner of his own ship being a wolf they doesn<t love that when you afraid youll be a slaves for the rest of your live props to you horohorin
Quick note:
A poster purporting to be “NYCCriminallawyer” from a law firm purportedly in New York is attempting to post in this thread. The IP is in Russia, and I am blocking the would-be comment.
Patrick
[…] on the arrest in France of alleged international fraudster Vladislav Anatolievich Horohorin on Aug. 11, 2010. The arrest came as the result of an undercover operation the U.S. Secret Service conducted on […]