On Friday 31st July 2020, the FBI, IRS, US Secret Service, and Florida law enforcement agents arrested three people on connection to the Twitter hack and bitcoin scam. Among these three people was a 17-year-old.
According to reports, the 17-year-old suspect was thought to be the mastermind of the whole operation. The other two individuals arrested are aged 19 and 22.
The 19-year-old suspect is Mason Sheppard, a UK resident who goes by the hacking alias, Chaewon. Meanwhile, the 22-year-old is a certain Nima Fazeli living in Orlando, Florida. He uses the online moniker of Rolex.
Since the first suspect is a juvenile, the law enforcement agents did not publish his details. However, they charged Sheppard with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the international access of a protected computer.
Fazeli is charged with aiding and abetting the international access of a protected computer. Speaking about the arrest, U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson for the Northern District of California said:
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“There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence.
“Today’s charging announcement demonstrates that the elation of nefarious hacking into a secure environment for fun or profit will be short-lived.
“Criminal conduct over the Internet may feel stealthy to the people who perpetrate it, but there is nothing stealthy about it. In particular, I want to say to would-be offenders, break the law, and we will find you.”
The Twitter hack and Bitcoin scam had compromised accounts of popular individuals such as; Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, as well as top companies and brands as well.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said; “The hackers allegedly compromised over 100 social media accounts and scammed both the account users and others who sent money based on their fraudulent solicitations.”
Rabbitt adds that this rapid investigation shows the expertise of investigators and commitment to responding to cyber attacks quickly. You can watch the full announcement of the investigation of the Twitter hack and bitcoin scam here.
Twitter has not said anything regarding the people arrested in connection to its hack.
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