Hacking In The States

The US will get a chance to try a hacker who allegedly helped steal millions from payment processors

A man allegedly behind some of the world’s biggest and most lucrative hacks is going to be tried in US courts.

Turkish citizen Ercan Findikoglu has been extradited to the United States and is being charged with helping execute a series of “cybercrime campaigns,” which valued at $55 million in a New York court.

The indictment from the US Department of Justice accuses Findikoglu and his hacking group of targeting a slew of credit card processors and organizations that make prepaid debit cards.

Many of the hacks in question resulted in millions of dollars being withdrawn worldwide in a matter of minutes.

According to the indictment, which was released today by the Department of Justice, Findikoglu went by the online aliases of “Segate” and “Predator.” He is accused of helping facilitate hacks that resulted in “stealing and manipulating confidential account information for financial gain,” the indictment reads.

Specifically, the DOJ is alleging that Findikoglu andothershacked three prominent payment processors: Fidelity National Information Services, ElectraCard Services, and enStage. After gaining access to these processors Findikolgu and his crew allegedly targeted prepaid debit cards and “dramatically increased the account balances.” The indictment then says that they allegedly sold the information of these cards online.

Findikoglu is also being accused of hacking a Florida payment processor called FIS, targeting a series of prepaid cards that were intended for the American Red Cross. Instead, the group allegedly stole the data from these cards and distributed them to other co-conspirators.

“The compromised FIS Cards were used in approximately 15,000 transactions to withdraw approximately $10 million in at least 18 countries,” says the indictment.

Due to the high price of these hacks, Findikoglu has been considered by many to be one of the most-wanted cybercriminals. He has been in German custody since 2013 after spending five years on the lam. Since his arrest he has been actively fighting his extradition.

There are many more allegations enumerated in the newly-released document.

The US has been working to extradite a number of international hackers, reports Bloomberg. For instance, two Russian hackers — Roman Selzenev and Vladimir Drinkman — were both brought to US courts.

If Findikoglu is convicted of all charges, he could face nearly 250 years in prison.