One Hundred Phishers Charged In Largest Cybercrime Case

The FBI on Wednesday announced that it had charged 53 defendants, the largest number ever charged in a cybercrime case, following a multinational investigation into a phishing scheme that operated in the United States and Egypt.

Thirty-three of the 53 defendants named in the indictment have been arrested, the FBI said, and several others are being sought. The investigation, dubbed "Operation Phish Phry," began in 2007.

Phishing is a form of social engineering that attempts to convince Internet users, via e-mail or other means, to provide online credentials via e-mail, Web submission form, or some other method under false pretenses. Often, phishers create fraudulent Web sites that have been designed to look like legitimate Web sites as a way to encourage site visitors to supply sensitive information, such as online banking login details.

Earlier this week, Microsoft warned that "several thousand Windows Live Hotmail customers' credentials were exposed on a third-party site due to a likely phishing scheme." The online attack also appears to have affected users of other online e-mail services, including Google Gmail, and Yahoo Mail.

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