Scammers Busted for iTunes and Amazon Music Fraud
A group of English ne'er-do-well scammers, have been arrested by the Metropolitan police (also referred to as Scotland Yard) for international music fraud.After uploading a few songs they allegedly recorded to iTunes and Amazon, the group commenced to repeatedly create and buy its own songs with 1,500 stolen credit cards. An unnamed police source told the Times Online, "We will not know why they did what they did until we have conducted all the interviews." Over a five-month period, the 10 individuals spent $750,000 and racked up $300,000 in royalties, according to the Guardian.
Sixty officers from the Metropolitan police's e-crime unit arrested the seven men and three women from all over England. The group is being held on suspicion of fraud and money laundering. The case was cracked during a parallel investigation with the FBI, after it was established that the criminal network was uploading music.
According to Detective Chief Inspector Terry Wilson, the e-crime unit will continue its work against criminals and will actively develop international partnerships with business and law-enforcers around the world.
We see examples of cybercrime regularly around here, like when a repairman was arrested after tricking Apple into sending him thousands of iPod shuffles, which he'd sell for a profit. Fraud, whether committed as part of a complex digital heist or simple plan, seems inescapable; there's no shortage of people trying to make a quick buck. [From: Guardian and The Times Online via Slashdot]
