LabHost, a fraudulent website used by thousands of criminals to deceive individuals into providing personal information, has been exposed by international police forces. This deceitful platform was utilized by over 2,000 criminals to obtain sensitive data such as email addresses, passwords, and bank details. The Metropolitan Police of Britain disclosed that approximately 70,000 U.K. citizens fell victim to this scheme by inputting their information on LabHost’s websites.
Following their investigation, law enforcement officials have detained 37 suspects associated with LabHost’s illegal activities. Furthermore, the Metropolitan Police have managed to disrupt LabHost’s websites and have replaced the content with a notification indicating that the services have been apprehended. The police disclosed that LabHost managed to obtain a staggering 480,000 credit card numbers, 64,000 PIN codes, and over 1 million passwords used for various online services.
Authorities have reached out to an estimated 25,000 victims in the U.K. to inform them about the security breach of their data. LabHost was established in 2021 by a criminal cyber network with the intention of duping victims into divulging their crucial personal information, such as bank account details and passwords, via counterfeit websites. These criminals exploited existing websites or developed new ones that imitated reputable brands, including banks, healthcare providers, and postal services.
The successful takedown of LabHost was made possible through the collaboration between law enforcement agencies and private sector companies. Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis, Intel 471, Microsoft, The Shadowserver Foundation, and Trend Micro worked in unison with the police to identify and dismantle LabHost. The investigation commenced in June 2022 after receiving intelligence on LabHost’s illicit operations from the Cyber Defence Alliance, a coalition that shares information between financial institutions and law enforcement agencies.
Dame Lynne Owens, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, emphasized that the operation against LabHost illustrates how law enforcement agencies globally can unite with private sector partners to dismantle international fraud networks at their source. The collaboration involved the Met’s Cyber Crime Unit, the National Crime Agency, City of London Police, Europol, regional U.K. authorities, and other international police forces. This joint effort signifies a significant victory in combating online fraudsters who believe they can operate with impunity.
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