Security News > 2023 > February > Dutch Police Arrest 3 Hackers Involved in Massive Data Theft and Extortion Scheme

The Dutch police announced the arrest of three individuals in connection with a "Large-scale" criminal operation involving data theft, extortion, and money laundering.

The Politie said its cybercrime team started the investigation nearly two years ago, in March 2021, after a large Dutch company suffered a security breach.

The name of the company was not disclosed but some of the firms that were hit by a cyber attack around that time included RDC, Shell, and Ticketcounter, the last of which was also a victim of an extortion attempt.

"During the course of the investigation, it has become clear that thousands of small and large companies and institutions, both national and international, have fallen victim to computer intrusion in recent years, followed by theft and handling of data," the agency said.

To make matters worse, the suspects ended up selling the data despite the companies paying up.

"Data theft and data trading is a huge revenue model for criminals," the Politie warned.

News URL

https://thehackernews.com/2023/02/dutch-police-arrest-3-hackers-involved.html