Thailand: Police arrest Russian, Uzbek for stealing over $28.5m using malware
22nd July 2016
THAILAND’S tourist police have arrested a Russian man and an Uzbek woman on suspicion of embedding malware people’s computers and siphoning more than US$28.5 million from their bank accounts.
Authorities announced on Thursday that they had apprehended Dmitry Ukrainsev, 44, and Olga Komova, 25, with cooperation from the U.S.’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Police caught up with Ukrainsev in Pattaya, where he was running a business chartering yachts, while Komova was detained in Koh Chang, where she was employed at a hotel, reported the Bangkok Post.
Speaking to members of the press, Police Maj. Gen. Surachet Hakphan said the U.S. had been looking into the case since 2014 after they uncovered several questionable money transfers into Thailand involving large amounts of money from various countries.
The investigation revealed that the suspects had apparently used malicious software that allowed them to hack into their victims’ computers, where they then swiped sensitive information.
According to Surachet, more than 50 people’s bank accounts and personal banking information were compromised.
The suspects’ victims hailed from a number of countries, such as the U.S., England, Japan, Italy, Australia, and Germany.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
