Scammers Use Sponsored Search Links to Steal Millions from Bank Accounts
A recent scheme involved scammers paying for sponsored search links on Google and Bing to appear when customers searched for their banks. This allowed them to capture sensitive authentication data from users who entered their credentials on fake pages.
The Department of Justice announced the extradition of Sergei Anatolyevich Filimonov, a 36-year-old Russian national accused of helping support the operation's infrastructure.
Prosecutors say that the group paid for sponsored search links to appear when customers searched for their banks. The credentials entered on those fake pages were later used to log in to real bank accounts and send unauthorized wire transfers.
The indictment alleged that Filimonov helped develop and maintain databases containing more than 5,000 stolen credentials, along with software designed to capture sensitive authentication data.