UK police are preparing to press criminal charges against the alleged perpetrators of a phishing scam that conned UK banking customers out of hundred of thousands of pounds.
According to a report in the Financial Times, officers from the National High-Tech Crime Unit have built a case against four men and women from Russia and Estonia who are suspected of involvement in wave of phishing crimes against UK banks and consumers late last year.
The individuals are alleged to be members of an international crime syndicate and are likely to face charges of consipracy to defraud and money laundering. The UK daily says charges are expected to be laid at Bow Street Magistrates court today.
The case will be first of its kind in the world to tackle the alleged ringleaders behind a major phishing scheme, rather than unwitting mules whose accounts are used as conduits for the transfer of stolen funds.
Earlier this year, banking payments body Apacs said 2000 UK account holders had so far been duped by cybercriminals into revealing confidential bank details, losing some £4.5 million from their accounts in the process.