Police within the Netherlands try to scare customers of a infamous hacking web site by contacting them with emails, letters, and telephone calls to warn them they’re now not nameless.
The nation’s Nationwide Police Corps is issuing the warnings to suspected customers of RaidForums, which offered stolen person info, together with databases from hacked firms.
Final 12 months, worldwide regulation enforcement shut down the hacking web site and seized RaidForums’ person database. Dutch police say they’ve been poring over the information and traced a number of thousand registered members who accessed stolen information circulating on the location.
In response, Dutch police have resorted to utilizing “hundreds of emails, a whole bunch of letters and a dozen cease calls” to inform the suspected the cybercriminals that their actions are being watched.
“By unmasking (potential) patrons, the police hope to ship a transparent sign that on-line actions are seen, particularly on boards the place lists of private information are traded,” the police stated.
The company added: “Relying on the extent of exercise on such boards, customers could obtain an electronic mail or letter informing them that they’re customers of a not too long ago taken-down discussion board, an specific name to cease their actions, and a warning of the results of participating in on-line criminality. Minors will obtain a warning dialog with the police.”
Certainly, BleepingComputer noticed one person posting a warning letter on-line. The doc notes: “The Dutch Police urges you to cease taking part in on-line actions, reminiscent of buying and selling leaked information. You run the chance of breaking the regulation… You’re much less nameless on-line than you assume. Do you continue to select to commit cybercrime? Then pay attention to the results.”
Why Dutch police have solely been sending warning letters, versus making arrests, could also be as a result of lack of clear proof. Within the announcement, the company additionally added: “Inside cybercrime, various interventions are more and more used as a substitute of pursuing the legal justice route. By utilizing various interventions, makes an attempt are made to forestall and disrupt cybercrime, which is usually complementary to investigation and prosecution.”
Safety researchers say RaidForums had over 500,000 registered customers earlier than it was taken down, though solely about 20,000 have been normally energetic on any given day.
Dutch police added that regulation enforcement within the UK have taken comparable actions to warn former customers of RaidForums.
