FBI Offering $1 Million Reward for Two Romanian Cyber CriminalsThe Charges
The two Romanian nationals, Nicolae Popescu and Dumitru Daniel Bosogioiu have made it to the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Fugitive List after participating in a long-term cyber-fraud conspiracy that inflicted losses of over $3 million on US businesses. “As alleged, while hiding behind international borders, Popescu and Bosogioiu engaged in a systematic cyber fraud scheme targeting primarily American consumers through U.S.-based websites,” the FBI said. “Working in tandem, they jeopardized the personal security of online users who routinely conducted legitimate business on the internet.”
The Charges
Popescu and Bosogioiu are charged with a conspiracy of swindling many users, mostly United States citizens. As pr FBI the duo and their 11 co-conspirators ran fake ads on sites such as eBay, Cars.com, AutoTrader.com and CycleTrader.com, pretending to sell cars from bogus auto dealerships through phony websites. The duo with the help of their co- put up ads on eBay, Cars.com, AutoTrader.com, and CycleTrader.com with detailed advertisements for cars, motorcycles, boats, and other high-value items. They priced the fake inventory in the range of $10,000 to $45,000 range. FBI says that the cars, motorcycles, boats simply did not exist. FBI said that Popescu was the ring leader of the scamming cyber criminals and co-ordinated with the other conspirators for issuing of fake passports, fake invoices, running fake ads and finally collecting the money from the victims they managed to entice. Once apprehended the duo will be extradited to United States if found in some other country and will be prosecuted in the United States. “As alleged, Popescu and his close associate Bosogioiu engaged in a pattern of pervasive criminal conduct, victimizing hard-working American consumers looking to purchase cars,” the FBI said. “They believed international borders would allow them to act with impunity. They were wrong”.
