Operation "Web
Snare"
Operation
Web Snare represents a coordinated initiative targeting
an expansive array of Cyber Crime schemes victimizing
individuals and industry worldwide. This initiative
highlights numerous investigations that have been
successfully advanced through cooperation and coordination
of law enforcement, and a growing list of industry
partners.
Cases
included in Operation Web Snare exemplify the growing
volume and character of Cyber crimes confronting
law enforcement, and also underscores the continuing
commitment of law enforcement to aggressively pursue
Cyber criminals, both domestically and abroad. Focused
efforts to pursue Cyber criminals internationally,
has led to the development of enhanced proactive
capabilities in several countries, and numerous investigative
successes highlighted within this initiative. The
development of international resources is closely
coordinated with the DOJ, the U.S. State Department
and a growing list of E-Commerce industry partners.
Criminal
schemes included in this initiative include: criminal
spam, phishing, spoofed or hijacked accounts, international
re-shipping schemes, Cyber-extortion, auction fraud,
credit card fraud, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR),
Computer Intrusions (hacking), economic espionage
(Theft of Trade Secrets), International Money Laundering,
Identity Theft, and a growing list of “traditional
crimes” that continue to migrate on-line.
The
substantial accomplishments captured in this initiative
are attributable to the growing number of joint Cyber-crime
task forces established across the U.S. Over the
past year, more than 50 such task forces have either
been established or significantly augmented with
resources from numerous federal, state, and local
agencies. Substantial industry partnerships developed
in coordination with associations such as the Direct
Marketing Association (DMA), the Merchants Risk Council
(MRC), the Business Software Alliance (BSA), and
the Software and Information Industry Association
(SIIA) also contributed significantly to the success
of this initiative. Operation Web Snare has been
coordinated at the Federal level with the Department
of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the U.S.
Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service,
the Federal Trade Commission, and the Bureau of Immigration
and Customs Enforcement. Numerous state and local
law enforcement agencies contributed significantly
to this initiative as well. State and Local participation
in this effort was amplified in coordination with
The National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).
Operation
Web Snare includes more than 150 investigations,
in which more than 870,000 victims lost more than
$210 million dollars. Through these investigations
more than 300 subjects were targeted, resulting in
100 arrests/convictions, 116 indictments, and the
execution of more than 130 search/seizure warrants.
Although significant in number, these investigations
represent only a fraction of the Cyber crime problem,
underscoring not only the need for sustained law
enforcement focus, but the continuing development
of expanded industry partnerships as well.
