FBI wraps up cybercrime operation targeting global networks preying on Americans

EXCLUSIVE: A 60-day FBI operation targeting cybercriminals, online fraud and illicit digital infrastructure resulted in numerous arrests and disrupted vast global criminal networks that preyed on Americans and laundered millions in proceeds, Fox News Digital has learned.

Operation Riptide was launched in June to combat cybercrime, which defrauded Americans out of more than $20 billion last year, according to the FBI.

With assistance from international law enforcement, the bureau seized millions in illegal cryptocurrency and other funds while dismantling cyber networks across the globe.

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"Operation Riptide was the FBI’s historic 60-day campaign targeting cybercriminals preying on Americans here at home and around the world," FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital. "We went after this criminal enterprise more aggressively than we ever have."

Patel credited several factors for the initiative's success, including the bureau's artificial intelligence technology, increased intelligence sharing and aggressive coordination with authorities abroad.

"FBI Cyber is now built to crush these criminal networks no matter where they operate," Patel said.

Among the cases stemming from the operation was the arrest of a member of the pro-Russia hacktivist group Cyber Army of Russia Reborn, as well as the seizure of a cloud computing account used by subsidiaries of the Huione Group, a Cambodia-based corporate conglomerate.

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The subsidiaries allegedly assisted individuals and organizations in transferring illicit proceeds from cryptocurrency investment frauds, cyber scams and other crimes across blockchains, facilitating undetected conversions into the legitimate banking sector.

In another major operation, law enforcement coordinated with Google and Black Lotus Labs to execute a technical takedown of Outsider, a Chinese phishing-as-a-service platform. Outsider provided cybercriminals with hosting infrastructure and "phishing kits" used to target U.S. citizens, businesses and victims in at least 54 other countries, the FBI said.

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In addition to the new arrests, several other cybercrime cases reached major legal milestones. Eight people were convicted for participating in an international cargo theft conspiracy impacting U.S. supply chain security, while five Ghanaian citizens were indicted for allegedly operating romance fraud schemes targeting Americans online.

Furthermore, two individuals were recently sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for their involvement in a nationwide ATM jackpotting scheme that used Ploutus malware to steal millions from cash machines across the U.S.

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In another case, Barry Augustinsky was convicted for running a multiyear VoIP-based fraud scheme targeting mostly elderly Americans, laundering the proceeds and providing false credit-report access to facilitate the scheme.

"We executed coordinated law enforcement actions across the country and leveraged our reach around the world to disrupt these criminal networks, impose consequences and protect the American people from predatory cyber actors," said Heith Janke, assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division.

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Scott Augenbaum, a retired FBI agent who specialized in cybercrime, noted that modern tools have lowered the bar for bad actors.

"Artificial intelligence is enhancing the cybercriminals' ability to trick people," Augenbaum told Fox News Digital. "Today, you're going to see an email that does not contain grammatical errors. We used to tell people if the email has really bad grammar, it's a scam. That red flag doesn't work anymore. Cybercriminals can build fake websites, use voice cloning and leverage so many new tools."

Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, emphasized that the bureau will maintain its momentum against international networks.

"Cybercriminals depend on borders, anonymity and rented infrastructure to stay beyond reach, and over 60 days, the FBI and our partners took those advantages away," Leatherman said. "Arrests, extraditions, infrastructure takedowns and seizures each imposed cost at a different point in the criminal ecosystem. Our partners made that possible, and the pressure we built does not stop here."