Suspect linked to Russian language cybercriminal forum arrested in Ukraine, says France
Active since 2013, this forum was one of the main hubs for global cybercrime. It facilitated the sale of malware, access to compromised systems, stolen data, and ransomware-related services. The forum was paired with an encrypted Jabber messaging server, facilitating anonymous exchanges between cybercriminals, the statement added.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Schoolboy, 17, investigated on suspicion of using AI to make deepfake nudes of his female classmates
A 17-year-old schoolboy in Spain is under investigation after allegedly using artificial intelligence to create deepfake nude images of his female classmates, which he is suspected of selling online. The investigation began after 16 young women, all students at an educational institute in Valencia, southeastern Spain, reported disturbing incidents of AI-generated sexual images of themselves circulating on social media. The images showed the minors naked and were allegedly being sold to others. The first complaint was lodged in December, when a teenage girl informed police that an account had been created under her name, with AI-generated videos and images depicting her in a compromising position. 'Photos of various people, all of them minors, appeared on this account. All these photos had been modified from the originals, which had been manipulated so that the people in them appeared completely naked,' the Spanish Civil Guard said in a statement. The suspect, a 17-year-old boy, is now facing investigation for the alleged corruption of minors. Authorities are continuing to gather evidence to determine whether he is responsible for creating and distributing the explicit images. This alarming case comes at a time when AI-driven sexual exploitation is on the rise, particularly among minors. Spain is no stranger to this phenomenon. In 2023, a similar case in Extremadura saw 15 minors investigated for using AI to create explicit images of their female schoolmates. The offenders were later sentenced to probation. The deepfake issue is not confined to Spain. Celebrities around the world, including pop stars like Taylor Swift and politicians like US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have fallen victim to AI-generated pornography. In the UK, more than 250 British celebrities were targeted by a Channel 4 investigation that exposed how their faces were superimposed onto explicit videos using AI. Although the Spanish government pledged in March 2023 to introduce laws to criminalise the creation of AI-generated sexual content without consent, the bill has yet to be passed by parliament. Currently, cases like these often fall into legal limbo, with existing laws not explicitly addressing the issue of AI-manipulated imagery. In the UK, however, the Online Safety Act 2023 has criminalised the sharing of explicit deepfake content without consent. Offenders who create or share such material maliciously now face criminal charges, with the possibility of imprisonment and unlimited fines. 'It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised,' said Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones. 'We are bearing down on violence against women – whatever form it takes.' Baroness Jones, the UK's Technology Minister, also condemned the rise in intimate image abuse, saying: 'The rise of intimate image abuse is a horrifying trend that exploits victims and perpetuates a toxic online culture. 'These acts are not just cowardly, they are deeply damaging, particularly for women and girls who are disproportionately targeted.' The rapid development of AI technology has made it easier than ever for perpetrators to create and distribute explicit images without the knowledge or consent of the victims. With new cases emerging, there are growing calls for stricter legislation worldwide to keep pace with this emerging threat. Tech companies are also under increasing pressure to remove deepfake content from their platforms and take stronger measures to prevent its creation and distribution.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
These are the most common holiday scams you need to look out for - and how much money you could LOSE
With the summer holidays in full swing and millions of Brits preparing to head away, there's certain scams tourists keep on falling for. From being overcharged in taxis to making bookings on websites that aren't legit, travellers overseas are often swindled out of money during their trips. Research conducted by Compare the Market has identified the top tricks to look out for, and calculated how much money is at risk. The number one scam that keeps catching holidaymakers is overpriced taxi rides. Almost a third (32 per cent) of travellers fall victim to being charged too much for a lift abroad. Nearly £17 is lost per journey, on average, and it is recommended to book in advance, – through a hotel if possible – to avoid paying the top rate. Another money-draining scam to look out for is street sellers attempting to entice tourists into purchasing fake or inflated products, which places second. This can involve the trader insinuating the item is 'free' but once the tourist accepts it, demands money. Another example is selling products that claim to be real leather or silk, and not being legitimate. Some 20 per cent of holiday-goers surveyed by Compare The Market admitted to falling for the trick, with an average of £17.39 lost each time. The third most common issue is restaurants overcharging and inflating the final bill for a meal. A fifth (18 per cent) of Brits surveyed say they have experienced this and 25% of those hit with an overpriced meal contested it and paid less, However, 54 per cent ended up paying the full amount, and on average lost more £22.58 the last time it happened. Another problem people have faced is fake booking websites swindling tourists out of cash and pretending to be real companies. One in 10 (12 per cent) of holidaymakers have fallen victim to this trick, and have lost an average of £113.30. Phishing scams also cause issues for travellers, ranking fifth, and 11 per cent of those surveyed admitted to clicking on a hoax email before their trip. It can involve a scammer pretending to be a hotel and requesting money from the recipient. The common trick has cost tourists £75 on average. While the sixth most common scam is money exchange tricks, which can happen when a tourist uses an unofficial money exchange service. They can be hit with poor rates, short-changed from a vendor or have their card skimmed by an ATM. One in ten of those surveyed admitted to falling victim to this, losing £28 on average. Travel insurance expert Guy Anker urged holiday-goers to 'remain vigilant' during their travels. He said: 'With nearly one in three (30 per cent) Brits noting an uptick in the number of potential scams they're coming across when travelling abroad, it's more important than ever that holidaymakers remain vigilant to protect themselves against any potential losses. 'The traditional holiday scams are still coming up time and time again, be that overpaying for a taxi or paying inflated prices to street sellers in tourist hot spots. 'The average amounts lost on these are generally smaller, while the amounts lost to phishing attempts and fake booking websites – though less common – are much larger, with some unlucky travellers claiming to have lost thousands. 'There are ways you can protect yourself against travel-related purchases such as paying on a credit card if you can, as it may offer additional protection if something goes wrong with a purchase. 'Travel insurance won't typically cover online fraud, but it is still highly important as it could cover a multitude of other issues.'
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Operation Dark Phone: Murder by Text review – do we really need to see these criminals on the toilet?
Sure, they may be trafficking drugs and firearms and plotting murders, but – really – organised criminal gangs are just like you and me. Operation Dark Phone: Murder By Text opens with a reconstruction of a British gang leader texting one of his crew (some scenes have been dramatised, we are told, but all SMS messages are real). 'You OK bro?' asks the associate. 'Yeah, just making brekkie,' our fearsome crim replies, sending a picture of what appears to be a bowl of porridge and cucumber. Very weird breakfast but, look, that's not the point. The point is that Operation Dark Phone – Channel 4's new four-parter about how police infiltrated a shady encrypted phone network – is littered with so-bad-they're-actually-just-bad reconstructions of this smug, shirtless character swaggering around his greige Dubai penthouse. As well as snaps of his food, we must watch him on the bog with his Calvins around his ankles; taking mirror selfies of his tattooed gym bod; and reclining in bed with an LED tooth-whitening kit in his mouth. It's less Tony Soprano, more Joey Essex. Channel 4 provided one episode for review, which is a shame because the other half of the programme is pretty interesting. Away from the reconstructions, this is a documentary about how the UK's National Crime Agency gained access to that encrypted network alongside their European counterparts for 74 days. It was, says the NCA's Marni Roberts, 'like being down a dark pipe, and suddenly putting a bright light on.' Elsewhere, her colleague Matt Horne describes EncroChat as 'the LinkedIn of organised crime'. However, it was also totally anonymous: once inside, it was down to the NCA to piece together clues such as addresses and photos to work out who the gang members were. (Luckily, our man – codenamed Live-long – sent a selfie to a group chat, which helped things along nicely). EncroChat offered a treasure trove of information, but that data was also delivered to law enforcement with a 24-hour delay. As such, when it came to thwarting the very real threats to life discussed in the messages, they were often operating on borrowed time. Sometimes, they were too late. As investigator Mick Pope puts it after a particularly shocking few days in north-west England: ''Eckin' hell, Warrington's turned into the fuckin' wild west over the weekend.' If soundbites like that make Operation Dark Phone sound less than serious, then rest assured there are some truly heinous characters at the centre of it. As well as swapping pictures of their porridge, Live-long and his gang casually arranged acid attacks as if they were ordering takeaways. His rival, Ace Prospect, was also on EncroChat; when one of his underlings expressed his reservations at launching a grenade into an enemy's garden, Ace said it would be fine, because their child was six months old, so too young to pick it up. When the documentary zooms in on just how dangerous these people are, it is chilling. But it also makes the dramatic parts feel even tackier. Another problem: an alias of one of the criminals was Top Shag, another was Ball Sniffer. I know, I know, the texts are all supposed to be real and verbatim. But surely they could have changed those names a little? Watching NCA agents keep a straight face while discussing Ball Sniffer's activities feels like something only Chris Morris could have masterminded. The real tragedy here, though, is that Operation Dark Phone would have been interesting enough in its own right, without a cringey sideshow. The series was made by the team behind 24 Hours in Police Custody, notable for finding the drama and discomfort in the everyday. Not every series can be a fly-on-the-wall affair, but this goes too far the other way, and risks glamorising these men. If that sounds far-fetched, consider that Ace Prospect is shown enjoying sushi and acupuncture at an 'unknown location' in Asia, which looks amazing. As we learn, of course, crime does not pay, especially when you are as incompetent as this lot who – as well as sending selfies – also ended up selling weapons to their rivals by mistake. But in trying to make this into a piece of millennial-friendly true crime, it feels as if Operation Dark Phone gives the bad guys too much of a starring role. The NCA clearly did all the hard work here – here's hoping we get to hear some more about it. Operation Dark Phone: Murder by Text is on Channel 4.
