Latest news with #darkweb
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Officer who stole Bitcoin from crime network jailed
An officer from the National Crime Agency (NCA) has been jailed for five and a half years after stealing nearly £60,000 worth of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Paul Chowles, 42, from Bristol, used the dark web to transfer Bitcoin belonging to a drug trafficker into his various accounts. The value of Bitcoin soared after the theft and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) calculated Chowles spent £144,580 before he was caught. At the time of sentencing, police said the 50 Bitcoin he stole had grown in value to now be worth more than £4.4m. Chowles was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court earlier after previously pleading guilty to theft, transferring criminal property and concealing criminal property. In 2013, Chowles was part of an NCA investigation which targeted organised criminal networks selling illegal goods on the dark website Silk Road 1. This led to the arrest of Thomas White, who had launched a back-up website less than a month after the FBI had shut down the original page. White was jailed for 64 months in April 2019. Following the seizure of 97 Bitcoin from White, it was noticed that 50 Bitcoin had been withdrawn from the digital wallet. The NCA assumed White had somehow accessed the wallet while in custody, but he denied any involvement. More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol An investigation was launched by Merseyside Police into the stolen Bitcoin and Chowles - who had worked on the extraction of cryptocurrency from White's devices - was arrested in May 2022. It was soon uncovered Chowles had broken down the Bitcoin into smaller amounts and transferred it into various bank accounts to "hide the trail of money". Several notebooks were discovered in Chowles' office which contained usernames, passwords and statements relating to White's cryptocurrency accounts. 'Cover his tracks' Det Ch Insp John Black, from Merseyside Police's Force Intelligence Bureau, said the case illustrated in the "starkest terms that nobody is above the law". "It will be extremely disappointing to everyone that someone involved in law enforcement could involve themselves in the very criminality they are tasked with investigating and preventing," he said. "He took advantage of his position on this investigation to line his own pockets while devising a plan that he believed would cover his tracks. He was wrong." Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. More on this story NCA officer charged over theft of £60k of Bitcoin Related internet links National Crime Agency HM Courts & Tribunals Service
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Former National Crime Agency officer stole bitcoin from dark web drug dealer
A former National Crime Agency officer who stole Bitcoin seized from the operator of an illegal dark web marketplace has been jailed for five-and-a-half years. The NCA was investigating the Silk Road 2.0 site – which allowed users to buy drugs and other illicit goods after the original Silk Road was shut down by the FBI in 2013 – and arrested Liverpool-based Thomas White in 2014. Intelligence officer Paul Chowles took the details of White's "retirement wallet" and stole 50 Bitcoin before sending it to a cryptocurrency"mixing" service called Bitcoin Fog to obscure the source, prosecutors said. Chowles, 42, appeared in Liverpool Crown Court having pleaded guilty to one count of theft, one count of transferring criminal property, and one count of concealing criminal property. Prosecutor Craig Hassall said the Bitcoin Chowles stole was worth just under £60,000 (around US$80,000) at the time of the theft in May 2017 and is now worth over £4 million, though Chowles had realised nearly £145,000. Chowles was dismissed by the NCA this month for gross misconduct after his guilty pleas, having been arrested in 2022. The NCA initially thought White, who was jailed in 2019 for over five years, had managed to access his Bitcoin wallet and remove the 50 missing Bitcoin, Hassall said. The remaining 47 Bitcoin in White's wallet were sold by the NCA for roughly £500,000, and the funds paid towards a 1.5 million-pound confiscation order made against White. But police and the NCA began to investigate after White said he was not responsible for moving the 50 Bitcoin, and usernames and passwords linked to White's cryptocurrency accounts were found in Chowles' notebooks when he was arrested. Judge David Aubrey said Bitcoin worth nearly £470,000 was seized from Chowles, telling him: "Had you not been arrested, you would have continued to reap the rewards of your wrongdoing." Detective Chief Inspector John Black, from Merseyside Police 's Force Intelligence Bureau, said: "We know criminals have sought to use cryptocurrency as a way to launder money from illegal activities including drug dealing and fraud. "It will be extremely disappointing to everyone that someone involved in law enforcement could involve themselves in the very criminality they are tasked with investigating and preventing. "This case should illustrate in the starkest terms that nobody is above the law. When it became clear that one of the NCA's own officers had stolen Bitcoin, our officers conducted extensive enquiries to unearth a trail of evidence that Chowles had attempted to hide. This was supported fully by the NCA. "He took advantage of his position on this investigation to line his own pockets while devising a plan that he believed would cover his tracks. He was wrong. "I want to reassure the public that Merseyside Police have specialist officers with the experience and expertise to track the movement of funds designed to avoid detection. "Above all, our officers have the determination to make sure criminals do not profit in any way from breaking the law while other honest and hard-working members of the public work to provide for their families."
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Brit passports & holiday bookings SOLD on dark web for £8 after travellers make common phone mistake we're all guilty of
HOLIDAYMAKERS have been warned that cyber criminals are selling everything from passport details to boarding passes for as little as £8 on the dark web. Once they're sold off into the wrong hands they could be used to apply for credit cards in your name or even access your bank account. 2 2 Experts have cautioned Brits against a common phone mistake that could make it all too easy for online thieves operating on the dark web. And the seemingly innocent error starts by simply having a photo of your passport on a phone or backed up to the cloud. Why? Well, if a hacker uses malware to raid your phone they can access that copy and impersonate you to apply for a credit card. The same goes for any travel agencies who might ask you to send them a digital copy of your passport ahead of your holiday, as you don't know how safe their systems are. Researchers at NordVPN and Saily uncovered thousands of shocking forums on the dark web forums. On offer are passport scans, boarding passes, hotel bookings and frequent flyer details. But not all passports are created equal when it comes to sales on the dark web, with some countries' passports, like Kazakhstan, fetching a maximum of £175. The details of British passports, as well as those from EU countries, are typically more expensive to acquire, fetching upwards of £4,000 for uncompromised and valid copies. When passports are recorded as missing or stolen and invalidated, the risk of fraud is reduced, but such documents can still slip past some companies with more relaxed reviewing procedures, NordVPN warned. Scans of these compromised passports can sell for as little as £8. What do you need to do to ensure your passport is OK for travel? "The best way you can protect yourself against these types of fraud is to ensure that all of your devices are kept updated with antivirus software and make sure that anything related to your holiday booking is saved in a secure place," said Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN. 'If you have been asked by your travel agent to send over a copy of your passport, don't be afraid to ask them what they do with that scan once your booking has been completed. "Never be shy about protecting your privacy. 'Take precautions in the airport too, and don't leave boarding passes in public places, as even these have enough information to put you at risk of identity fraud. "While you are away, regularly monitor bank accounts to detect suspicious activity early, as well as report lost or stolen documents promptly to limit exposure. "Passports and travel documents that have been reported as missing or invalid are practically worthless on the dark web. "Taking out travel insurance is no longer just about losing your suitcase at the airport, it covers you for every eventuality – even a sophisticated scam like having your hotel booking stolen."
Reuters
4 days ago
- Reuters
Ex-UK National Crime Agency officer jailed for stealing bitcoin from dark web drug dealer
LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) - An officer with Britain's National Crime Agency who stole cryptocurrency from the operator of an illegal dark web marketplace was jailed on Wednesday for 5-1/2 years. The NCA was investigating the Silk Road 2.0 site – which allowed users to buy drugs and other illicit goods after the original Silk Road was shut down by the FBI in 2013 – and arrested Liverpool-based Thomas White in 2014. Intelligence officer Paul Chowles took the details of White's "retirement wallet" and stole 50 bitcoin before sending it to a cryptocurrency "mixing" service called Bitcoin Fog to obscure the source, prosecutors said. Chowles, 42, appeared in Liverpool Crown Court having pleaded guilty to one count of theft, one count of transferring criminal property, and one count of concealing criminal property. Prosecutor Craig Hassall said the bitcoin Chowles stole was worth just under 60,000 pounds (around $80,000) at the time of the theft in May 2017 and is now worth over 4 million pounds, though Chowles had realised nearly 145,000 pounds. Chowles was dismissed by the NCA this month for gross misconduct after his guilty pleas, having been arrested in 2022. The NCA initially thought White, who was jailed in 2019 for over five years, had managed to access his bitcoin wallet and remove the 50 missing bitcoin, Hassall said. The remaining 47 bitcoin in White's wallet were sold by the NCA for roughly 500,000 pounds, and the funds paid towards a 1.5 million-pound confiscation order made against White. But police and the NCA began to investigate after White said he was not responsible for moving the 50 bitcoin, and usernames and passwords linked to White's cryptocurrency accounts were found in Chowles' notebooks when he was arrested. Judge David Aubrey said bitcoin worth nearly 470,000 pounds was seized from Chowles, telling him: "Had you not been arrested, you would have continued to reap the rewards of your wrongdoing."
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tisha Campbell, Melissa De Sousa team up for 'Operation: Aunties'
Tisha Campbell and Melissa De Sousa team up for "Operation: Aunties," a film dramedy that follows a retired detective and a cyber expert who uncover a dark web trafficking ring that targets women through a rideshare app. (July 11) (AP interview and production by Gary Gerard Hamilton)
