In the UK pronounced the verdict to the creators of a fraudulent service for bypassing banking protection. Three young people organized the work of the OTP.AGENSY website, which allowed criminals to access bank accounts of victims bypassing the security system.
The National Crime Agency established that the service was ruled by 23-year-old Kallum Picari from Essex, 21-year-old Vidzhayasidhurshan Vyzhayanatan from Bakingemshire and 19-year-old Aza Siddick also from Buckingmashire.
Kallum Picari, Viayasidhurshan Viyayanatan and Aza Siddik
The criminals using OTP Agency paid a monthly subscription for access to the service, which allowed them to manipulate the owners of bank accounts so that they opened one -time passwords and other personal information. The main package of services cost 30 pounds a week and allowed to bypass multifactorial authentication on HSBC, Monzo and Lloyds, which facilitated fraudulent transactions. A more advanced package worth 380 pounds per week, provided access to VISA and MasterCard.
checking sites.
According to the investigation, from September 2019 to March 2021, more than 65 thousand fraudulent calls were made through the service aimed at more than 12.5 thousand people. The exact amount of the earnings of the organizers is unknown, but according to estimates, it could amount to from 90 thousand to 7.9 million pounds.
The founder and main beneficiary of the service was Kallum Picari. He actively advertised services in the Telegram channel with more than 2200 participants, promising “instant profit” after connecting to the service. Vidzhayanatan was engaged in the administration of the site, and Siddik provided technical support to users.
After the investigation on the Krebs On Security website in February 2021, the attackers panicked and tried to remove all the evidence, but this did not help to avoid responsibility. In January 2023, he was charged with conspiracy for fraud.
January 27, 2024, the LUCK court sentenced the participants of the criminal group. Kallum Picari was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. Vidzhayanatan and Siddick received conditional terms with mandatory public work for 200 and 160 hours, respectively.