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Western Pa. Officials Help Take Down Worldwide Cybercrime Network

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania is in the Netherlands to announce charges against people who are accused of spreading malware on thousands of computers.

U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said nearly a dozen people from Eastern Europe allegedly took control of computers and stole money from victims' bank accounts.

Officials say they caused more than $100 million in losses.

The victims are from around the world, including here in Pittsburgh.

"We identified over 41,000 victims, unsuspecting citizens of European and North American countries, who thought they were clicking on a simple invoice or a notification as a part of their business," said Brady. "These victims included mom and pop businesses. They included law firms, international corporations. They included non-profit organizations that worked with disabled children."

Brady says the GozNym malware infected tens of thousands of victim computers worldwide, primarily in the United States and Europe.

Ten people have been charged, and five are still on the run.

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