The Amsterdam police arrested three men on Monday in an investigation into large-scale data theft and trafficking. The suspects are said to be involved in hacks of thousands of “large and small companies” inside and outside the Netherlands. In addition, “tens of millions of privacy-sensitive personal data would have fallen into the hands of criminals”. The police estimate the damage at “many millions”. announced Thursday.
The main suspect, a 21-year-old man from Zandvoort, is said to have stolen 2.5 million euros in criminal circles in recent years. Furthermore, according to the police, a 21-year-old Rotterdammer and an 18-year-old man without a fixed place of residence and residence may be involved in the case. Two suspects were immediately detained and are only allowed to have contact with their lawyer. They are suspected of computer trespass (hacking), data theft, extortion, blackmail and money laundering.
A ‘large Dutch company’ would have been the victim of the data theft. When the police investigated this, thousands of other organizations, such as training institutes, web shops and software companies, also came into the picture as possible victims of computer trespass by the arrested suspects. After gaining access to the companies’ systems, they allegedly demanded 100,000 euros to 700,000 euros in bitcoin. If they did not pay, the hackers threatened to make data public.