Six Charged in Connection with a $3 Million Paycheck Protection Program Fraud Scheme Details Written by DOJ
Atlanta, Georgia - Six individuals were charged in an indictment with fraudulently obtaining approximately $1.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on behalf of five businesses based in Georgia and South Carolina.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine of the Northern District of Georgia; Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Kupperbusch of the Small Business Association Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG) Eastern Region; and Special Agent in Charge Mark Maroni of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Southeast Field Division made the announcement.
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January 29, 2021
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday that it launched a coordinated international law enforcement action effort against NetWalker, what it called “a sophisticated form of ransomware.”
The DOJ claimed that the NetWalker ransomware has affected numerous victims, such as “companies, municipalities, hospitals, law enforcement, emergency services, school districts, colleges, and universities.” According to the Department, the ransomware attacks have “specifically targeted the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking advantage of the global crisis to extort victims.”
The DOJ explained that it brought charges against a Canadian national regarding the attacks where more than $27.6 million was purportedly obtained. Other actions included the seizure of ransomware payments including approximately $454,530.19 in cryptocurrency from three separate attacks and the disabling of a “dark web hidden resource used to
Law enforcement agencies from several countries have teamed up in a coordinated effort against a ransomware called NetWalker. According to the US Department of Justice’s announcement, NetWalker was used to attack schools, hospitals, companies, government agencies and emergency services. NetWalker uses the ransomware-as-a-service model, wherein “developers” are in charge of creating and updating the ransomware for “affiliates.”