14 DAY TRIAL // Mario Simbaqueba Bonilla, a 40-year-old man from Colombia, has pleaded guilty to a 16-count indictment involving a complex computer fraud scheme, victimizing over 600 people, the US Department of Justice announced in a news release. The Colombian citizen managed to steal money from victims' bank accounts and bought all kinds of luxury goods and electronics. Simbaqueba Bonilla was arrested by the federal agents in August 2007, when he flew to the United States. The police also found a laptop and an airline ticket, both bought with stolen money. The laptop's hard disks included stolen details concerning the fraudster's victims.
"Cyber crimes and identity theft crimes such as these victimize our citizens and plague our economy", said Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division. "The Justice Department is committed to making sure that the Internet does not allow identity thieves to cloak themselves in a shroud of anonymity."
It seems like most of the details got stolen from public computers available in hotels or Internet lounges, in several countries around the world. What's interesting is that the Colombian citizen used several tricks to hide his identity, including multiple transactions supposed to "cover his trail", the DoJ explained.
"Investigating computer crimes that affect the integrity and security of the Department of Defense and its personnel is a priority for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). This case demonstrates that DCIS will expend the needed resources to investigate these types of allegations, regardless of where the subject is located", Richard D. Zott, Special Agent in Charge, DCIS, commented according to the same DoJ news release.
So, next time you will be using a public computer located in a hotel or a business center, avoid entering your banking information, as all kinds of software may be installed in order to steal all your details.