AFP busts credential-selling service

Sydney man charged over alleged role in WickedGen.com service

Credit: Internet Archive

A 21-year-old man from the Sydney suburb of Dee Why has been charged over his alleged role with a credential selling website.

The Australian Federal Police said that cryptocurrencies and “electronic materials” were seized yesterday during a raid.

The AFP announced today that the man had been arrested following an investigation into WickedGen.com, a now defunct website that sold access to user names and passwords for subscription services.

The website's home page promoted WickedGen as offering “premium accounts across a huge range of services” including movies, TV, sports, and pornography websites. In total the site advertised accounts across 69 difference categories. Accounts available through WickedGen included popular services such as Netflix, Spotify and Hulu, the AFP said.

The service included free and premium tiers.

The service claimed to have more than 120,000 users and credentials for more than 1 million accounts, with the alleged administrator reaping $300,000 from WickedGen subscription fees and fees from similar sites, the AFP said.

The Australian investigation was sparked after the FBI in May last year passed information to the AFP.

The arrested man is appearing in Sydney Central Local Court today where he faces a range of charges, including unauthorised access to, or modification of, restricted data; providing a circumvention service for a technological protection measure; dealing in the proceeds of crime; false or misleading information contrary to anti-money laundering legislation; and dealing in identification information.

“This arrest is another example of the value and importance of our relationship with the FBI,” said AFP manager, cyber crime, Acting Commander Chris Goldsmid.

“These partnerships – both internationally and domestically – are critical in law enforcement being able to respond to rapidly-evolving and increasingly global crime types.”

“Individuals in Australia have had their personal data stolen for the sake of individual greed,” Goldsmid said in a statement. “These types of offences can often be a precursor to more insidious forms of data theft and manipulation, which can have greater consequences for the victims involved.

“We are working closely with the affected companies and thank them for their cooperation with investigations to date.”

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Tags identity theftAustralian Federal Police (AFP)

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