At the time of the operation’s termination, it had listed for sale the identities of more than two million people around the globe, the spokesperson said.
The New Zealand phase of the operation occurred in the early hours of yesterday morning in central Auckland, Detective Inspector Stuart Mills said.
“Investigation staff from Auckland City’s Financial Crime Unit and the national Cybercrime Unit, supported by other specialist staff, terminated a search warrant at an address.
“A 30-year-old man located at the address has been arrested and a further search carried out.”
Police alleged this man had purchased dozens of stolen credentials from Genesis Market, Mills said.
“Investigations are continuing to establish how those credentials have been then used to commit fraud on a wider scale.”
The man is facing multiple charges of accessing a computer for a dishonest purpose with additional charges being considered, he said.
“Cybercrime, particularly cyber-based fraud, continues to be an issue globally for law enforcement and creates a significant deal of harm and distress for its victims.
“This was a significant global operation which has seen a large number of law enforcement agencies from around the world take part in dismantling this illicit marketplace,” Mills said.
“New Zealand Police continues to work very closely with our international partners as we continue to target organised criminal operations such as these and prevent the serious harm they cause.”
Mills said Genesis Market was enabled by sophisticated malware used to infect victims’ computers and harvest personal data.
This information was then made accessible on the open web, albeit hidden behind invitation-only access.
“Once the information was purchased from Genesis Market, a user could emulate a victim’s online accounts which would enable them to commit further fraud offending.”
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