Dutch police announced on Thursday that they had arrested three men suspected of stealing "tens of millions" of sensitive personal data and selling it to criminal groups.
The suspects, two 21-year-olds and another 18-year-old, were arrested on Monday (January 23) after a thorough police investigation began in 2021, law enforcement said in a statement.
Hacking into computer systems
The investigations were triggered after a major Dutch company filed a complaint for data theft and blackmail, they added.
“
As the investigation progressed, it became clear that thousands of small and large businesses and institutions – nationally and internationally – were being targeted for data hacking, theft and sale,
” police said.
The suspects' methods were "
refined
", they hacked into a company's computer systems before sending a threatening letter demanding a ransom in bitcoins, she added, "
If the company did not pay, the suspects threatened to trash its digital infrastructure or make the data public
,” she continued.
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Many companies have paid the ransoms, often amounting to more than 100,000 euros, and up to 700,000 euros in one particular case.
"
In many cases, the stolen data was still sold, even though the companies paid
," the police said, pointing out that the blackmails have earned the main suspect 2.5 million euros in recent years.
Various types of businesses fell victim to the criminals, some in the hotel sector, training centers, online shops and others "
belonging to vital infrastructure
", according to the police.
The data included birth dates, bank account and credit card numbers, passwords, driver's license information, and identity card and passport numbers.
The suspects will remain behind bars while the police investigation continues, law enforcement said.
Two of them are in maximum security conditions, which means they are only allowed to contact their lawyers.
