US investigating cyber crimes worth $215 mn

US Govt's crackdown on cyber crime has brought to light illegal activities to the tune of $215 mn and resulted in several arrests.

The US Justice Department's crackdown on cyber crime has brought to light illegal activities, including credit-card fraud, to the tune of over $215 million and resulted in dozens of arrests, a senior official said.

'More than $215 million worth of Internet crime is under investigation by the US Justice Department' which were unravelled during the Operation Web Snare, Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Thursday.

The three-month-long operation has opened around 160 investigations, involving more than 150,000 victims, and dozens of arrests were made, he said.

'America's justice community is dedicated to stop economic crimes before they spread through the online community,' he added.

Internet crime is increasingly internationalised, Ashcroft said, adding Operation Web Snare has already joined hands with authorities in Romania, Nigeria and other countries to stop crime carried out in the borderless regions of cyberspace.

Authorities fighting the menace also have a new legal tool to use in the prosecution of Internet crime with the enactment of the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act.