Seven people, including six in Estonia, have been indicted in a massive online-advertising fraud scheme that allegedly used infected computers to drive traffic to advertising websites in order to enrich the defendants, according to court papers.
The scheme, which ran between 2007 and 2011, allegedly used malicious software, or malware, to infect at least four million computers in more than 100 countries, according to a 27-count indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court Wednesday. Computers were infected when the victims visited certain websites or downloaded software to view videos online, according to the indictment.
The infected computers included computers belonging to US government agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
US prosecutors are seeking at least $14 million in forfeiture in the case, according to the indictment. The charges include engaging in conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, wire fraud and money laundering.
Six people are in custody in Estonia. A seventh person, a Russian man, is at large.
According to the indictment, a computer user on an infected computer would click on a link for a popular website, such as Apple Inc.’s iTunes store or Netflix.com, but allegedly be directed to another website, such as a competing music download website.
The malware allegedly would replace advertisements on popular websites, such as Amazon.com, ESPN.com or WSJ.com, with other ads when viewed on an infected computer, according to the indictment.
The defendants, who claimed to run legitimate online advertising firms, allegedly received payments each time computers clicked on the links or the advertisements, according to the indictment.
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