Eric Donys Simeu, Computer Hacker Extradited, Georgia 2014

A notorious computer hacker, Eric Donys Simeu, alias Martell Collins, has been arraigned on federal charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, computer fraud and access device fraud in the Northern District of Georgia.

Simeu, a 32-year-old citizen of Cameroon, was extradited from France after being arrested on September 3, 2014 by French law enforcement in Paris.

The cybercrime spree, which targeted customers of two Global Distribution System (GDS) companies, one with its principal U.S. operations in Atlanta, Georgia, and another headquartered in Southlake, Texas, resulted in the issuance of fraudulent airline tickets valued at over $2 million.

According to the indictment, Simeu allegedly used phishing campaigns to steal unique login credentials, which he and others used to access the servers of the two GDS companies and cause the issuance of fake airline tickets.

The victims of the scam, mostly in West Africa, were sold these airline tickets for fractions of the actual cost or used them for personal travel.

Simeu, who was traveling from Casablanca, Morocco, to Paris on a fraudulently issued airline ticket at the time of his arrest, has been in French custody since September 2014, pending completion of extradition proceedings.

Upon his extradition, Simeu was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard. A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned an indictment against Simeu on September 23, 2014.

Simeu’s extradition serves as a strong deterrent to those targeting U.S. companies and citizens through cyber attacks and spear phishing emails, and it should also serve as a reminder to the public to be vigilant and aware of the risks of fraudulent emails seeking to steal their personal information.

Related Federal Cases