San Diego, California – $17 Million in Stolen Accounts Sold on DEER.IO
A Russian hacker has been sentenced to 30 months in custody for his role as the administrator of a website that catered to cybercriminals by virtually selling items such as stolen credit card information, other personal information and services to be used for criminal activity.
Kirill Victorovich Firsov, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant for his role in running the now-defunct online platform DEER.IO, which started operations as of at least October 2013 and hosted approximately 3,000 active shops with sales exceeding $17 million.
At sentencing, the prosecutor noted that Firsov built the DEER.IO platform in 2013 and maintained it for almost seven years. Further, the prosecutor asserted that Firsov knew DEER.IO was selling stolen and counterfeit accounts, because he built the platform, which included a number of icons for U.S.-based companies that anyone setting up a store on DEER.IO could click on to then sell stolen accounts from those U.S. companies.
DEER.IO sold not only stolen accounts, like the gamer accounts identified in the plea agreement, but also Americans’ personal information, to include names, current addresses, telephone numbers and at times Social Security numbers. On March 4, 2020, the FBI purchased 1,100 gamer accounts, and on March 5, 2020, the FBI purchased the personal information for over 3,600 Americans.
Firsov was arrested by the FBI in New York City when he flew into JFK Airport from Moscow on March 7, 2020. He had been incarcerated in the United States for 15 months while the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country.
Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman commended the excellent work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra F. Foster and the FBI agents on this case. The FBI will pursue cyber-criminals across the globe, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Suzanne Turner. Conducting criminal activity from outside the United States does not mean you are out of reach.
The FBI encourages companies to immediately contact the FBI if victimized in a cyber security incident. Specialized cyber agents will work with companies to protect their interests and bring perpetrators to justice.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant: Kirill Victorovich Firsov
Criminal Charges: Running a Website Selling Stolen, Counterfeit and Hacked Accounts
City and State: San Diego, California
Exact Date: May 24, 2021 (sentencing)
Sentence or Outcome: 30 months in custody
Amount: $17 million in stolen accounts sold on DEER.IO, $1.2 million in U.S.-based stolen information sold on the platform
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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