The digital ghosts are proving harder to catch than anyone anticipated. For years, they’ve been bleeding institutions dry, a pair of Iranian nationals known as the architects behind the SamSam ransomware. Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri, born September 24, 1991, and Faramarz Shahi Savandi, born September 16, 1984, aren’t leaving fingerprints on servers, but a trail of encrypted chaos and over six million dollars in ransom payments. Hospitals, transportation networks, even local governments – all brought to their knees by a code crafted in Tehran and unleashed on the world. The FBI believes these men, both fluent in Farsi, are still operating from Iran, a digital fortress shielding them from American justice.
This wasn’t some smash-and-grab. It was a calculated, insidious assault on the very infrastructure of modern life. Since 2015, the SamSam virus, or MSIL/Samas.A as the techies call it, has wormed its way into hundreds of networks, locking up critical data and demanding payment for its release. The targets weren’t random. They were chosen for their vulnerability, their desperation. Imagine a hospital, unable to access patient records. A city, unable to respond to emergencies. That’s the kind of power these two wielded, and for a cool six million, they were happy to keep wielding it. The indictment came down in Newark, New Jersey, in 2018, but the suspects remain at large.
The details released by the Bureau paint a frustratingly vague picture. Shah Mansouri is described as having brown hair and brown eyes, a young man who seemingly vanished into the digital ether. Savandi, the older of the two, shares the same description. No scars, no distinguishing marks, just two faces lost in a nation not known for extradition. The lack of physical details speaks to the challenges of pursuing cybercriminals who operate across borders, shielded by political complexities and the anonymity of the internet.
The FBI is offering a substantial reward for information leading to their arrest, a clear signal that this case is a priority. They’re not just after justice for the victims, but a deterrent to others who might consider weaponizing code for profit. This is a new kind of war, fought in the shadows of the internet, and these two men are considered key combatants.
If you have any information – anything at all – regarding the whereabouts of Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri or Faramarz Shahi Savandi, contact the FBI immediately. Don’t wait for another hospital to be crippled, another city held hostage. The digital world is a battlefield, and these men are still at large. Contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Silence is complicity.
🔠Key Facts
| Full Name | Samsam Subjects |
| Charges | Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Intentional Damage to a Protected Computer; Transmitting a Demand in Relation to Damaging a Protected Computer |
| Aliases | None known |
| Date of Birth | Unknown |
| Race / Sex | Unknown / Unknown |
| Nationality | Unknown |
| Height | Unknown |
| Weight | Unknown |
| Eyes / Hair | Unknown / Unknown |
| Scars & Marks | None reported |
| Location | New Jersey |
📋 Source: FBI Most Wanted — Samsam Subjects
If you have information about this fugitive, contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
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