The FBI has arrested 20 people in a raid against a cybercrime ring that used the Zeus Trojan to steal $US3 million from US banks.
The American raid follows similar arrests in the UK earlier this week, when 19 were arrested by the Metropolitan Police for using the Trojan to sneak into bank accounts.
Based in Eastern Europe, the criminals made use of the Zeus Trojan, which was sent via email to businesses in the US. Once infected, PCs recorded key strokes to send back to hackers.
The criminals also created a money laundering system using fake names to move the stolen funds into overseas accounts.
The investigation started in February after $US44,000 was suspciously withdrawn from a bank in New York.
While 37 were charged with the crimes in the US, only 20 have so far been arrested. The majority are Russians or Moldovans in their early twenties. Some of the charges could bring up to 30 years in prison, with several of the accused facing multiple charges and as many as 55 years in prison.
"Today's coordinated operation demonstrates that these 21st century bank robbers are not completely anonymous; they are not invulnerable," Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said. "Working with our colleagues here and abroad, we will continue to attack this threat, and bring cyber criminals to justice."
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