In a major international crackdown with Houston ties, authorities have shut down 39 domains linked to a Pakistan-based network selling hacking and fraud tools.
This group, known as Saim Raza or HeartSender, has been active since 2020. The announcement was made by Houston’s own U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei, along with the Justice Department and the FBI.
Recommended Videos
REPORT: Texas named among most vulnerable states for identity theft and fraud
Working together across borders
This operation, which happened on Jan. 29, was a team effort with help from Dutch authorities. These websites were used to sell phishing kits and other tools to criminal groups, leading to over $3 million in losses for people in the U.S.
Real impact on people and businesses
Ganjei pointed out how these scams have been hitting both businesses and everyday folks hard.
“Even though these people reside abroad, the use of these websites made it easy for them to spread their malicious hacking tools for a fee,” he said. “However, today we have significantly disrupted their ability to harm others.”
How they did it
The group ran these sites like online stores, selling phishing kits and scam pages. They even offered training through YouTube videos, making it easy for anyone to use these tools, even if they weren’t tech-savvy. They claimed their tools were “fully undetectable” by security software.
TRUMP NEWS: Trump bars teachings about ‘gender ideology’ and critical race theory in schools with executive order
These tools were mainly used in scams where criminals tricked companies into sending money to accounts they controlled, causing significant financial losses. Shutting down these sites is a big step in stopping these activities and keeping these tools out of criminals’ hands.
What’s next?
The FBI’s Houston office is leading the charge on this investigation. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rodolfo Ramirez and Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein.
