UK's Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) reveals some of its victories

SOCA released an annual report Wednesday that highlights some of their more memorable victories. In collaboration with the FBI, they made 60 arrests in the DarkMarket forum case, an online message forum where cyber criminals trade stolen credit cards and bank accounts. They have since recovered more than 16,000 stolen cards.

Then there was the group that attempt to transfer $347 million from Sumitomo Matsui Banking Corporation. SOCA thwarted this attempt, which was the largest attempt at bank theft in the UK. SOCA also worked with Nigerian authorities to intercept email containing Nigerian 419 scams.

SOCA underwent a complete IT overhaul, replacing an aging system with newer, more advanced technology. With these advancements, telephone conversations, emails, and even web browsing sessions can be intercepted and stored for surveillance. This has raised concerns over the right to privacy by ordinary citizens in the UK. It is a highly secretive organization that is exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. UK officials claim this is necessary in order to fight organized crime effectively.

Source: ZDNet Asia
Photo: SXC