FBI and Polri dismantle global "phishing" network
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Atlanta branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) have successfully concluded a several-year joint investigation, culminating in an operation to dismantle a sophisticated global phishing network.
This first joint cyber investigation between the United States and Indonesia specifically targeted the notorious “W3LL” phishing device developer, according to a written statement from the US Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday.
“This is not just phishing—this is a full cybercrime platform. And we will continue to work with domestic and international law enforcement partners, using every tool at our disposal to protect the public,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham.
“The United States is deeply grateful to the Republic of Indonesia Police for their expertise and commitment in this joint effort,” he added.
The operation resulted in Polri securing the suspect developer, identified as G.L., along with the execution of search warrants leading to the seizure of assets and hardware containing evidence related to thousands of targets worldwide.
The phishing infrastructure was supported by an online marketplace known as W3LLSTORE. Between 2019 and 2023, this trading hub facilitated the sale of more than 25,000 hacked accounts and unauthorised system accesses.
In the period from 2023 to 2024 alone, the phishing devices targeted more than 17,000 victims across nearly every continent.
In total, the W3LL phishing device developer facilitated the theft of thousands of account credentials and attempted fraudulent transactions worth more than $20 million (approximately Rp350 billion) worldwide.
“The success of this operation is due to the coordinated work between cyber investigators from FBI Atlanta, Polri’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), and the East Nusa Tenggara Police (Kupang),” said FBI Attaché Robert Lafferty at a press conference at Polri Headquarters on Wednesday (22/4).
“While the FBI monitored digital footprints and tracked fund flows in the United States, Polri conducted crucial field operations to locate the mastermind and gather vital digital evidence,” he said.