Global Pune based Fraud hacker Amit Tiwari arrested

Amit Vikram Tiwari, an engineering dropout and global hacker, is in the CBI net. He is part of a global network of hackers and was arrested on Friday from Pune following a tip-off from the FBI.

One and Only in history, The biggest international hacking scandal, possibly involving corporates, associations and big individuals, coordinated raids conducted by investigating agencies in India, China and Romania, on the basis of intelligence from Federal Bureau of Investigation about the “organised hacking” happening in three countries and others. In India, the Central Bureau of Investigation conducted raids at four places including Mumbai, Pune and Ghaziabad and arrested the alleged mastermind hacker in India – Amit Vikram Tiwari (31), son of a former army colonel, said sources.
Interestingly, the controversial cricket league – Indian Premier League – is back in news again with the hacking scandal. According to highly placed sources, people connected to the IPL had approached Tiwari for hacking into the some accounts but they reportedly had a dispute over money after which work was not reportedly completed. CBI is investigating the IPL connection with the hacking. Officials refused to divulge details but hinted that some people associated with the tournament wanted high-level hacking done.
It is suspected that Amit Vikram Tiwari is main Fraud hacker in India but he was in touch with people abroad and master-hackers are based somewhere else. Sources also said that most of clients who approached Tiwari for hacking into email accounts and websites were foreigners. All possibilities — national security, corporate hacking, financial fraud and hacking into government departments and secret units, are being probed by CBI in coordination with FBI.
Rediff News reported:

FBI has also tipped off India about the hackers stealing online banking credentials of account holders. All credentials are picked up by the hacker and then a price is fixed before he sells that information.

 

The amount that the data is sold for depends on the bank balance of the person. There are amounts that have been fixed even for those people who have less than 500 dollars in their account. Accounts comprising sums such as $90,000 to $200,000 too have been hacked and the information sold.

Stealing identities, hacking into bank accounts and snooping into emails for information are part of this major international hacking racket which involves money’s worth over $600 million, the sources added.
FBI also shared the GPS location of the criminal with CBI. But not just in India, FBI had contacted Combating Organized Crime (DCCO) of Romania and Ministry of Public Security (MPS) of China, providing specific input on hackers penetrating e-mail accounts and mounting attacks on U.S based financial systems.
Officials claim that 900 email accounts were hacked between February 2011 and February 2013 by international hackers including Tiwari and 171 accounts out of these belonged to Indians. “It has been alleged that a number of internet websites advertised that the website operators could get access to e-mail account in exchange for a fee varying from $250 to $500. The customers desirous to get unauthorized access, submitted e-mail accounts to these websites. Upon receipt of the order, as well as the e-mail addresses, the website operators gained access to such e-mail accounts and sent a proof of such access to the customers. On receipt of payment from Customers these website operators shared the password with the customers,” said CBI Spokesperson Kanchan Prasad. CBI has booked Tiwari and unknown hackers for criminal conspiracy, theft of information and Section 66 of Information Technology Act.
Sources say that payments were being received by hackers through western union money transfer and web-payment portal paypal.com.
What has baffled investigators is that FBI tracking the scandal. It is being suspected that some accounts related to United States government and big corporates there were also hacked after which FBI tracked the hosting sites, used for hacking, in India, China and Romania. In India, Tiwari and his fellow hackers were using two primary websites – and from Pune www.hirehacker.net and www.anonymity.com.
CBI Director Ranjit Sinha said that this was part of an international law enforcement operation and CBI had registered two FIRs against suspect operators of hacking websites. “The operation is product of an international investigation coordinated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Combating Organised Crime (DCCO) of Romania, CBI and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) of China and raids in three countries were carried out simultaneously,” said Sinha.
The FBI officials had been reportedly having regular meetings with CBI in New Delhi over past few months and a preliminary inquiry was registered last month itself and it was decided that coordinated raids would be conducted in all the countries. FBI has launched major operation against hackers located globally last year as part of which Romanian authorities have arrested a hacker known as ‘Guccifer’ on Thursday who was infamous for hacking into accounts of powerful leaders. It is alleged that Guccifer leaked online Colin Powell’s personal emails, an unreleased script of Downton Abbey, and the paintings of George W Bush.
CBI sources say they had no information about arrests made in Romania and China as it was the domain of authorities in those countries and it was only concerned with the probe in India.
CBI officials, after arresting Tiwari from Pune, bringing him to Delhi for interrogation. He has initially given some inputs about his clients and people whose accounts were hacked. Agency has recovered his computers, laptop and hard-drives for retrieving the data.
Sources say that Tiwari, had been arrested in 2003 as well for trying to defraud a Mumbai based credit card processing company (9 lack Rs fraud in 2003). Mumbai Police had arrested him for the scandal.
Why FBI was Interested in Amit Tiwari ?
It is being suspected that some accounts related to United States government and big corporates there were also hacked after which FBI tracked the hosting sites, used for hacking they were found to be operated from India, China and Romania. Instead of taking direct action on these Websites they reach to Local Bureaus giving the logs and tracking data to the members of these Organisations. In India, Tiwari and his fellow hackers were using two primary websites – and from Pune www.hirehacker.net and www.anonymity.com.
Who is Amit Tiwari?
An engineering dropout from Pune and a global hacker, he is the son of an Indian Army colonel. The Mumbai police arrested him in 2003 for defrauding a Mumbai-based credit card processing company of nearly Rs9 lakh.
What is hacking?
Hacking is explained in section 43 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. It includes unauthorised access, download, introducing virus, disrupting or damaging computers of others.

Sections applicable in hacking
Hacking is punishable under section 66 read with section 43 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Punishment/Fine 
The person can be punished with up to three years imprisonment or fine up to Rs5 lakh or both.
Who is his clientele?
From jilted lovers to corporate entities, he catered to everyone willing to pay his fees ($250-500). He operated through two websites — www.hirehacker.net and www.anonymity.com. He is accused of hacking into the email accounts of more than 900 people globally. He used to be paid via Western Union money transfer and Paypal.
His modus operandi
Customers who wanted unauthorized access to email accounts used to submit particulars of those accounts on the websites run by Tiwari. Upon receipt of the order as well as the email addresses, the website operators used to gain access to such email accounts and send a proof of such access to the customers. On receiving payment from customers, these website operators shared the password with them, according to the CBI.
Question for FBI: U.S based hackers also hack websites, Financial institutions, Credit Cards of millions of people around the world, including India. Will FBI ever take the initiative to arrest them to support Indian Investigation Agencies?