Police say they have captured a notorious Peruvian hacker who allegedly turned “cracker” by siphoning some $833,000 from unsuspecting banking customers through online fraud. César Alexis Atoche Paredes, 23, alias “Cyber Alexis,” was arrested in Lima’s Carabayllo district by the Investigative Division for High Tech Crimes on Dec.30, police said.
Cyber Alexis made a name for himself in December 2005, when he hacked into the Chilean National Emergency Office’s Web page, forcing the site to shut down, and garnering international headlines. He reportedly left anti-Chilean messages and posted nationalistic claims to ocean territory, seafood and pisco grape.
Atoche is accused of accumulating one million soles, or about $333,000, through “phishing” — the use of email or instant messaging to masquerade as a legitimate banking organization to direct Internet users to phony websites where victims are tricked into entering sensitive information, like passwords and credit card details.
Atoche also allegedly stole $500,000 through “pharming,” which redirects website traffic to another fake site, where victims proceed to provide personal information.
