Dutch Citizen Charged with Fraud, Identity Theft in Hacking Case

A 21-year-old Dutch citizen has been charged with allegedly selling credit card numbers collected from Boeing’s employee credit union and stealing card numbers from other illegal online data markets.

David Benjamin Schrooten appeared in federal court in Seattle on Monday to face a 14-count indictment alleging conspiracy, fraud, intentional damage to a computer and aggravated identity theft.

Schrooten, who went by the online nickname “Fortezza,” was extradited from Romania in March, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors allege that Schrooten trafficked upwards of 44,000 credit card numbers, which caused millions of dollars in damages, the DOJ said.

Schrooten was accused of building “carding” websites, or online outlets to sell pilfered credit card details to criminals, with Christopher A. Schrobel, 21, of Keedysville, Maryland. Schrobel, who was arrested last November, pleaded guilty last month and is scheduled for sentencing in August.

Schrooten allegedly gained access to point-of-sale devices belonging to commercial business and recorded the credit card number of customers, according to the indictment. Also targeted were the computer networks of payment processors.

Additionally, Schrooten stands accused of hacking “established carding websites belonging to other in order to steal databases that contained stolen credit card numbers.” In one instance, 44,000 credit card numbers were downloaded from a carding website and uploaded to a server controlled by Schrooten, the indictment reads.

Among the victims were people who used credit cards issued by the Boeing Employees Credit Union, according to the indictment.

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