TheFBI’s Internet Criminal Complaint Center issued the warningabout The Com or The Community, made up of what it called “a growing and evolving online threat group” involved in a range of illegal activities. The group is made up primarily young – typically ages 11 to 25- English-speaking international residents who are technically sophisticated cyber criminals.
“The sophistication of The Com criminal activity has grown over the last four years, with subjects employing increasingly complex methods to mask their identities, hide financial transactions, and launder money,” the FBI said. “An underlying theme within the entirety of The Com is its members’ interest in and proficiency with cyber related tactics, techniques, and procedures.”
Hacker Com
The latest subset of the group is called Hacker Com.This group often sells technical services for profit and uses those capabilities to steal cryptocurrency to fund its other illegal activities.
According to the FBI, the group is involved in cyber-attacks, theft of personal information, phishing, ransomware attacks, malware and the sale of government email accounts through a variety of methods.
Cryptocurrency theft is the main goal of the group and that sometimes leads to conflicts among its members and internal rivalries, the FBI said. Those rivalries lead to additional cyber crimes – and sometimes physical violence – against rival members, something that officials said led to what’s known as In Real Life Com. This particularly dangerous group carries out acts of violence that often stem from online conflicts.
A third branch of the group – Extortion Com or Extort Com – uses its cyber skills mainly to exploit minors, particularly girls, through threats of doxing, swatting and real-life violence.
Swat for Hire
One of The Com’s main activities is swatting, or reporting a false emergency at a location to elicit a response from law enforcement, often including a SWAT team.
Some Com subgroups offer “swat-for-hire” services,utilizing technology to obscure their true identity. In turn, they are often paid in cryptocurrency.
Swatting is sometimes part of a hacking scheme, the FBI said.
“Hacker Com groups use swatting to divert attention away from mobile devices or company networks during cryptocurrency thefts or corporate intrusions. The relative ease with which swatting is arranged makes it an attractive retaliation option,” officials added.
What if you’ve been targeted?
If any cyber criminals have targeted you, the first thing to do is contact your account providers immediately to regain control of your accounts and change any passwords. You should also place alerts on your accounts to notify you of any suspicious log-ins or transactions.
Other safety tips
- Use caution when posting or messaging personal information, photos, or videos on social media, dating sites, or other online platforms.
- Monitor children’s online activity and discuss risks associated with posting content.
- Utilize privacy settings on social media accounts to limit public view of photos, videos, and personal information.
- Use caution when accepting friend requests, engaging in video calls, and sending images to individuals you do not know personally.
- Do not give money or other valuable items to individuals you do not know online.
- Do not reply to emails, text messages, or calls that request personal information, such as your password, PIN, or a one time password sent to your email or phone. If someone claiming to be a company “representative” contacts you and asks you to provide personal information or to verify your account by providing a code, hang up and call to the company by dialing the verified customer service line.
- Do not post or advertise information about financial assets such as ownership or investment in cryptocurrency, on social media websites or forums.
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