Some IT professionals are hacking different social networking site accounts in bid to make money through illegal means. However, they mainly target the accounts of solvent individuals, especially persons involved in extra-marital affairs. Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police unearthed such a gang after arresting a hi-profile cybercriminal from the city’s Rajmoni Cinema Hall area on Friday last.
Talking to Bangladesh Post, Md Shajahan Shaju, additional deputy commissioner of DB (North), who himself supervised the whole operation, confirmed the matter on Tuesday. The cyber criminal was identified as Md Foysal Ahmed Lincoln, 26, son of Md Abdus Salam, hailing from Rajapur under Mehediganj upazila in Barishal district.
ADC Md Junaed Alam Sharker of Cantonment Zonal team of DB (North) who led the whole operation against the top cyber criminal said, “Arrested Foysal is highly skilled in IT.” The cyber terror had completed his higher degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from BRAC University, he added. During primary interrogation, Foysal admitted that he targets the Facebook accounts with weak passwords and the accounts which had no ‘Two Factor Authentication’.
After hacking the accounts of several Facebook users, he used to send some adult messages to their friends and relatives to embarrass and blackmail them. At one stage, he communicated with the owners of the hacked accounts and demanded money through blackmailing, threatening to reveal it on the internet.
HM Akteruzzaman Bachu is an elected representative and organizing secretary of Nolchiti upazila Awami League in Barishal. Hacker Foysal hacked his account and used the account for around six months.
Foysal sent indecent proposals to many of the close relatives of the ruling party leader including his own niece. On getting such an indecent proposal from the account of her own maternal uncle, the lady became extremely embarrassed. She first wanted to ignore it. But when she was regularly getting such indecent proposal from the account of Bachu, she informed it to her parents and relatives.
Very soon it became known to most of the family members and relatives of both Bachu and his young female relative. It created serious misunderstanding and heavy disputes among the two families. Talking to Bangladesh Post, Bachu who lodged a case against Foysal with Ramna Model Police Station under the Digital Security Act said, “I am an Awami League leader. But the hacker published a post praising military dictator and BNP founder late Ziaur Rahman from my account.”
According to the local sources, the post became viral as Bachu is also chairman of Kolkathi Union Parishad. Some of his rival leaders even questioned the original political ideology of Bachu. Some of them demanded immediate suspension of Bachu from his post. But Bachu knew that he was totally innocent.
According to the case statement, Foysal demanded money using his another fake Facebook account Md Tanvir Razu. He demanded money be sent to the Bikash account 016788026** by threatening to make Bachu’s edited pictures viral.
Being afraid of damage to personal image, he sent Tk 500 to the account from his own Bikash account 017121746**. Later using another phone number, 017936144**, Foysal threatened Bachu and his son. The hacker claimed that Bachu’s rival gave him Tk 2 lakh and 40 thousand to do him (Bachu) harm.
He also threatened to kill Bachu if Bachu did not give him that money. Bachu later lodged a general diary in this connection.
On May 20, hacker Foysal was nabbed red-handed by the DB when he came to take money from Bachu. During the arrest, Foysal was also found logging in to the account of Bachu from his phone. During the grilling, Foysal admitted that he hacked around one hundred Facebook accounts of different professionals.
ADC Junaed suggested all Facebook users use strong passwords and two factor authentication to save their privacy.
