FBI takes down international phishing ring

The phishing gang netted around $1.5m

The FBI has charged nearly 100 people in connection with Operation Phish Phry, one of its largest anti-phishing investigations to date.

More than 50 people in California, Nevada, and North Carolina, along with nearly 50 Egyptians, have been charged with crimes including computer fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, money laundering and aggravated identify theft.

"The FBI is a law enforcement and national security agency, which means we can and must address every angle of a cyber case," said FBI director Robert Mueller.

"This is critical, because what may start as a criminal investigation may lead to a national security threat. At the start of a cyber investigation, we do not know whether we are dealing with a spy, a company insider or an organised criminal group."

Financial gain appears to have been the motive for the phishing gang. The FBI said that the gang accessed hundreds, and possibly thousands, of accounts and used them to transfer about $1.5m (£938,000) to bogus accounts.

Mueller said that it was the responsibility of businesses and consumers to ensure that they operate securely online, and that everyone should use firewalls, anti-virus software and strong passwords.

"Cyber crime might not seem real until it hits you," he said. "But every personal, academic, corporate and government network plays a role in national security. Something that looks like an ordinary phishing scam may be an attempt by a terrorist group to raise funding for an operation."

The two-year Operation Phish Phry is the first joint operation between Egypt and the US. Mueller said that the operation illustrated "the power of our global partnerships".