- The U.S. Justice Department seized a domain used in bank account takeover fraud.
- The domain web3adspanels[.]org hosted stolen bank login credentials and a backend server to support fraud.
- Fraudsters ran fake ads on major search engines to redirect victims to counterfeit banking sites.
- The scheme targeted at least 19 U.S. victims, causing $14.6 million in actual losses.
- The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has received over 5,100 related complaints in 2025, with losses above $262 million.
The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) announced on December 22, 2025, the seizure of the domain web3adspanels[.]org, which was used to facilitate a criminal scheme targeting Americans through bank account takeover fraud. The operation, led by U.S. and Estonian authorities, disrupted the backend web panel that hosted stolen bank login credentials and assisted fraudsters last month.
The domain served as a platform to manage login information illegally harvested from victims. According to the DoJ, the involved criminal group delivered fraudulent ads through search engines like Google and Bing. "The criminal group perpetrating the bank account takeover fraud delivered fraudulent advertisements through search engines, including Google and Bing," officials noted, explaining that these ads mimicked legitimate sponsored ads of banking institutions.
Victims clicking these ads were redirected to fake bank websites operated by the fraudsters. The sites contained malicious software that captured the login credentials entered by users. The stolen details were then used to access real bank accounts and withdraw funds without permission.
Reportedly, the fraud affected 19 victims across the U.S., including two companies based in Georgia’s Northern District. The scheme resulted in attempted losses nearing $28 million, with actual losses estimated at $14.6 million. The seized domain reportedly stored login credentials from thousands of victims and remained active until recently.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shared that since January 2025, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received more than 5,100 reports of bank account takeover fraud, with financial losses surpassing $262 million.
Users are advised to carefully check banking website URLs before entering information, use strong and unique passwords, monitor accounts closely for unusual activity, and stay alert for phishing attacks or suspicious communications.
For more information, see the DoJ announcement.
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