U.S. Sanctions Two Russians in $17 Million Cyber Currency Theft

(Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration announced it was sanctioning two Russian men for a phishing campaign that resulted in nearly $17 million in cyber currency theft.

The pair -- identified by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security as Danil Potekhin and Dmitrii Karasavidi -- allegedly operated a phishing campaign in 2017 and 2018 that targeted two U.S.-based and one foreign virtual asset service provider and stole money from customers accounts, the agencies said in a press release.

The pair are also the subject of an indictment being unsealed later Wednesday by the Justice Department, the agencies said.

“The Treasury Department will continue to use our authorities to target cybercriminals and remains committed to the safe and secure use of emerging technologies in the financial sector,” Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement.

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