A remarkable picture of Russian criminal Maksim Yakubets with his family was recently released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) yesterday. They are the leaders of Evil Corp., the infamous cybercrime outfit.
The gang is headed by Maksim, his money-laundering father Viktor, brother Artem, cousins Kirill and Dmitry Slobodskoy, and father-in-law Eduard Benderskiy, a former top official in the Russian intelligence agency, the FSB, the NCA, Britain’s equivalent of the FBI, revealed for the first time.
The origins of Evil Corp.
The multimillionaire Maksim is said to have targeted thousands of Britons for more than ten years. Maksim conducts espionage operations for the Russian state against NATO nations while stealing their life savings and hacking bank credentials.
Maksim, who is regarded as untouchable in Moscow, frequently records videos of himself doing stunts in his Ferrari or modified Lamborghini near neighbourhood cops, complete with a bespoke license plate that reads “Thief” in Russian.
The 37-year-old, who has worked for FSB, reportedly lives extravagantly. He splashes out over £250,000 on his wedding, supercars, and cubs of tigers and lions. The largest-ever bounty for a cybercriminal, £3.8 million, was placed on his head by the US State Department in 2019.
Now, the NCA is stepping up its efforts and identifying friends and relatives who have amassed millions of dollars by snooping on bank transfers from the general public, companies, educational institutions, and houses of worship.
Investigators have discovered pictures of the Yakubets family over holidays and at opulent gatherings. According to reports, Maksim launched the business from cafes in Moscow in 2007. Using viruses intended not to target Russians, the organisation employs hundreds of people to con victims in 43 different countries.
Through his father-in-law, the family firm developed connections with Russian intelligence agencies, such as the FSB, SVR, and GRU. Benderskiy was employed by FSB’s clandestine “Vympel” division, which has strong ties to the Kremlin.
International sanctions
Investigators have revealed that Evil Corp. has extorted at least £225 million worldwide. Yesterday, 16 members of the group were sanctioned in the US, Australia, and the UK. Insiders think it’s still unlikely to catch Maksim.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated, “I am making it my mission to target the Kremlin with the full arsenal of sanctions at our disposal. Putin has constructed a corrupt mafia state, and we must combat this at every turn.”
“Today’s action is just the beginning. Today’s sanctions send a clear message to the Kremlin that we will not tolerate Russian cyberattacks, whether from the state or its cybercriminal ecosystem.”
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