Cybercrime Kingpin Saim Raza Freed, Despite Group's Setbacks and Ongoing Threats
Saim Raza, a notorious figure in the cybercrime world, has recently been released from jail. Meanwhile, his group, The Manipulaters, has faced a series of setbacks, including a domain name loss and a massive malware attack. The group has pleaded with security researchers to remove stories about their activities.
Raza, using the email address [email protected], has reached out to KrebsOnSecurity, asking them to unpublish a 2021 story about The Manipulaters. He claimed that the group had left the cybercrime business. However, a new report from DomainTools.com suggests otherwise. It found that several computers associated with The Manipulaters had been hacked by malware designed to steal data and passwords.
The Manipulaters, based in Pakistan, operated hundreds of websites selling tools for cyber fraud. Their current main product is HeartSender, a spam delivery service. The service leaks a vast amount of user information, including credentials and support requests, to unauthenticated users. The group's core brand is Saim Raza, who has been peddling a popular spamming and phishing service called Fudtools for a decade. The group secretly managed their FudCo brands from a front company called We Code Solutions.
In 2019, The Manipulaters lost their core domain name due to non-renewal, allowing it to be snatched by a cyber intelligence firm. Raza was last arrested in Pakistan in August 2023. Despite his claims of leaving the cybercrime business, the group continues to operate and cause concern in the cybersecurity community.
