Hacker resorts to violence to steal data from victims due to lack of computer skills

A 24-year-old man has been charged in the United States for forcing people to install remote computer control software. An accomplice then took care of emptying the cryptocurrency wallets.

When you don't have the persuasion skills of a hacker, there's still violence. American justice indicted Remy St-Felix, a resident of West Palm Beach, Florida, on June 26, 2024, for tying up and forcing people to send cryptocurrencies to an accomplice.

The media The Register reports that the 24-year-old preyed on several elderly investors in the eastern United States. Remy and another criminal donned construction clothing and posed as workers in the neighborhood. They had previously spotted victims who were interested in cryptocurrencies. Once the people returned home in the evening, they held a gun to the back of their heads before tying up their legs.

The two criminals then forced the person to install AnyDesk, a remote computer control software. Once the application was opened, an accomplice would connect from thousands of kilometers away to open the cryptocurrency accounts and empty all the wallets.

Cryptocurrency wallets sometimes have several security barriers that require the physical presence of the person. // Source: Pixabay — Cryptocurrency wallets sometimes have multiple security barriers that require the physical presence of the person. // Source: Pixabay

An accomplice capable of hacking victims

During the kidnapping of a woman in North Carolina, Remy St Felix managed to transfer $156,853 in cryptocurrencies. It is this case, moreover, which made it possible to recover the most information on the gang of criminals.

The husband, also taken hostage, had realized that one of the team members, based in another city, had a technical background and seemed particularly informed about the victim (his wife). It is possible that he was responsible for conducting research, or even stealing personal data in advance, the police suggest.

Remy's gang used the same method in four different states in the United States. The young man is due to be sentenced on September 11, he faces a minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. There is no information on his “teleworking” accomplice.