UK teen arrested in connection to global cybercrime group that targeted MGM Resorts

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — Police in England arrested a teenager in connection with a global cyber online crime group that targeted several companies, including MGM Resorts, according to the FBI office in Las Vegas.

West Midlands police arrested a 17-year-old boy from Walsall, a town in West Midlands, England, on Thursday, July 18, the bureau posted on X Friday morning .

The arrest was made by officers from the Regional Organised Crime Unit for the West Midlands (ROCUWM) and the National Crime Agency in coordination with the FBI, according to West Midlands police .

Officers took the suspect, who was not named, into custody on suspicion of blackmail and computer misuse act offenses. He was released on bail while West Midlands police continued its investigation.

Officers recovered evidence that they said included several digital devices that will be forensically examined.

The suspect’s arrest is part of a global investigation into a large-scale cyber hacking community that targeted major companies, including MGM Resorts.

“These cyber groups have targeted well-known organizations with ransomware and they have successfully targeted multiple victims around the world taking from them significant amounts of money,” Detective Inspector Hinesh Mehta, cyber crime unit manager at ROCUWM, said in a West Midland Police release.

On Sept. 11, 2023, a “cybersecurity issue” affected some of the system s for MGM Resorts International. The company shut down some of its systems to help protect the company’s data.

Nearly ten days later, MGM Resorts posted on social media stating that all operations returned to normal.

“We know first-hand the damage these criminals can do and the importance of working with law enforcement to fight back,” a spokesperson from MGM Resorts said in the release. “By voluntarily shutting down our systems, refusing to pay a ransom and working with law enforcement on their investigation and response, the message to criminals was clear: it’s not worth it.”

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