A 28-year-old man was charged on Monday over the largest credit card theft ever in the United States, in which more than 130 million card numbers were stolen, the Justice Department said.
Albert Gonzales, of Miami, Florida, and two unnamed co-conspirators were accused of hacking into computer networks of firms supporting major American retail and financial organisations and stealing data.
The department described it as the "largest alleged credit and debit card data breach ever charged in the United States".
Beginning in October 2006, Gonzales used a sophisticated hacking technique to get around firewalls and steal information related to more than 130 million credit and debit cards, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Targeted companies included Heartland Payment Systems, a New Jersey-based card payment processor; 7-Eleven, a Texas-based nationwide convenience store chain; and Hannaford Brothers, a Maine-based supermarket chain.
Gonzales was charged with conspiracy and conspiracy to engage in wire fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and an additional five years in prison for conspiracy if convicted.
Gonzales is scheduled to go on trial in New York next month on separate charges of hacking into the computer network of a national restaurant chain.
He is facing a separate trial next year in yet another case, in which he is accused of hacking into the computer networks of eight major retailers and stealing data related to 40 million credit cards.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
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