{"id":7148,"date":"2025-01-30T16:03:25","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T22:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=83351"},"modified":"2025-01-30T16:03:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T22:03:25","slug":"department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/01\/30\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network\/","title":{"rendered":"Department of Justice partners with Dutch police to break up HeartSender network"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><head> <meta charset=\"UTF-8\"> <meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\"> <meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1\"> <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ --> <title>Department of Justice partners with Dutch police to break up HeartSender network | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Authorities in the United States and the Netherlands have dismantled a sophisticated Pakistan-based cybercrime network known as Saim Raza.&nbsp;\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/doj-saim-raza-heartsender-takedown\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Department of Justice partners with Dutch police to break up HeartSender network\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Authorities in the United States and the Netherlands have dismantled a sophisticated Pakistan-based cybercrime network known as Saim Raza.&nbsp;\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/doj-saim-raza-heartsender-takedown\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-30T22:03:25+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-30T22:03:27+00:00\"> <meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg\"> <meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\"> <meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\"> <meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\"> <meta name=\"author\" content=\"Greg Otto\"> <meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\"> <meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gregotto\"> <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\">\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/use.typekit.net\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/feed\/\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Comments Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/comments\/feed\/\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-2\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-includes\/css\/dist\/block-library\/style.min.css?m=1732206022g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-6\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/search\/elasticpress\/dist\/css\/related-posts-block-styles.min.css?m=1736472017g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-8\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/themes\/scoopnewsgroup\/dist\/css\/frontend.css?m=1738186663g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\">\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"typekit-css\" href=\"https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/itk2qbh.css?ver=811a4fffdf449a472805\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"https:\/\/api.w.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/\"><link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"JSON\" type=\"application\/json\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83351\"><link rel=\"EditURI\" type=\"application\/rsd+xml\" title=\"RSD\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/xmlrpc.php?rsd\">\n<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"WordPress 6.7.1\">\n<link rel=\"shortlink\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=83351\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (JSON)\" type=\"application\/json+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Fdoj-saim-raza-heartsender-takedown%2F\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (XML)\" type=\"text\/xml+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Fdoj-saim-raza-heartsender-takedown%2F&amp;format=xml\"> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=32\" sizes=\"32x32\">\n<link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=192\" sizes=\"192x192\">\n<link rel=\"apple-touch-icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=180\">\n<meta name=\"msapplication-TileImage\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=270\"> <\/head><body class=\"post-template-default single single-post postid-83351 single-format-standard\" id=\"readabilityBody\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/doj-saim-raza-heartsender-takedown\/#main\" class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--event js-stickybar\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__details\" readability=\"5.12\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__info js-sticky-bar-content\" readability=\"32\">\n<p>Nominations can be submitted for the 2025 CyberScoop 50 awards!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <a class=\"stickybar__link button button-tertiary\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cyberscoop50\/\">Click here!<\/a> <\/div>\n<p> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.807189542484\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"34.443243243243\">\n<p> Also known as \u201cSaim Raza,\u201d the group was allegedly responsible for over $3 million in losses. <\/p>\n<p> <!-- Listen to this article section --> <!-- Audio Element --><br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/83351\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p> <!-- Countdown Timer --> <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- Tooltip --> <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- End of audio player --> <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network.jpg?resize=640%2C426&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> A seal for the Department of Justice is seen on a podium ahead of a news conference with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Department of Justice Building on March 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"19.376468029578\"><body readability=\"39.412138728324\"><\/p>\n<p>Authorities in the United States and the Netherlands have dismantled a sophisticated Pakistan-based cybercrime network known as Saim Raza.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The operation, dubbed \u201cOperation Heart Blocker,\u201d culminated Wednesday with the coordinated seizure of 39 domains and servers. Also known as HeartSender, Saim Raza was responsible for developing and selling phishing kits, with the Department of Justice claiming the software resulted in over $3 million in victim losses.<\/p>\n<p>HeartSender\u2019s network operated through a vast array of criminal web shops, advertising its malicious tools across platforms like YouTube. The group specialized in selling an arsenal of tools \u2014 including phishing kits, cookie grabbers, and other tools to power spam campaigns \u2014 that enabled users to send vast amounts of phishing emails, steal login credentials, and access hacked infrastructure. This global operation attracted thousands of customers seeking to exploit digital vulnerabilities, offering access to services like cPanels, SMTP servers, and WordPress accounts.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation uncovered datasets containing millions of victim records, including approximately 100,000 sets of Dutch credentials.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Aside from police, the group has been on the radar of cybersecurity researchers for the past decade. A story from independent journalist Brian Krebs <a href=\"https:\/\/krebsonsecurity.com\/2024\/04\/the-manipulaters-improve-phishing-still-fail-at-opsec\/\">detailed the group\u2019s sloppy operations<\/a>, including malware infections within their own network and security lapses in their HeartSender services, which reveal customer data and operations to unauthenticated users.<\/p>\n<p>The takedown comes shortly after the FBI was also involved in an international operation that <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/fbi-seized-cracked-nulled-sellix-cybercriminal-forum\/\">seized digital marketplaces<\/a> known for stolen credentials and hacking tools.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"4.0325704225352\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"14\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/department-of-justice-partners-with-dutch-police-to-break-up-heartsender-network-1.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Greg Otto\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Greg Otto<\/h4>\n<p> Greg Otto is Editor-in-Chief of CyberScoop, overseeing all editorial content for the website. Greg has led cybersecurity coverage that has won various awards, including accolades from the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Business Publication Editors. Prior to joining Scoop News Group, Greg worked for the Washington Business Journal, U.S. News &amp; World Report and WTOP Radio. He has a degree in broadcast journalism from Temple University. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest Podcasts\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"top-categories\">\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Government<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Technology<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/main> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--bottom \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"interstitial\" class=\"welcome__container\"> <button id=\"close-modal-1\" class=\"welcome__clickable_area\"><\/button> <\/p>\n<div class=\"welcome__ad_wrapper\">\n<p> <button id=\"close-modal-3\" class=\"welcome__continue-button\">Continue to CyberScoop<\/button> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- Start of HubSpot Embed Code --> <!-- End of HubSpot Embed Code --> <\/body> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/doj-saim-raza-heartsender-takedown\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Department of Justice partners with Dutch police to break up<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[282,338,3626,3627,3628,288],"tags":[286,341,3629,3630,3631,294],"class_list":["post-7148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cybercrime","category-department-of-justice-doj","category-heartsender","category-phishing-kit","category-saim-raza","category-threats","tag-cybercrime","tag-department-of-justice-doj","tag-heartsender","tag-phishing-kit","tag-saim-raza","tag-threats"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","chromenews-featured":"","chromenews-large":"","chromenews-medium":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Cyber Scoop","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/cyberscoop\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cybercrime\/\" rel=\"category tag\">cybercrime<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/department-of-justice-doj\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Department of Justice (DOJ)<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/heartsender\/\" rel=\"category tag\">HeartSender<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/phishing-kit\/\" rel=\"category tag\">phishing kit<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/saim-raza\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Saim Raza<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/threats\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Threats<\/a>","tag_info":"Threats","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7148\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}