Ontario police departments part of FBI-led investigation into cybercrime

A four-year long FBI-led cybercrime investigation has involved the OPP Cybercrime Investigation Team along with several other police services including London, Toronto, Peel, Waterloo, York and Woodstock.

Known as ‘Operation Cookie Monster,’ the investigation involved an illicit online criminal market known as the Genesis Market.

The FBI estimates that by April 2022, 1.5 million devices connected to financial sectors, critical infrastructure, and various governments worldwide had been infected by malware.

Through that malware, Genesis Market compiled stolen data such as email addresses, usernames and passwords and packaged this data for sale.

In February, the FBI informed several Ontario police services there were people in their jurisdictions who were believed to have purchased illicitly obtained information through the platform.

In April, police across the province used search warrants and seized electronic devices that have undergone detailed examinations.

The potential number of victims in Ontario is not known. 

To check if your data has been compromised, you can visit the Politie website.