A British individual charged with functioning under the alias “IntelBroker” on cybercrime forums has been indicted for purportedly distributing stolen information, leading to damages exceeding $25 million.
The US Southern District of New York Attorney’s Office revealed Kai West’s indictment on Wednesday. Allegedly, West operated on illicit online marketplaces utilizing the IntelBroker moniker, inflicting damages exceeding $25 million on various victims.
Former US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman and lawyer Jay Clayton was one of the individuals involved in unsealing the indictment. “This action underscores the FBI’s resolve to pursue cybercriminals globally,” he remarked.
West reportedly conspired with an online group named CyberN***ers to illegally obtain data from multiple businesses, including a telecommunications firm, a municipal healthcare provider, an internet service provider, and over 40 other entities.
Undercover transaction prompted charges
As detailed in the complaint, a covert law enforcement officer sent a direct message to IntelBroker to acquire data pertaining to a victim for $250 in Bitcoin (BTC). An address linked to West was provided, and subsequent to the payment, the data was allegedly delivered, which included three admin-level usernames and passwords.
West and his online associates allegedly listed the illegally obtained data for sale at over $2 million. He was arrested in France in February, and the US is currently pursuing his extradition.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia stated that West is a “serial hacker” and noted that he managed to “sell it for millions in illicit proceeds.” IntelBroker was active on the now-defunct cybercrime forum BreachForums.
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Per the announcement, an examination of the 158 threads allegedly initiated by West showcased offers for stolen data for sale, in Forum-1 credits (the internal currency of BreachForums), as well as for free. He was reportedly active from about January 2023 to February 2025, with at least 41 of his threads involving data from companies based in the US.
Among those 158 threads, 16 posts specified a particular asking price for the data, accumulating to a minimum of $2,467,000. Messages allegedly authored by West also indicated he accepted payments using the privacy coin Monero (XMR).
IntelBroker gained prominence on BreachForums to the extent that he was recognized as the site’s proprietor beginning in August 2024.
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Data leaks and breaches continue to occur
This news follows the recent disclosure of over 16 billion login credentials from major online service providers, which may have significant implications for cryptocurrency users. Earlier this month, it was reported that Coinbase had been informed in January that an employee of an outsourcing firm might have disclosed customer information.
The breach was revealed in mid-May, when a $20 million extortion attempt targeted Coinbase after cybercriminals enlisted overseas support agents to leak user information. “These insiders misused their access to customer support systems to pilfer the account data for a limited number of customers,” Coinbase stated at that time.
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