MONTREAL -- The RCMP arrested and charged two Montrealers on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in a 2018 cyber attack.
Nana Koranteng and Jesiah Russell-Francis are charged with unauthorized use of a computer, fraud over $5000, conspiracy to commit fraud, laundering proceeds of crime, identity theft, and identity fraud.
The police service said in a statement that the cyber attack was a textbook example of a hacking case where stolen personal data was used to purchase hardware material.
In January 2018, Bell Canada warned that hackers stole a significant number of its customers' names and email addresses. No credit card information was breached, according to the company.
The RCMP, whose Cybercrime Investigative team began operating in 2016, investigated the theft. They called the investigation "Project Abalone."
Officers identified the suspects after several stolen accounts were used to fraudulently purchase goods online.
"I'm proud of the work of our investigators as they worked diligently with our partners to prosecute these crimes which have an impact on our country's economic well-being," said Alexandre Beaulieu, acting officer in charge of the RCMP Cybercrimes Investigative Team, in a statement.
