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Police charge 11 over Zeus cybercrime scam

Essex round-up

UK police investigating a suspected Zeus Trojan e-banking fraud ring have charged 11 people with a variety of fraud and money laundering offences.

The accused, all east European nationals resident in Essex, allegedly participated in a series of frauds targeting customers of UK banks over the last three months that resulted in losses of £6m.

Customers of HSBC, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays Bank and Lloyds TSB were targeted in the scam, according to police.

Eight people have been charged with fraud and money laundering offences. They are: Yuriy Korovalenko, 28 and originally from the Ukraine, a self-employed web designer from Chingford, Essex; Yevhen Kulibaba, 32, a Ukrainian property developer from Chingford, Essex; Karina Kostromina, 33, an unemployed Latvian woman from Chingford, Essex; Aleksander Kusner, 27, an unemployed Estonian male from Romford, Essex; Roman Zenyk, 29, a Ukrainian building labourer from Romford, Essex; Eduard Babaryka, 26, a Belarusian driver resident in Romford, Essex; Ivars Poikans, 29, a Latvian supermarket worker from Harlow, Essex; and Kaspars Cliematnieks, 24, a Latvian supermarket worker from Harlow, Essex.

A further two suspects have been charged with a single charge of conspiracy to defraud. They are: Milka Valerij, 29, a Ukrainian building labourer from Chingford, Essex; and Iryna Prakochyk, 23, an unemployed Ukrainian woman from Chingford, Essex.

A further suspect - Zurab Revazishvili, 34, an unemployed Georgian from Romford, Essex - has been charged over possession of an allegedly false Lithuanian passport.

All 11 are due at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 30 September. Nine other people (six men and three women) arrested by officers from the Scotland Yard-based Police Central e-Crime Unit on Tuesday have been released on police bail pending further inquiries. ®

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