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The Sweet Bobby Case tells the story of Kirat Assi, who was catfished for almost a decade, by her own cousin, Simran Bhogal. Bhogal disguised herself as Bobby Jandu, a cardiologist from their Sikh community. She then connected with Assi on Facebook in 2010, which eventually evolved into a serious relationship. During the nine year relationship, the fake bobby used excuses such as “I’ve had a stroke” and “I’ve been shot”, to avoid meeting Assi in person.

Catfishing is a type of cyber-enabled crime, it can be characterized as a type of profile plagiarism in which someone uses someone else's online persona as their own social media identity. In the US alone, approximately 20,000 people are catfished per year, with 41% of US adults online reporting being victims in 2020.

The Sweet Bobby Case displays a very sophisticated type of catfishing, in where Bhogal not only created a fake profile for herself, but a web of profiles to act as fake Bobbys family. Despite this advanced deception, that resulted in Assi and fake Bobby getting engaged, Bhogal was never charged or prosecuted. Under UK law, catfishing is not a crime. Later, in 2020, Assi sued Bhogal. Assi recieved financial copensation and an apology letter.

This case shows a legal grey area surrounding online deception, where emotional and psychological abuse can go unpunished. Assi was subjected to coercive control, emotional abuse, and financial loss, believing she was in a real relationship with someone who never even knew she existed. As a result of this deception, Assi experienced mental distress, isolation from her loved ones and a loss of trust in herself.

This case brought more attention to the psychological impact on victims of catfishing, and showed the legal weaknesses of addressing online deception. While Bhogal was not charged for his actions, the case sparked discussions on whether catfishing, especially when used in such a manipulative and deceptive manner, should be legallly recognised as fraud or harrassment in the UK.

The Netflix documentary "Sweet Bobby" was inspired by the unbelievable level of deceit in the Sweet Bobby case. As a result, this increased public interest in cybercrime and its impacts on its victims. Its publicity further strengthened scholarly debates about legal reform and online coercive control.

Assi continues to campaign for catfishing to be recognised as a criminal offence. Further, Assi's successful civil lawsuit demonstrates that victims can still make use of the privacy and data protection rules that are in place today. These laws give victims the option to seek monetary compensation and offer some responsibility even in the absence of criminal charges.

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Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare | Official Trailer | Netflix

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The AlphaBay Market was one of the biggest dark web markets between 2014 and 2017. It operated as an online black market which allowed customers to buy and sell illegal items such as hacking tools, stolen data, drugs, and counterfeit documents. Alphabay was accessed via the Tor network. This meant that buyers and sellers could remain anonymous. The Alphabay Market used cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, to complete transactions, as it is largely untracable, therefore making the crimes harder to prove.

When Alphabay was at it's peak, over 400,000 people used it for illegal transactions. The company handled millions of dollars' worth of transactions every day, facilitating more than $1 billion in transactions, making it the largest dark web marketplace of its time. Europol reports that AlphaBay had over 250,000 listings for toxic chemicals and illegal drugs, and were responsible for the trading of over 350,000 illicit commodities including drugs, firearms and cybercrime malware.

Silk Road, another notorious dark web marketplace that was shut down in 2013, was replaced by Alphabay. But in July 2017, the FBI, DEA, and Europol conducted a global law enforcement operation that resulted in AlphaBay's seizure. The creator of the website, Alexandre Cazes, was detained in Thailand and subsequently passed away while there. Authorities believe he took his life to avoid extradition to the United States, where he faced multiple charges, including conspiracy to engage in racketeering and fraud.

The emergence of dark web market places like Alphabay and the Silkroad resulted in discussions to their advantages and disadvantages. One side argues that these markets facilitate the trafficking of firearms, drugs, and stolen data by criminals, which contributes to crime in the real world and poses health risks to the general public. It is particularly challenging for law enforcement to monitor illicit behavior because these transactions are anonymous, helped by using cryptocurrencies. People could argue that closing online markets, such as AlphaBay, helps to reduce the increase of illegal drugs and cybercrimes.

The other side argues that dark web marketplaces provide drug buyers with safer substitutes, lowering the dangers of trading drugs on the street. A similar argument arose with the emergence of safe injecting rooms. While this enables addicts to continue drug use, it also enables them to be injected safely, with non-contaminated drugs, as banning something does not mean that it is inaccessable. Similarly to these safe injecting rooms, online drug purchases, as opposed to in-person ones, enable user assessments, which alert consumers about potentially harmful substances and prevent overdosing. Closing these marketplaces doesn't end the illegal purchasing of drugs and other items, rather, it drives it to more obscure and dispersed platforms, making harm reduction and regulation even more difficult.

As people constantly adapt to avoid law enforcement, the AlphaBay case emphasises the continued difficulty of monitoring cybercrime. AlphaBay was successfully taken down by law enforcement, but new marketplaces quickly replaced it, demonstrating the persistent nature of cybercriminal networks in the digital era.

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AlphaBay is Taking Over the Dark Web... Again

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The Carbanak Bank Heist, which stole more than $1 billion from banks globally, was one of the most advanced cybercrimes in history. A cybercriminal organisation known as Carbanak, later renamed FIN7, breached financial institutions in over 40 countries between 2013 and 2018. The only tools used in this theft were computers and malware.

The Carbanak Bank Heist, which stole more than $1 billion from banks globally, was one of the most advanced cybercrimes in history. A cybercriminal organisation known as Carbanak, later renamed FIN7, breached financial institutions in over 40 countries between 2013 and 2018. The only tools used in this theft were computers and malware.

The Carbanak Heist is an example of a cyber-dependant crime, as the heist could not have taken place without the use of hacking tooks and digital networks. The hackers gained remote access to internal banking systems by tricking bank staff into downloading malware through phishing emails. Once inside, they observed bank activities, researched employee behaviors, and used system manipulation to move funds into accounts that they controlled.

A variety of techniques were used to succesfully steal the money. In order to enable accomplices to retrieve the money, they gave ATMs instructions to dispense cash at certain times. Other times, they moved stolen money into fake bank accounts and changed the account balances. Further, they managed to take over bank networks long enough to approve fraudulent transactions without setting off security alerts.

The impact of the Carbanak bank heist was significant. Over 100 banks and financial institutions were targeted, some losing up to $10 million each. As one of the most destructive cyber heists ever documented, Carbanak targeted major banks directly, in contrast to the majority of cybercriminal organisations who target people.

Denis K, a Ukrainian national thought to be the mastermind behind Carbanak, was detained by Spanish authorities in 2018. Many of the group's members are still unknown, though, and similar attacks are still carried out under various aliases. The case is widely cited by law enforcement organisations around the world as an illustration of how hackers take advantage of flaws in the security of digital banking.

The Carbanak case was a great reminder of the lurking threat of cybercrime. Hackers create increasingly advanced methods of money theft as banks become more digital. As a result of this theft, banks have made significant investments in fraud detection and staff training to guard against similar incidents in the future. However, the game between cybercriminals and law enforcement continues, prooving that even the most secure systems can be vulnerable.

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Russian Hackers’ $1 Billion Cyber Heist [Carbanak Story]

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The Tinder Swindler is the case of an Israeli scammer, Shimon Hayut, who used Tinder to con various European women in order to take their money. Hayut would introduce himself as Simon Leviev, the son of Lev Leviev, a rich diamond magnate.

Hayut would create the illusion of a serious and loving relationship, investing his time and money into these women by taking them on extravagant dates. This fake identity would serve as the basis for his financial fraud.

A clever and cunning tactic was used by Hayut.

After Hayut had conviced the women that they were in a loving and secure relaionship, he would weave together a web of lies about his "enemies" in the diamon industry. He would say that his security had been breached and that his credit cards were being tracked, therefore he urgently needed to borrow money. The women, who were emotionally commited, felt they had no choice but to help. They would frequently max out their credit cards or take out loans to achieve this.

Hayut was so believable, because he had built an entire network of assosiates that were apart of his deception.

He would show the women images of his "luxury lifestyle" and produced videos of his "bodyguard" being attacked in order to support his story. One victim even claims she met his ex, who claimed that Huyat was a great guy. His victims found it challenging to come foward with the truth, because of this multi-layered deception. He would then use the money to finance his extravagant lifestyle and to entice new victims, forming a fraudulent system.

Like the Sweet Bobby case, the Tinder Swindler case exposes a significant legal gap. The complexity of international law and the nature of internet deception made punishment challenging, despite the fact that Hayut's actions were clearly harmful. After being apprehended in Greece for using a fake passport, he was deported to Israel. But he was released from prison early, for his good behavior. He was never charged for the fraud against the women.

The case brought attention to the disadvantages of online dating and how easy it is to be deceived without knowing. These crimes can cause significant psychological pain as well as significant financial losses.

Huyat's fraud inspired the Netflix documentary "The Tinder Swindler". It raised awareness globally and sparked discussions about online safety. The case made clear how important it is to verify the identity of people you meet on dating apps. Even though Hayut didn't face significant legal repercussions, the documentary served as a warning. It highlighted the psychological and monetary devastation that scammers can wreak and it reinforced calls for more protections against these types of cybercrimes.

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The Tinder Swindler | Official Clip - The Man With Many Names | Netflix

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The Equafax Data Breach was one of the biggest cybersecurity disasters in history. Occuring in 2017, it exposed 147 million people's personal data. The hackers obtained names, birthdates, addresses, social security numbers, and credit card information by taking advantage of a flaw in Equifax's systems. While Equifax is one of the largest credit reporting companies in the world, they failed to take action when they were alerted to a security threat months before the breach.

This crime was entirelt cyber-dependan, with hacking and digital exploitation being a vital aspect. The hackers gained access to Equifax's databases by exploiting a flaw in Apache Struts, a software framework that was utilised by Equifax. The hackers managed to remove a vast number of private information over a number of months before Equifax even became aware of the breach.

The consequenses of this data breach were serious. The hackers were able to use the stolen social security numbers and other personal information to start fake bank accounts, commit identity theft, and apply for loans in the identities of the victims. The hack exposed millions of people to financial fraud, many who were not even aware that their data had been compromised. Some victims didn't learn about it until they noticed strange loans or charges on their credit records.

Rightfully, the way Equifax handled the matter drew harsh criticism. It took more than two months for them to make the public aware of it. They went as far as attempting to charge customers for credit monitoring services rather than providing free protection, and their website for impacted users was riddled with security holes.

Equifax agreed to a $700 million settlement in 2019, of which $425 million was designated for victims. However, considering the scope of the breach, many criticised this as being unacceptable. If Equifax had responded to warnings and promptly upgraded its software, the incident might have never happened.

The Equifax breach demonstrated how susceptible even the largest businesses are to online threats. It sparked conversations about consumer rights, data security, and business responsibility. The hack shows that personal information is never completely safe in the digital age, even if governments have responded by calling for more data protection regulations.

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The great hack: A famous fraudster explains the Equifax data breach | Frank Abagnale