An Israeli teenager, alleged to have made over 100 bomb threats against Jewish Community Centers and day schools in the United States is now accused of making millions in bitcoin through cybercrime on the dark web.
A Jewish teenager with both American and Israeli citizenship was apprehended last month by Israeli authorities in Marc in Ashkelon, a coastal city in the south of Israel. Some reports identify him as Michael Kaydar, a 19-year-old who is accused of making over 100 hoax bomb threat calls to Jewish Community Centers and Jewish day schools across 33 states since January. He is also suspected of making similar threats to locations in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.
At the time of his arrest, police discovered a bitcoin account on his computer. The teenager is also alleged to have used a combination of Google Voice and anonymous calling service SpoofCard, to make the threats. The teenager is said to have used bitcoin toward paying for his Spoofcard. A detailed account of his alleged activities leading up to his arrest can be found here.
A Big Bitcoin Wallet
However, reports coming out of Israel today reveal the police alleging that the teenager has a bitcoin wallet worth millions in Israeli shekels. One million shekels is about the equivalent of $275,000.
According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, an investigation from the regional police supposedly revealed that the teenager sold fake documents including passports, official IDs like driving licenses and visas on the dark web, in exchange for bitcoin. Israeli police also believe that he was involved in selling drugs on the dark web, according to the report. Adding to the list of cybercrimes, police are also reportedly investigating the possibility of the teenager targeting and hacking businesses in exchange for payments in bitcoin.
Police also added that the teenager used his right to remain silent initially during the investigation, the teenage suspect admitted to making the phone calls, as well as being aware of the dark web, despite claiming otherwise originally.
The investigation also estimates that the bitcoin account is worth millions of shekels, although no figures in bitcoins have been revealed.
The teenager’s lawyer has claimed that the teenager suffers from severe medical problems, referencing the suspect’s benign brain tumors in the past.
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