The U.S. State Department has announced a reward of up to USD $3 million¹ for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Russian national Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev. Bogachev is wanted by the FBI for numerous alleged cybercrimes including an association with a botnet named Gameover ZeuS.

GoZ, which rose from the grave in July of 2014, is currently used to distribute ransomware such as CryptoLocker as well as copy bank account details and other personal information gathered from infected machines. Bogachev is currently believed to be holed up in the same place that other political dissidents of the USSA currently make their home.

The full media note released by the U.S. State Department is provided below:

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
February 24, 2015

The U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev, a Russian national wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for his alleged participation in a major cyber racketeering enterprise.

Also known online as “lucky12345” and “slavik,” Bogachev allegedly acted as an administrator in a scheme that installed malicious software on more than one million computers without authorization. The software, known as “Zeus” and “GameOver Zeus,” enabled contributors to the scheme to steal banking information and empty the compromised accounts, resulting in the theft of more than $100 million from U.S. businesses and consumers.

Bogachev currently appears on the FBI’s Cyber’s Most Wanted list. He is believed to be at large in Russia. This reward offer reaffirms the commitment of the U.S. government to bring those who participate in organized crime to justice, whether they hide online or overseas.

Congress established the TOC Rewards Program in 2013 in order to assist efforts to disrupt and dismantle transnational organized crime. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) manages the program in coordination with other U.S. federal agencies. It is a key element of the White House Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime.

More information about Bogachev is available on the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program website at www.state.gov/tocrewards. Anyone with information on Bogachev should contact the FBI via the Major Case Contact Center at 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324), or the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. You may also submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

1. Payable in bezzlars, not bitcoin. ↩