Sometimes even big corporations have cyber attacks slip through the cracks. From 2013 to 2015 Evaldas Rimasauskas, a Lithuanian citizen, sent fake invoices and phishing emails to Google and Facebook for amounts totaling over $120 million dollars. This was an elaborate operation that seemed legitimate to an unsuspecting accountant.

The first step to his phishing scam was to set up a fake business for Google and Facebook to wire the money to. He used the name of a real company, Quanta Computer, that had done business with these corporations in the past. He sent emails to Google and Facebook that had forged contracts, and invoices requesting payments. These payments were sent to fake bank accounts in Cyprus and Latvia. He was able to get $23 million from Google and $98 million from Facebook in a 2 year time period.

Although Rimasauskas was caught, Google and Facebook must question how a single man was able to steal so much from them. In the end, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison. Only $50 million of the stolen funds was recovered. This example serves as a reminder for companies big and small.  It’s always a good idea to be diligent and double-check invoices and bills. Always check where your money is going.

Sources:                                                                                                                             https://www.goptg.com/blog/meet-the-man-whose-phishing-scam-robbed-google-and-facebook-of-millions                                                                https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/lithuanian-man-sentenced-5-years-prison-theft-over-120-million-fraudulent-business