Three men arrested for cloning Ziggo modems

[Len]

The Cybercrime Team of the Rotterdam police tracked down a network of three people from Rotterdam, who sold and installed ‘cloned modems’ so people could use Ziggo TV and internet services for free.

The three men sold about 500 modems for prices ranging from EUR150 to a few hundred euros. After the one-off payment, people could use Ziggo TV and internet acces at no cost.

A 36-year-old Rotterdammer changed the settings of the devices so that they could access Ziggo. He sold those modems. Two other Rotterdammers, 42 and 30, installed the devices at the buyer’s homes. The two worked as sub-contracters for Ziggo.

The three men acquired new customers through word-of-mouth advertising. Most buyers lived in Rotterdam and its surroundings. A spokesperson for the police said all cloned modems were swtich off, and the buyers might be prosecuted for buying stolen goods.

According to the police, the investigation into cloned modems started in May of this year, after information came from Canada where the cloned modems had actually been deployed in an “underground network”, according to the police. Through the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the information from Canada was passed on to the provider.

The police started investigation by ordering two modems themselves. The first purchase was intended to see how the three of them worked, get the equipment installed to carry out technical research. On the second delivery last Monday, the three were arrested. They are suspected of computer breach and fraud, the possession of malware, participation in a criminal organisation, and money laundering.