British hacker, 19, is arrested for ‘stealing unreleased songs from Grammy-winning American musicians and selling them online for cryptocurrency’
- The 19-year-old was arrested in Ipswich, Suffolk, as authorities raided a property in the town and in north London
- Investigation was first launched in Manhattan, New York, after complaints from recording artists’ management companies
- The stolen music was taken from artists’ websites and cloud accounts ‘being sold on illegal streaming sites around the world’
- Suspected hacker allegedly sold stolen music in exchange for cryptocurrency
- According to the City of London Press Office, all of the victims were American and some were said to be Grammy-winning artists
A teenager has been arrested after allegedly stealing unreleased songs from artists’ websites and selling the stolen music in exchange for cryptocurrency, according to police.
The 19-year-old was arrested in Ipswich, Suffolk, on suspicion of copyright and computer misuse act offences.
While the allegations concern artist in both the United States and the United Kingdom, the man’s identity will not be released by either country because of the U.K’s privacy laws.
It follows a raid on a property in Ipswich and another in north London.
Authorities would not indicate which recording artist had their music stolen but did clarify that the musicians’ websites and cloud-based accounts were hacked to gain access to the material.
But NBC New York reports that the City of London Press Office said that there were more than two victims. All were American and some were even Grammy-award winning artist.
The teenager was arrested after allegedly stealing unreleased songs from artists’ websites and selling the stolen music in exchange for cryptocurrency (stock)
The investigation was launched by prosecutors in New York after complaints from recording artists’ management companies.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office identified one of the suspects as living in the UK, and coordinated property searches with the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit.
‘As one of the world’s leading creative capitals, New York City is dedicated to protecting artists’ intellectual property and ensuring that those who steal it face the music,’ Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr said, according to the associated press.
The sentiment was shared by Detective Inspector Nick Court with the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit.
‘Today’s action marks a significant point in our investigation into the individuals responsible for stealing music and selling it on illegal streaming websites, worldwide,’ Court said in a statement.
‘This sort of crime causes significant financial loss to those who work so incredibly hard to produce, write and make music for their fans to enjoy,’ he said.
The 19-year-old was arrested in Ipswich on suspicion of copyright and computer misuse act offences. The town centre in Suffolk is pictured above (stock)