The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) on Monday revealed that it has taken control of a web domain and its associated database that were allegedly used to support a criminal operation aimed at defrauding Americans through bank account takeover fraud.

Authorities identified the seized domain, web3adspanels[.]org, as a backend control panel that enabled cybercriminals to store, manage, and exploit unlawfully obtained online banking credentials. Visitors attempting to access the site now encounter a seizure notice stating that the takedown was part of a coordinated international law enforcement effort involving officials from the United States and Estonia.

"The criminal group perpetrating the bank account takeover fraud delivered fraudulent advertisements through search engines, including Google and Bing," the DoJ said. "These fraudulent advertisements imitate the sponsored search engine advertisements used by legitimate banking entities."

According to investigators, the deceptive ads redirected users to counterfeit banking websites controlled by the attackers. These fake portals were embedded with malicious software that captured login details entered by unsuspecting victims. The stolen credentials were then used to access real bank accounts, allowing the criminals to seize control and siphon off funds.

So far, the fraud scheme is believed to have impacted 19 victims across the United States, including two businesses located in the Northern District of Georgia. Officials estimate attempted financial losses of around $28 million, with confirmed losses reaching approximately $14.6 million.

The DoJ further noted that the seized domain contained banking login data belonging to thousands of victims and continued to function as an operational backend for account takeover fraud as recently as last month.

Separately, data from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicates a sharp rise in such incidents. Since January 2025, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has logged more than 5,100 complaints related to bank account takeover fraud, with total reported losses exceeding $262 million.

Law enforcement agencies are urging the public to remain cautious when sharing personal information online or on social media. Users should regularly review bank statements for unusual activity, use strong and unique passwords, carefully verify banking website URLs before logging in, and remain alert to phishing attempts or suspicious calls.