Hacker who created malware to catch cheating lovers makes FBI’s most wanted list

Eight years ago, Carlos Enrique Perze-Melara was indicted on charges of making, sending, and advertising an interception device, as well as unlawfully intercepting electronic communications.

The source of all this illegal wrongdoing — a malware program he designed for the purpose of catching cheating lovers. 

Now, unfortunately for the U.S. judicial system, Perez-Melara has not shown up for his day in court. In fact, he’s spent the last number of years successfully dodging authorities. He’s been so successful in this regard that the as of this past week, his name’s been officially added to the FBI’s most wanted list. 

The “Lover Spy” program Perez-Melara created, which cost $89 to download, was designed as a greeting card which, when downloaded to the recipient’s computer, recorded all of his / her keystrokes and messages, and sent it to the suspicious lover.

According to FBI documents, Perez-Melara ran the operation from his home in San Diego in 2003 while in the States on a student travel visa. The Agency accuses Perez-Melara of designing the Lover Spy program “with stealth in mind, claiming that it would be impossible to detect by 99.9% of users.”

Lover Spy was bought by about 1,000 people before it was shut down. The FBI estimates the spyware was then sent out to approximately 2,000 unbeknownst users. Of those on the receiving end of the camouflaged greeting card, about half downloaded the malware to their devices.

People who bought the program have since been charged with illegally intercepting electronic communications.

Perez-Melara was last seen years ago in El Salvador. There is a $50,000 reward being offered by the FBI for information that leads to his arrest.

Story via: bbc.co.uk