The Boldest Tech Scam Ever: How a Lithuanian Man Stole $122 Million from Google and Facebook
Between 2013 and 2015, Evaldas Rimasauskas executed one of the most audacious and sophisticated online scams in history. Operating primarily through fake emails and meticulously forged documents, he managed to deceive two of the world’s biggest technology companies.Rimasauskas was aware that Google and Facebook frequently collaborated with Quanta Computer, a major Taiwanese hardware manufacturer.
Exploiting this relationship, he created a fake company in Latvia that used the exact same name as the legitimate Taiwanese firm. To make the operation appear authentic, he opened multiple bank accounts under the fake company’s name and produced a wide range of forged documents, including invoices, contracts, corporate stamps, and official-looking correspondence that closely resembled genuine Quanta materials
.For nearly two years, Rimasauskas systematically sent fabricated bills and payment requests to Google and Facebook. Surprisingly, both companies processed and paid these invoices with little initial suspicion. As a result, he successfully stole approximately $99 million from Facebook and $23 million from Google, for a total of around $122 million.After receiving the funds, Rimasauskas laundered the money through an elaborate network of bank accounts spread across several different countries, making it difficult for authorities to trace the proceeds.His scheme eventually unraveled, and he was arrested in Lithuania in 2017.
He was later extradited to the United States, where he faced federal charges. Rimasauskas pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. In the end, he was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to repay $49.7 million in restitution.
