Los Angeles

Pakistani Man Arrested in Spyware App Case

A Pakistani man has been indicted on charges of plotting to sell a spyware app that could monitor calls, texts and other communications on mobile phones without detection.

Prosecutors say and indictment was returned last week against 31-year-old Hammad Akbar of Lahore, Pakistan. He was arrested Saturday in Los Angeles.

Authorities say Akbar is the chief executive officer of InvoCode, the company that advertises and sells StealthGenie online.

According to the indictment, Akbar and others created the spyware, which could intercept communications to and from mobile phones.

Authorities say StealthGenie was hosted at a data center in Ashburn, Virginia.

A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia has issued a temporary restraining order authorizing the FBI to disable the website hosting StealthGenie.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us