SecureWorks researchers have uncovered a Russian group that has been counterfeiting checks in the US using botnets.

"The SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit investigated the bizarre operation over three months and is now working with law enforcement to find out who is responsible for the scam, which is believed to have netted as much as $9 million from fake checks in the last year," writes CNET News' Elinor Mills.

"The infected PCs were being used to spam Web-based e-mail services with money mule job offer messages; scrape new e-mail addresses off job Web sites; automate the breaking of captcha technologies; abuse URL-shortening services designed to obfuscate dubious links in spam; scrape check images from sites archiving processed checks stored in digital format; and purchase overnight package delivery service self-print postage labels to send checks to money mules; all in an automated fashion," Mills writes.

Click here to read the CNET News article.