Feds offer $5 million reward for Russian hackers

WASHINGTON (NBC News) -- The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday accused two Russian men with stealing millions of dollars online.

Investigators say the scheme lasted nearly a decade and targeted American businesses and banks in 11 states.

"Each and every one of these computer intrusions was effectively a cyber- enabled bank robbery," said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Brian Benczkowski.

A $5 million reward is being offered for information leading to Maksim Yakubets, known online as “Aqua.”

He and Igor Turashev, both Russian nationals, are accused of running a decade-long computer hacking scheme and making off with millions of dollars from Americans.

The federal indictment accuses Yakubets of running a group called “Evil Corp,” which deploys malware to unsuspecting computer users.

Those emails and programs trick users into handing over sensitive information like user names and passwords, giving hackers a key to drain their bank accounts.

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