Dutch police send warning letters to customers of DDoS booter service

Dutch police have taken a rare step this week and sent letters to 29 individuals who used a now-defunct DDoS-for-hire service —also known as a DDoS booter— to launch DDoS attacks against various targets.

In the letters, Dutch officials warned users that they'd been added to a database of past miscreants, and any involvement in new DDoS attacks will lead to a criminal case. 

We have registered you in our system and you will now receive a final warning. If similar incidents occur in the future, we will prosecute. In that case, take into account a conviction, criminal record and the loss of your computer and/or laptop. 

Dutch Police

The letters were sent to 29 Dutch nationals who registered accounts on the MineSearch.rip portal [archived], which Dutch authorities seized and took down in July 2020.

The investigation, started after a complaint from a gaming company, linked the site to two 19-year-old teenagers from Spijkenisse and Winschoten, both of whom were detained and had their computer equipment seized.

Today, Dutch police said they analyzed the seized data, and instead of starting criminal procedures against the site's users, they've decided to give the 29 suspects one more chance.