A page from Maxus' web site. HACKING IN THE NEWS Credit Card Heists: MAXUS In December 1999, a 19-year-old Russian hacker who called himself Maxus broke into the website of an on-line music store. He stole 300,000 credit card numbers and account information. Maxus then offered to return the credit card data and explain how he broke into their computer for $100,000. When the company refused, Maxus posted the information on his own Website. Anyone who visited his site and pushed a button received a valid credit card number and the personal information that went along with it. Maxus was never arrested. The United States has no extradition treaty with Russia.