Posted by Virus Bulletin on Sep 28, 2006
Team of six face jail in Connecticut.
A group of six men have been charged with phishing by a grand jury in Connecticut. The men allegedly harvested email addresses and spammed their victims with phishing emails and malware-infected ecards.
As well as normal phishing and data-stealing techniques, the gang also apparently used malware to slow or lock down victims' computers, demanding cash or financial details to allow them back online. They also later moved into offline crime, printing their own fake credit cards with stolen details.
Three of the six have pleaded guilty, and possible sentences range from two to nine years. Most of their victims were AOL users; ISP and serial suer of phishers Earthlink was also involved in bringing the case. Sentencing is expected in December.
Posted on 28 September 2006 by Virus Bulletin