Six Charged with Online Phishing against Students

According to the Central e-Crime Unit of Metropolitan Police of UK or the 'PCeU,' officials arrested 6 individuals in connection with an Internet phishing scam valuing 1m pounds wherein they stole funds out of numerous students' hijacked bank accounts, reported guardian.co.uk dated December 9, 2011.

Specifically, the PCeU stated that an online crime-network aimed attack on students applying for government loans via getting them to disclose the details of personal bank accounts that the suspects subsequently utilized for withdrawing sums amounting 1,000-5,000 pounds, on every occasion.

The phishing e-mail reaching the victims directed them for making the details about the student bank accounts they held, up-to-date, after clicking a web-link that led onto a phishing site.

Earlier during August 2011, the PCeU began a probe when notified of the scam as well as coordinated with the ISPs, banking sector and Student Loans Company for capturing the culprits.

The department also confiscated PCs and other devices on December 8, 2011 from various London, Bolton and Manchester addresses.

Moreover, among those arrested included a man and woman aged 26 and 25 respectively from Manchester, another man aged 25 from Deptford, South London, another woman aged 49 together with a man aged 31 from Stratford, North-East London as well as a 38-yr-old Bolton man.

Police Officials disclosed that the arrested individuals were allegedly involved in conniving to defraud, committing crime under the Computer Misuse Act as well as engaging in money-laundering.

Telling further about the investigation procedure, Mark Raymond Detective Inspector from the PCeU stated that the suspects compromised plentiful personal data, as also cleverly exploited it to gain huge profits. An organized cyber-criminals' gang of considerable doubt had been disrupted that helped prevent any more theft from persons' or institutions' accounts across UK. Meanwhile, the ensuing arrests showed the results that could be achieved whilst an approach of partnership was imbibed for investigating any online offence, Raymond observed. Press Association reported this, December 9, 2011.

Conclusively, in a similar instance, PCeU during mid-2010 busted an Internet scammers' gang after arresting its members over accusation they hijacked over 20,000 credit card and bank accounts through different phishing websites.

Related article: SEC Imposes Trading Ban on 35 Companies

» SPAMfighter News - 12/17/2011