Hackers Await Judgment over 12m Pounds in Bank Heist

Some PC-hackers are likely to get a long-time incarceration following their collective involvement in a complex online bank fraud valuing around 12m pounds, an indictment from court suggests.

States the indictment, 21-year-old Gary Kelly from Salford (Greater Manchester, England) a person accused, created one PC-virus that unveiled bank account information through the Net from unsuspecting computer-users.

Subsequently, he traded those details to another accused namely Nick Webber, a 19-year-old public schoolboy, who operated a website called GhostMarket.net that contacted other cyber-criminals for selling them maliciously-captured debit/credit card information.

Said Matthew McCabe prosecutor in the case, evidently, it was Mr. Webber, who with high experience in PC hacking, was the administrator as well as the individual with complete control over the heist. Thesun.co.uk published this on November 22, 2010. McCabe added that apparently, the GhostMarket website supported about 8,000 members globally.

He further stated that GhostMarket.net was there only for facilitating the offensive sale-and-purchase. It was associated with numerous criminals, professional hallmarks, possible monetary gains on a large scale, several victims, and a crime which lasted over a considerable time-span, he explained. Telegraph.co.uk published this on November 23, 2010.

Earlier GhostMarket.net had an association with scams that allowed the plundering of huge money out of 65,000 bank accounts, worldwide.

The indictment further had prosecutors emphasize that customers on GhostMarket were supplied U.S account information for 2 pounds, U.K ones for 4 pounds and European Union ones for 3 pounds. The site, which offered 'extra services,' instructed the technique for constructing PC viruses, infiltrating bank accounts, utilizing 'captured' credit cards for making purchases on eBay, and other.

Said Judge John Price to the accused that they were quite intelligent and young and it was unfortunate to find them within their self-created trouble. Also, they'd applied their high education and skills within an apparently massive conspiracy for defrauding people off their bank accounts, credit cards and the like, he blamed. Menmedia.co.uk reported this on November 23, 2010.

Additionally Judge Price said that "full credit" would be given to the two accused because they pleaded guilty, prior to declaring the court adjourned till February 28, 2011.

Related article: Hackers Redirect Windows Live Search to Malicious Sites

» SPAMfighter News - 12/4/2010