Tag Archive for: Man’

Detroit man sentence to prison for hacking into bank accounts, stealing $300K

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A Detroit man was sentenced to prison for stealing more than $300,000 from the bank accounts in a criminal enterprise, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Wednesday.

Johnny Richardson, 28, was sentenced to three to 20 years behind bars for conducting a criminal enterprise that included gaining cellphone data of victims and hacking into their bank accounts for money or to take out loans, according to Nessel’s office. Richardson will be required to pay for court costs, crime victim fees and $309,210 in restitution.

Richardson already is serving eight years in prison for operating an unemployment fraud scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic. He pleaded guilty in July 2021 to stealing $138,000 in COVID aid.

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Sydney man jailed over $100k SMS phishing scam

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Sydney man jailed over $100k SMS phishing scam

Sydney Local Court has sentenced a 40-year-old Sydney man to a two-year, eight-month stint in prison over an SMS phishing scam that began in 2018.

The man had created a number of fake websites for the National Australia Bank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and Telstra. He then contacted customers via SMS and tricked them into supplying personal information, which he in turn used to access their own bank and telephone accounts, and to create new accounts in their name.

The NSW Police Cybercrime Squad, working with the AFP, arrested the man on 24 November 2021 after working with the banks and Telstra to identify his victims. Also found on the premises were SIM cards, mobile phones, drug paraphernalia, bank cards, and a range of other electronic devices, all of which were seized by police.

The AFP reports that the man had scammed over $100,000 out of 39 victims, while the companies affected were able to place tighter security on other affected account holders, protecting a further 16,147 account holders.

Last Friday, the man was found guilty of four separate offences regarding obtaining benefit by deception, unauthorised access with intent, and obtaining data with intent. The perpetrator will also be subject to a 13-month good behaviour bond and a $1,000 recognisance bond on release.

“The AFP is committed to tracking down cyber criminals and bringing them to justice, no matter where they are in the world,” said AFP spokesperson Commander Chris Goldsmid.

“Scammers will use any tools they can to exploit people for their own profit. The internet and other new technologies provide opportunities to remotely access potential victims.”

Despite law enforcement’s constant urging that victims are far less likely to recover lost funds if they remain silent, a report released by internet security company Avast in 2022 suggests that almost half of the 37 per cent of Australians impacted by phishing fail to report it.

ISCOVER

“Reporting phishing scams that you encounter is critical to ensure we keep our digital world as safe as possible,” Stephen Kho, a cyber security specialist for Avast, said in the report. 

“Even…

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Smartmatic man, hacker behind poll data breach

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The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has recommended data privacy charges against an employee of election technology firm Smartmatic and a suspected hacker for the “breach” of election data months before the May polls last year.

But the commission cleared Smartmatic and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) of liability for concealing the data leak, ruling that they were under no obligation to report the matter to the NPC.

In a decision dated Sept. 22 but released only this week, the NPC accepted Smartmatic worker Ricardo Argana’s confession to the National Bureau of Investigation that he gave a certain Winston Steward access to the company’s servers through his computer in the Comelec office.

He said he did so in exchange for an offer of P50,000 to P300,000 in cash.

In his sworn statement to the NBI dated Feb. 2, 2022, Argana said he worked for Smartmatic from August 2021 to January 2022 as a quality assurance tester in the Comelec office.

He said he received a private message from Steward on Facebook Messenger offering him money in exchange for access to his computer.

“When he went to the Comelec office for work, he gave access to his computer using AnyDesk app through the internet while connected to Smartmatic servers in the last week of December 2021,” the NPC said.

But Steward did not fulfill his end of the deal, only paying Argana with online computer lessons such as for CobaltStrike and Lateral Movement, the NPC said.

Argana said he had connived with the hackers to earn money as he had a two-month-old baby.

Other than Argana and Steward, NPC did not name other persons who should be prosecuted for unauthorized access or intentional breach under Section 29 of the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

Overseas voters list

The breach may have led to external parties obtaining illegal access to data from the Comelec’s site survey forms and, possibly, its overseas absentee voters list, according to the NPC.

“These individuals committed unauthorized access or intentional breach when they broke into Smartmatic’s servers that store personal or sensitive personal information,” the NPC said in the decision signed by Deputy Privacy Commissioner Leandro Aguirre and Privacy…

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Somersworth Man Sentenced to 66 Months for Distribution and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials | USAO-NH

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            CONCORD – Mark E. Butler, 46, of Somersworth, was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison for distribution and possession of child sexual abuse materials, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, between June and September 2021, federal and state law enforcement officers investigated the online child sexual exploitation activities of the defendant, Mark E. Butler, who used various social media applications to share child sexual abuse materials. For example, on September 23, 2021, Butler distributed a one-minute video depicting a prepubescent child engaged in sexual conduct to an undercover agent. On October 13, 2021, investigators executed a federal search warrant to seize electronic devices used by Butler to distribute and possess child sexual abuse materials. Butler admitted that he used the internet to obtain child sexual abuse materials. Subsequent forensic analysis of Butler’s Apple iPhone and evidence obtained from a cloud storage service provider confirmed Butler’s use of several social media applications, emails, and text messages to send child sexual abuse materials to other individuals.

            In addition to his sentence, Butler was sentenced to five years of supervised release following his release from prison and a $6,000 restitution payment.

            “Protecting children is a paramount priority and those who engage in child exploitation will be prosecuted and we will seek significant sentences as demonstrated in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Young. “This case is another example of the collaborative work our law enforcement partners engage in to identify and prosecute those who possess and distribute child sexual abuse materials.” 

            “Butler possessed and distributed child exploitation materials and his sharing of this material perpetuates a cycle of abuse. Homeland Security Investigations and our partners will continue to pursue individuals who are involved in any part of the child exploitation cycle,” said Matthew Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New…

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