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Microsoft Helps Feds Nail Phisher
David Utter
Staff Writer
2006-06-23
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
Jayson Harris, 23, of Davenport, Iowa, picked up a jail sentence and fines as handed down by a federal judge for his role in crafting and operating a phishing site that spoofed MSN.
Harris received a 21-month sentence, to be followed by three years of supervised release. He will have to pay over $57,000 in restitution for his phishing scam, as well as $200 into a crime victims' fund.
Aaron Kornblum, Internet Safety Enforcement Attorney at Microsoft, posted about the sentencing on the IE Blog. Microsoft was instrumental in helping to track down Harris before handing the case over to the FBI.
Kornblum described the crimes, which resulted in Harris being charged with wire fraud, and with fraud and related activity in connection with access devices:
From January 2003 to June 2004, Mr. Harris operated a phishing scheme by creating a bogus MSN billing website and then sending e-mails to MSN customers requesting that they visit the website and update their accounts by providing credit card account numbers and other personal information. Mr. Harris provided a false incentive to these MSN customers that by using his (fake MSN) website, the customer would receive a 50% credit towards their next monthly bill from MSN. The spoofed website transmitted victim data to an email account controlled by Mr. Harris.
This case illustrated the importance of private companies helping to pursue such computer savvy criminals, Kornblum noted. He described Harris as a global phisher, whose prosecution and sentencing represented a "milestone" for Microsoft's Global Phishing Enforcement Initiative.
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Tag: Microsoft
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About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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