Californian Sentenced to Lengthy Prison over Phishing

That Tien Truong Nguyen, a 34-yr old man from California has been legally ordered towards serving prison for over 12 years because he had been involved in one global phishing operation online, stealing personal identifiable details of over 38,000 people. TheRegister published this in July 2011.

According to court documents, Nguyen joined Romanian phishers for redirecting Internet-users onto fake online sites via phishing e-mails, which supposedly appeared as being from authentic financial institutions such as banks. Nguyen, who over time collected data, supplied it for profit to 2 individuals Ryan Price and Stefani Ruland alleged as co-conspirators, who exploited that data for establishing credit lines from USD1,000 to USD2,000 at Wal-Mart stores' on-the-spot credit kiosks.

Further, according to prosecutors, when investigating officials raided Nguyen's house they unearthed a PC, which held databases of names, Social Security Numbers and birth-dates for as many as 38,500 people, one Remington 870 Magnum Express shotgun, a few ammunitions as well as a feed that certain complicated surveillance system produced.

In addition, prosecutors stated that Nguyen alias Tim started to do phishing operations as they fetched easy money. According to them, Nguyen tried to abandon the practice of ID-theft; however, when he smoked methamphetamine, he resumed the practice out of intoxication.

Prosecutors also said that when police caught Nguyen during 2007 they found him possessing phony credit cards, which he had designed utilizing the stolen information for buying Wal-Mart products that he subsequently sold off.

Police as well unearthed 20 Web-templates with which bogus websites were crafted for banks like Heritage Bank of Washington and Fairwinds Credit Union of Florida, and businesses like eBay.

Thereafter, following arrest, Nguyen commented that it was very easy to do phishing and that when he took the methamphetamines drug his drive for seizing personal identities continued. Authorities accused Nguyen for committing conspiracy, doing intensive ID-theft and access-device fraud, and owning a firearm.

But, Morrison England, Jr., U.S. District Judge for the case seemingly refused to accept that argument and with accusations on Nguyen of hacking and fraud, and owning a Remington shotgun sentenced him to jail for a month and 12-and-half years.

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» SPAMfighter News - 8/10/2011