Scammers defraud hundreds of victims from prison

Dutch authorities sentenced two cybercriminals for running a large-scale phishing campaign from their jail cell.

Jail bars don’t always dissuade criminals from continuing their ways. For example, a 23-year-old man from Groningen continued to run a phishing campaign even after his sentencing.

According to Dutch authorities, a mobile device used to conduct phishing campaigns was discovered in the man’s cell only a few months after being sentenced to 42 months in prison.

Authorities eventually discovered four devices the convict used to defraud victims. The Dutch investigators found over 1,000 conversations with victims on the device, most of which contained malicious links.

The culprits posted fake ads on a Dutch classified advertising Marktplaats.nl, asking the potential buyers to transfer 0.01 euros via a payment link. The malicious link siphoned the victim’s login details which were later used to empty their bank accounts.

Another scam involved inmates pretending to be victims’ friends, contacting them via WhatsApp, and asking for financial help. The 23-year-old stole at least 34,000 euros while being incarcerated.

Another inmate who worked in cahoots with the Groningen resident is a 22-year-old from Hoogezand. Authorities believe the younger culprit provided data necessary to carry out phishing attacks. Together the duo victimized at least 258 people.

Authorities want to add another 44 months of prison for the 23-year-old and 66 months for the 22-year-old, plus 151,000 euros in damages.