Blog Flak

Finally some good news! Sometimes I like to think back to the good old days when the worst thing you got in your inbox was tons of spam with an occasional virus. Nowadays you have to worry about people trying to steal your personal information with phishing attempt emails coming from all directions almost every single day. If it’s not your bank account it’s your Paypal account or credit card data or social security number. And they just keep coming and coming and coming.

At least one guy got a taste of his own medicine though, the Microsoft Internet Safety Enforcement Team uncovered a scheme by Jayson Harris, age 23, of Davenport, Iowa and got a location on him which they promptly turned over to the FBI. He faced charges on two counts, with maximum sentences of 10 years and 20 years. Unfortunately the court only gave him 21 months for his crimes, although he is ordered to pay restitution of $57,000. I say hanging is too good for him and 21 months just isn’t enough!

“Today marks a new milestone in Microsoft’s global phishing enforcement initiative,” says Aaron Kornblum, Microsoft’s Internet Safety Enforcement Attorney. Microsoft’s hope, he explains, is that this case will serve as a deterent. In furtherance of that effort, Microsoft has filed 125 civil lawsuits against phishers to date, and secured takedowns of more than 2,000 phishing web sites targeting Microsoft, MSN and Hotmail users since January 2004. “It’s about taking the fight to the phishers,” Kornblum adds.

You gotta like hearing that!

Source: MSN Phisher Sentenced to 21 Months

Technorati tags: phishing, MSN, data theft, thief, crook, scam