Security news
Security news16 November 2005
Six years jail for "Weaselboy" scammer who defrauded hundreds
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| A man who scammed hundreds of internet users has been sentenced to six years in jail. |
Experts at Sophos have welcomed the news that British spammer Peter Francis-Macrae has been sentenced to six years in prison for fraud and other crimes.
23-year-old Francis-Macrae, who went by the online moniker of "Weaselboy", is said to have earned more than £100,000 a week by selling bogus .eu internet domain names from his father's house in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.
Businesses who complained about being sold the domain names were mail-bombed with millions of junk emails, and investigating police officers were told that their headquarters would be petrol-bombed.
Francis-Macrae was found guilty at Peterborough Crown Court of fraudulent trading, concealing criminal property, threatening to destroy or damage property, blackmail, and making death threats. Investigators claim that he has refused to divulge where he has hidden more than £1.1 million.
Francis-Macrae sent unsolicited emails to thousands of people offering to pre-register .eu domain names before they were released by the regulatory body. He spent his fortune on designer clothes and helicopter lessons.
"Peter Francis-Macrae's stiff sentence sends out a clear message to others who may be tempted to engage in internet crime. The details of how he threatened those who got in the way of his crime spree make harrowing reading," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant for Sophos. "We hope other young people will think twice before making the mistakes this man made, and not be tempted by a life of cybercrime. The public can consider themselves safer now Francis-Macrae is behind bars."
"You deceived hundreds of people of countless thousands of pounds of their money. When investigated, following the countless complaints of your misdeeds, you resorted to threats to kill and a threat to set fire to property, and ultimately blackmail," said Judge Nicholas Coleman. "Whoever stood in the way of your criminality became subject to abuse and threats. You are, I think, one of the most vindictive young men I have ever seen."
Detective Constable Jody Faro told reporters after the hearing that police had dealt with more than 2000 complaints around the globe about Francis-Macrae's business dealings.
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About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
