Phisher Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

A 23 year old Romanian immigrant from Michigan has been sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison for his role in a phishing scam that left over 7,000 victims and raked in over $700,000. Starting in June 2000, when he was 14 years old and lasting through February 2007, Sergiu Popa used two email accounts to send out phishing emails made to look like legit messages from such companies as Citibank and Paypal. Unwitting victims who clicked on the links were sent to the fake websites he set up and had their personal info stolen. He pleaded guilty to the charges in hopes of getting a lenient sentence, but the plan backfired

 

“Because there were so many victims who were hurt badly, the court believes the sentence is appropriate in order to protect the public,” said Judge John Tunheim. “There needs to be a deterrent to others who are trying similar crimes over the Internet.”

One file found in his Yahoo email account contained credit card information for over 5,000 people. Upon searching his home, the FBI found blank plastic cards being used to make fake credit cards and driver’s licenses, a machine used to print graphics on such cards, and foil ribbons used to stamp the holographs used on legit cards.

Popa also had a side business selling a spamming toolkit for $1500 that provided step by step instructions on how to create spam campaigns and launch phishing attacks. He is in the country illegally and could face deportation. He was arrested in 2006 by Immigration officials after they learned of his earlier felony conviction for hijacking an Ebay account and scamming someone to the tune of nearly $1500 when they won his fake auction. Popa immediately filed for permanent residency and fought to suppress his criminal record. His deportation hearing was scheduled for the day after the FBI filed their complaint against him.