A phishing site operator from the US has been sentenced
to 21 months in jail for running a bogus MSN billing
website.
Jayson Harris, 23, was also ordered to pay $57,000 (£32,000) in
damages. Harris had pleaded guilty on two counts of wire fraud and
fraud.
Harris operated the bogus MSN billing website between January
2003 and June 2004, encouraging visitors to the site using links in
spam e-mail messages.
The e-mails told MSN customers that they could get a 50%
discount on next month’s service if they visited the bogus site,
and updated their account information and credit card numbers.
Microsoft tracked down Harris and assisted in the Federal Bureau
of Investigation enquiry into the fraud.
Microsoft has helped enforcement agencies in a number of cyber
cases in the past 18 months, as it has ploughed resources into
combating counterfeit software, spam e-mail and phishing.