Man sentenced to prison for hacking scheme that stole $150,000 from elderly Kalispell woman | State | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #hacker


Kalispell, Mont. – A Florida man was sentenced to prison for his role in an India-based computer hacking scheme that stole $150,000 from an elderly Kalispell woman.

Eddly Joseph was was sentenced Tuesday, December 19, to two years and nine months in prison and ordered to pay $1,236,470 to seven victims, according to the release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Montana.

Joseph, a 44-year-old from Gainesville, Florida, initially pleaded guilty to wire fraud in August.

In February, Glacier Bank notified the FBI that Jane Doe, a Montana woman in her 70s, was the victim of a scam. The international, India-based scam allegedly included fraudsters tricking Jane Doe into giving them $150,000 for “safe-keeping,” making the victim’s computer appear to have a virus that made bank accounts accessible to hackers.

To “safekeep” the victims’ money, Joseph and others directed victims to withdraw cash and give it to them so “hackers” could not steal it. When the FBI learned of the scam, they set up a ruse, claiming the victim had an additional $50,000 for the fraudsters.


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Joseph and the others arrived to collect the money, and the FBI arrested them.

As a result of Joseph’s and others’ conduct, victims were repeatedly scammed out of a whopping total of $1,236,470  across the United States.

“Far too often, these internationally-based fraud schemes result in no accountability for those who prey on Montanans,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. “But not this time. Due to the diligent work of the FBI, Joseph was caught and is now going to federal prison for running a predatory scheme by tricking and stealing from elderly victims across the country, including a Kalispell woman.”

Laslovich advises Montanans that the best way to protect themselves from fraud is to not send money to people who “randomly call soliciting money due to some kind of fake emergency,” like an alleged computer virus.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case. The FBI, with the help of Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, conducted the investigation.

 

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