A man who blackmailed porn site users into coughing up hundreds of pounds to unlock their screens in what police claim is the UK’s “most serious cyber crime case” to date has been jailed for six years and five months.
Kingston Crown Court heard how Zain Qaiser, who dubbed himself the “King’ of the Internet”, used fake IDs to purchase advertising space on leading porn sites. But when users clicked the corrupted links, their computers were infected with malicious browser-locking software and showed a message impersonating law enforcement, saying an offence had been committed and demanding payment of up to $1,000 (£767) to unfreeze the screen.
Some brands became aware that the advertisements were infected with malware and tried to cut ties with him. However, the court heard how Qaiser responded by contacting the brokers online and threatening to attack the servers used by the companies and even place child pornography on their sites.
Qaiser sent messages saying he would “f*** up” the advertisers’ sites if they did not approve his ads.
The 24-year-old, who worked with an international Russian crime group, received more than £500,000 through the global scheme, which he used to fund a luxury lifestyle, including spending on top-class hotel stays, in casinos and even a Rolex watch.
It is believed that the crime group collected multimillion-pound profits from victims in more than 20 countries, although the total number of people who paid the fee is unknown.
Passing sentence, Judge Timothy Lamb QC said: “The harm caused by your offending was extensive – so extensive that there does not appear to be a reported case involving anything comparable.
“Whatever your motivation for mounting these attacks on the Internet you took the opportunity to spend large sums of ill-gotten money in casinos, on an expensive watch and luxury hotel services. It has been asserted on your behalf you are remorseful. I have seen no outward expression of that.”
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