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| Nick Marinellis has been jailed for masterminding
the email scam. |
Nick Marinellis, the mastermind of a scam which stole over £2
million from unsuspecting internet users, has been sentenced to at
least four years behind bars.
Marinellis, 40, pleaded guilty in a court in New South Wales,
Australia to 10 counts of fraud and one count of perverting the
course of justice.
Prosecutors told the court that Marinellis masterminded an email
scam involving the distribution of spam emails which conned people
into believing they could claim millions of dollars through lottery
winnings or an inheritance if they first sent off money for
"expenses".
Marinellis worked with team of men based in Africa who have not
yet been identified. His victims included a Saudi Arabian sheikh
who was defrauded of over £200,000.
Court documents said that an office complex in Nottingham, in
the United Kingdom, a AU$970,000 house in Sydney, seven other
properties in the NSW area, five cars, several bank accounts and
other property were seized by police during the investigation.
Judge Barry Mahoney sentenced Marinellis to five years and three
months jail with a non-parole period of four years and four
months.
"Conmen like Marinellis are fleecing internet users out of
millions around the world," said Graham Cluley, senior technology
consultant for Sophos. "Stiff sentences send a strong message to
others considering committing similar crimes to think again."
Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can defend businesses
from the threats of both spam and viruses.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.