Thinking of playing some blackhat games like “cookie stuffing”? Think again. It's a criminal activity that could land you in jail.
Back in August 2008, eBay filed a civil suit against 4 affiliates, alleging fraud, racketeering activity, wire fraud and unauthorized access of eBay’s servers.
Following an investigation by the FBI's Cyber Crimes Department, 2 indictments were handed down against two of the affiliates, on June 24, 2010. They were charged with wire fraud and criminal forfeiture. The affiliates appeared before the court on July 22, 2010 and plead not guilty. They were released on $100,000 property bonds and had to surrender their passports.
Sound scarey?
Well, it gets worse. The maximum penalties they can face if found guilty is:
- Imprisonment of 20 years
- Maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain/loss (whichever is greater)
- 3 years of supervised release
- $100 special assessment (per count)
To find out who the affiliates are and other particulars about this case, read Kellie Stevens report on this matter over at Revenews