An Iowa man convicted of operating a phishing Web site that purported to handle billing for MSN Internet customers has been sentenced to 21 months in jail.
Jason Harris pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and wire fraud in connection with a bogus MSN billing Website that he operated from January 2003 to June 2004. In addition to his jail sentence, Harris was also ordered to pay $57,000 in damages.
Harris used spam e-mail messages to lure MSN Internet users to his Web site. He then offered them a 50% discount on their next month’s service if they updated their account information, including their credit card numbers.
Microsoft’s global Phishing Enforcement Initiative cooperated with the FBI in tracking down Harris and investigating the fraud. The company claims that 4,700 phishing Web sites have been taken down as a result of its efforts.
