About a year after it was returned, HE hacker 58-year-old American Michael Knighten pleaded guilty to $3 million fraud, approximately R$14.9 million, last Monday (15). The cybercriminal wanted by Interpol was arrested in Blumenau (SC) in 2017.
Knighten practiced email phishing scams, causing several companies to lose millions. Among the companies he attacked is the Houston, Texas-based Bennu Oil and Gas Company, which paid $651,000 for an account in Portugal while the hacker posed as a manager of Ceona Offshore.
The company froze some of the money after discovering the scam, but still lost US$224,000 (about R$1.1 million). Because of the crimes committed, Knighten must pay a $250,000 fine and face up to 20 years in prison. By BEC, which stands for Business Email Compromise, while impersonating a known source while searching for data and money.
The American led a luxurious life in Blumenau. In Brazil he was known as Michael Sabatine. He was identified by the Federal Police (PF) and also seized R$500,000 in cash, a car of the same value, drugs and forged documents.
Source: Tec Mundo
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