Student Hacker Jailed For Blackmailing Porn Users

9 April 2019, 11:15 | Updated: 9 April 2019, 11:28

UK's most significant cyber crime offender jailed. Picture: PA

A computer hacker who blackmailed porn users online has been jailed for more than six years.

Zain Qaiser, described as “probably the most significant cyber crime offender" that the National Crime Agency has investigated, was sentenced today at Kingston Crown Court to six years and five months in prison.

Qaiser, 24, is believed to have worked for an international Russian crime group. The court heard that he made more than £550,000 personally, but investigators believe the network he was part of could have made more than £4m.

Prosecutors said that the student from Barking, threatened people using porn websites with adverts infected with malware.

Infected computers showed a message pretending to be from authorities in the user’s country, claiming a crime had been committed and demanding payment of up to $1,000 dollars.

Mike Hulett, head of Cyber Investigations for the National Crime agency, said: "The sheer volume and complexity of the actions - the number of people he is connected with worldwide and the frequency of his operation made it so successful and led to him making the money that he did.

"I don't think we will ever know the true number of people who paid up."