Hacker in fatal telecom fraud gets 6 years

Zhang Peng China Plus Published: 2017-08-24 15:00:10
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Du Tianyu, involved in a fraud case that led to the death of a student, has been sentenced to 6 years in prison. [Photo: CCTV.com]

Du Tianyu, involved in a fraud case that led to the death of a student, has been sentenced to 6 years in prison. [Photo: CCTV.com]

A hacker involved in a fraud case that led to the death of a student in Linyi, Shandong province in August last year, has been sentenced to 6 years in prison.

Du Tianyu illegally accessed the website of the national college entrance exam (known as the Gaokao in Chinese) planting a Trojan horse virus, which allowed him to steal the personal information of over 640 thousand exam candidates.

That data was sold to fraudsters who called their victims saying they were due to receive 2,600 yuan (USD 390) student funding. To get it they had to send a 9,000 yuan (USD 1,450) activation fee. High school graduates were said to be their main targets.

File photo of Xu Yuyu [Photo: sohu.com]

File photo of Xu Yuyu [Photo: sohu.com]

After discovering she had been cheated, 19-year-old Xu Yuyu from Linyi city reported the incident to the police. On her way home she fainted and her family were unable to revive her. Doctors say she died of a heart attack.

The hacker earned over 14 thousand yuan by selling the personal data of more than 100 thousand people to Chen Weihui, the head of the telecom fraud group which defrauded Xu Yuyu.

Xu Yuyu's admission letter to Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications. [File Photo: Weibo.com]

Xu Yuyu's admission letter to Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications. [File Photo: Weibo.com]

Last month, Chen was given a life sentence for fraud and illegally obtaining personal information, with six other accomplices receiving sentences ranging from 3 to 15 years.

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