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Hacker and chums jailed over gold bullion hack, track 'n' grab scam

Bad pennies

A UK hacker who broke into the computer systems to get details of gold bullion deliveries so they could be intercepted and stolen has been jailed for five years and four months.

London resident Adam Penny, 25, was jailed this week after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal and a computer misuse offence.

Penny admitted selling the names, addresses and parcel tracking numbers of customers awaiting deliveries of precious metals, allowing his three accomplices to intercept and steal gold bullion deliveries.

The gang either robbed or attempted to rob six packages of gold, collectively worth more than £88,000. The quartet attempted to fence their ill-gotten goods through an unsuspecting London jeweller.

“On one occasion they went from London to an address in Newcastle, where they failed to intercept the delivery because the postman knew the victim and refused to hand over the parcel,” a Met Police statement on the case explains.

Penny also attempted to extort £50,000 from an unnamed hack victim. Following Penny's arrest, six iPhones and two MacBooks – one of which was found in a toilet cistern – were seized and found to contain evidence of attempted blackmail attempts following a forensic examination.

Three others members of the same gang were also sentenced for conspiracy to steal at Kingston Crown Court. ®

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