Members of a UK fraud gang that used self-written malware to gather financial data and steal hundreds of thousands of pounds, have been convicted.
The six person-strong network targeted thousands of innocent people over several years, posting bogus job adverts for companies including Harrods and Argos on sites such as Gumtree and Blue Arrow.
People who responded to the ads were sent hyperlinks via e-mail asking them to complete an online application. However, if the link was clicked, keylogging malware was downloaded to the victims' computers which captured personal and financial data and sent it back to the gang.
The National Crime Agency says that one of the gang members wrote the financial malware code himself and is one of the UK's first home-grown writers to be convicted for targeting banks.
The crooks used the data to phone banks claiming to have lost their credit or debit cards. They would request a new PIN and card, and wait outside the victim's address where they would intercept the postman.
They also defrauded the emergency cash systems of several banks, contacting them and providing illegally obtained security passwords to get codes that could be used to withdraw £60 from ATMs.
One of the group, Nadine Windley, also pleaded guilty to using her position as an employee of Santander Bank to provide the others with customer account data.
Mobile phone and online chat records show the group made more than £300,000 from their fraud, but police believe this figure could be much higher - possibly more than £1 million.
The six have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced later this week.