A 21-year-old student has been jailed for seven years for designing and distributing phishing kits linked to approximately £100m worth of fraud. Ollie Holman, from Eastcote in north-west London, created kits that mimicked government, bank and charity websites, allowing criminals to harvest victims' personal information.
In one instance, a kit was used to mimic a charity's donation webpage, so when someone attempted to give money, their card details were stolen and used by criminals. Holman created and supplied 1,052 phishing kits targeting 69 organisations across 24 countries. He also offered tutorials on using the kits and built a network of almost 700 connections.
Holman, who was studying electronic and computer engineering at the University of Kent, received an estimated £300,000 from selling the kits between 2021 and 2023. The kits were distributed via the encrypted messaging service Telegram, and Holman laundered the proceeds through cryptocurrency wallets.
The City of London police's dedicated card and payment crime unit launched an investigation after receiving information from intelligence firm WMC Global. Holman was arrested in October 2023, and his university accommodation was searched. Following his arrest, he continued to provide support to buyers via his Telegram channel, leading to his rearrest in May 2024.
Holman pleaded guilty to seven charges, including making or supplying articles for use in fraud, encouraging or assisting an offence, and transferring, acquiring and possessing criminal property. He was sentenced at Southwark crown court. Detective Sergeant Ben Hurley said Holman had enabled mass fraud on a global scale, adding: 'The fraud losses linked to Holman’s actions are in the millions. Furthermore, Holman himself profited massively from the sale of this software, with no thought for how it may cause harm to victims.' The Crown Prosecution Service said it would seek to recover the money Holman made from his crimes.
