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Smartphone hacker arrest

Summary

19 October 2012

A 20-year-old hacker described as a "computer genius" has been arrested in northern France for spreading a virus on smartphones. He snared some 17,000 victims with free downloads that were designed to look like original applications. But in the background the programmes were working to steal money from the unsuspecting user.

Reporter:

Christian Fraser

Report

He defrauded thousands of people, stealing tiny sums of money in hidden transactions. And since 2011, investigators believe this hacker had amassed around half a million euros. It appears those smartphones that use Google software were the most susceptible.

Once the fake applications were downloaded, the virus sent an SMS without the users' knowledge to a premium rate number he had set up. There were also programmes that sent him the log on codes for gaming and gambling websites to which the victims had signed up. 

The 20-year-old suspect was working from his parents' home, in the northern city of Amiens. He had never studied computer science, but is described as "extremely smart". In custody he admitted his crimes, explaining it was not greed that had motivated him, but his love of computers and an ambition to be a software developer.