A 20-year-old man from Eelderwolde has been sentenced to five years in prison for a series of cybercrime cases and prohibited possession of weapons. The man was arrested last June, then 18 years old, in a log cabin in the Stadspark in Groningen. A 19-year-old co-defendant from Groningen should be sentenced to 90 days in juvenile detention (of which 44 days conditionally) for his role.
De Stadjer was 17 years old when he was arrested. He stood before the juvenile court on Thursday afternoon and his case was heard behind closed doors. According to the Public Prosecution Service, dozens of people have been defrauded for more than 100,000 euros. And is there sufficient evidence for a conviction for computer breaches, theft of money, having illegal software and trading lists of non-public personal data such as passwords. In most cases, the eldest acted alone. Officers found a gas pistol on him.
Due to the police raid on the log cabin in the Stadspark in Groningen, the cybercrime of this pair came to an abrupt end. The computer was running with illegal software. The eldest pretended to be a bank employee over the phone. He tried to scam someone and extract login details.
At that time, the cybercriminal had already been in the picture with the police in The Hague for a while because of a report from a telecom company. That company’s computer system had been broken into and sim swaps were tampered with. A SIM swap is an action in which a mobile phone number is linked to another SIM card in order to be able to commit fraud.
The telecom company conducted an internal investigation, which showed the computer address of the man from Eelderwolde. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the teenager was engaged in cybercrime from the beginning of 2021 and he not only pretended to be a bank employee, but also as someone from a collection agency or the tax authorities. Through social media he had contact with others about cybercrime and software for this. At the time, the man was in the sixth form of VWO and was involved in cybercrime full-time. He thought he was “cool” and the victims “stupid,” the prosecutor said. Earning money to live a life of luxury, at the expense of others, was his life goal at that time.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the man was deliberately looking for personal data from older people, because they are usually less strong in their shoes in the digital world. “He has invaded their private domain. He is aware of their vulnerability, but that seems to motivate him rather than stop him. You could call it a digital home robbery,” said the public prosecutor.
From his cell, the suspect ordered his brother to keep more than 70,000 euros worth of stolen crypto coins out of sight of the police. At the time, the man was in restraint and was not allowed to speak to anyone except his lawyer.
This failed, because the police tapped the phone of the girlfriend of this suspect. The girlfriend and the brother will appear in court on Friday. The 20-year-old has been psychologically examined. Experts see problems in the man’s personal development such as feeling easily offended, forms of narcissism and he is not inhibited by a feeling of guilt. No treatment has been advised and the man is considered fully responsible. The Public Prosecution Service considers it positive that the suspect has contacted the declarants and is cooperating with damage repairs.
The lawyer of the 20-year-old argued for a punishment according to the juvenile criminal law. That would mean a maximum prison sentence of two years. The man has been in custody for almost 16 months and would soon be outside the gate again. The lawyer said that he was “wildly shocked” by the high penalty demand of the Public Prosecution Service.
Judgment is on December 1.