One of 38 humans charged in a global crime ring that allegedly stole personal info from unsuspecting World Wide Web users pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal swindle charge.

Ovidiu-Ionut Nicola-Roman, 22, of Craiova, Romania pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cheat in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport.

Authorities accuse the defendants of stealing names, Social safety measure numbers, credit card input and other knowledge from Net users. Federal indictments allege the Romania-based phishing scams sought to rip off thousands of consumers

and hundreds of financial institutions.

Prosecutors estimate that Nicola-Roman was responsible for more than $400,000 in thefts. He faces a prison term of 46 to 57 months and possible fines and restitution payments when he is sentenced Oct. 10.

His lawyer, Ronald Resetarits, declined to comment after the plea.

Nicola-Roman still faces similar federal charges in California, where most of the defendants were indicted.

The practice known as phishing typically involves sending […]

Orginal post by Top Tech News