May 24, 2024

UK Hacker Elliot Gunton Sentenced to 3.5 Years for $900K Coinbase Phishing Scam

A UK hacker, Elliot Gunton, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for orchestrating a phishing scam that compromised over 500 Coinbase accounts, resulting in the theft of more than $900,000. Gunton, who was just 17 and 18 years old during the 2018-2019 scam, directed victims to dummy websites to capture their login details. Gunton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud outside the UK and money laundering.

UK hacker, Elliot Gunton has received three and a half years of sentence in prison for a phishing scam that affected over 500 accounts and theft of more than $900,000. During the 2018-2019 scam, Gunton, was just 17-18 years old. He guided victims to dummy websites and captured their login credentials.

Gunton pleaded guilty to committing fraud outside the UK and money laundering. Judge of the Norwich Crown Court described the crime as “highly sophisticated,” involving significant planning and technical expertise.

This isn’t Gunton’s first crime. In 2019, was sentenced 20-month of prison or stealing TalkTalk customer data for cryptocurrency. However, he avoided jail by completing a 12-month rehabilitation. He was also ordered to repay £407,359 ($524,700) for hacking high-profile Instagram accounts.