Two men jailed after cyber attack on Chesterfield taxi firm

Two men have been jailed for more than 30 months after bombarding a Chesterfield taxi firm with calls, in a bid to blackmail money from the owner of the business.

Ehsen Abdul Razak, 24, of Strachan Street, Maidstone and Gracia Mbwiti of Harts Lane, Barking launched a Telephone Denial of Service (TDOS) attack on A-Line Taxis in February 2017.

The pair purchased specialist equipment which allowed them to constantly call the firm day and night over a 30-hour period, preventing genuine calls getting through. They then attempted to blackmail the company in order for the calls to stop.

In the course of this investigation Abdul Razak and Mbwiti were also found to have stolen thousands of compromised bank details in an attempt to defraud people out of money, dating back to 2016.

They pleaded guilty to misusing a computer to deny service, blackmail, fraud and conspiracy to defraud.

Abdul Razak was jailed for 34 months and Mbwiti for 30 months when they appeared at Derby Crown Court on 9 September.

Detective Constable Mick Donegan said:

“This attack was a targeted attempt to blackmail an individual by putting their livelihood at stake.

“Genuine callers were unable to get through, meaning that A-Line taxis lost thousands of pounds worth of business and their reputation was put in jeopardy as they were seemingly not answering calls for service.

“We are pleased that Abdul Razak and Mbwiti have been brought to justice for this incident and that it puts a spotlight on the length fraudsters will go to blackmail businesses for cash.

“I would urge anyone who thinks they may be subject to a TDOS attack to contact us as soon as possible, as we take reports of this nature extremely seriously.”

You can report any such incidents to us via one of the following methods:

• Facebook – send us a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary
• Twitter – direct message our contact centre on @DerPolContact
• Website – complete the online contact form www.derbyshire.police.uk/Contact-Us.
• Phone – call us on 101.

All reports of this nature also need to be reported to Action Fraud online at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or by calling 0300 120 2040.

For information about how you can protect your business from fraud and cyber attacks please follow our Cyber Protect Officer, Jodie Nevin on Twitter and LinkedIn.