News: Teen Scammer Now Wants Job With eBay, Microsoft
November 3rd, 2005 by Laurie BarakSource: TVNZ (New Zealand)
A teenager who swindled eBay customers out of thousands now wants to advise the internet auction site on how to tackle online criminals. Phillip Shortman, 18, of south Wales, was sentenced to 12 months’ detention in May this year after duping customers out of $113,400 NZ (about $78,123 US).
Shortman’s crimes funded a lavish lifestyle including holidays to more than 20 countries and champagne-fueled rides in limousines. But in an interview on Britain’s ITV network, the married father-of-one claims to have ended his criminal career – and says his new ambition is to turn from poacher to gamekeeper by offering his services to eBay as an advisor on security.
“Fingers crossed, that somebody like maybe Microsoft or eBay or somebody big out there will get in touch with me,” he said. “I’ve (turned over) a new leaf and I want to just prove myself and I want to show my community I’m changed, that it’s not about the money any more.” He adds: “I’d do it definitely. It’s easy, I can tell if an auction is a scam, it’s just everything about it, I can see a scam from miles away.”
Shortman said it had been easy to carry out his fraud, and criticizes security on the eBay site. The program lifts the lid on how he operated his scam from his bedroom at his parents’ house when he was 17, evading capture over 13 months, despite asking his victims to pay funds into a bank account held in his name or send checks to his home address. Shortman was eventually convicted, but while on bail awaiting sentence he re-offended by conning eBay customers into paying $20,100 NZ ( about $13,847 US) for an international rugby match.
