The 23-year-old Dolan started his phishing “career” back in 2002. At first he used malicious software to steal AOL screen names from chat rooms. Later on he would spam the users with electronic greeting cards which they thought to be from Hallmark.com. As expected, the cards were in fact the means to install a Trojan horse that prevented AOL customers from logging into their account without entering personal information such as names, credit card details and social security numbers.
The subscriber’s information would then be used by Dolan and others to order products online and to produce counterfeit debit cards, which were used at ATM machines and retail outlets.
Eventually, Dolan was arrested on 26 September 2006 and is now scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson on 14 November 2007.
Previously, Dolan was sentenced to two years of probation May 2004 for accessing a protected computer without authorization. In April 2006, his probation was revoked and Dolan was sentenced to nine months of imprisonment due to the fact that Dolan had violated the conditions of his probation by failing to report to his probation officer and by making numerous trips out of Connecticut without permission.
A Department of Justice statement on the case is available here