Teens Behind 'Crimebook' Web Forum Sentenced

A career in cybercrime that began with hacking into boarding school records to erase friends' detention records ended yesterday with a 19-year-old ringleader sentenced to up to 5 years in jail. Nick Webber and two teenage accomplices were convicted of setting up a "Facebook for crooks" on which criminals around the world could exchange stolen credit card and bank details, the Guardian reports.

Prosecutors—who described Webber's Gh0stmarket.net operation as "Crimebook"—estimated that accounts were emptied of up to $27 million by criminals using the forum, which had 8,000 members by the time police shut it down. The teen crew, who prosecutors say lived the high life on the proceeds of fraud, were busted after Webber tried to check into a London hotel using stolen credit card details. (More Britain stories.)