In the USA, a man received a prison sentence for hacking and faking his own death in order to evade from alimony. This case demonstrates the seriousness of cybercrime and its consequences.
Cybercrime and punishment
Sentence for virtual death
In the United States, 39-year-old Jesse Kipf was sentenced to 6 years and 9 months in prison for computer fraud and identity theft. The court's decision was announced on Tuesday.
Deception Scheme
In early 2023, Kipf illegally used a doctor's credentials to infiltrate the Hawaii Death Registration System. There he created a fictitious case about his own death, filling out a death certificate and confirming it with the digital signature of a doctor. Thanks to the correct paperwork, many government databases listed Kipf as deceased.
Motives for the crime
The main purpose of faking death was to evade payment of alimony and repayment of debts on it. Evidence presented at trial included the search history on Kipf's laptop, where he searched for information on how to "Evoke child support in California for a deceased person."
Additional offenses
Kipf's criminal activities were not limited to faking his own death. He also stole other credentials and used them to access death registries in other states, private business networks, government and corporate systems. According to the Department of Justice, the attacker tried to sell access to these networks to potential buyers on the dark web.
Consequences and punishment
Kipf admitted his guilt. After serving a minimum of 5 years and 8 months, he will have to pay more than $195,000. This amount includes both overdue child support and compensation for damage to computer systems to which he gained illegal access.
Criminal history
According to the New York Times, Kipf has previously been prosecuted for owning other people's devices for financial transactions. He is also charged with using stolen credit cards.
Glossary
- Jesse Kipf - 39-year-old American convicted of computer fraud and theft personal data
- Hawaii Death Registration System - government database for recording deaths in Hawaii
- US Department of Justice - federal agency executive branch of the United States, responsible for enforcing the law and administering justice
- Darknet is a hidden network, part of the Internet that can only be accessed through special software
- New York Times - one of the most influential and oldest newspapers in the United States
Links
Questions answered
What punishment did the American receive for faking his own death?
How was the criminal able to declare himself dead?
Why did the man decide to fake his death?
What other illegal actions did the criminal commit?
Has the offender had previous problems with the law?
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Discussion of the topic – Alimony hacker: how a father faked his death using government databases
The story of how American Jesse Kipf hacked government systems to avoid paying alimony and received almost 7 years in prison for it.
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Francesca
Wow! What ingenuity to avoid paying child support. But seriously, this is too much. Hack government systems? 🤔 I wonder how he thought he could get away with it?
Klaus
I agree, Francesca! This is just crazy. But what amazes me most is that he was able to gain access to so many systems. Clearly not an ordinary hacker. I wonder how many other such vulnerabilities exist in government agencies? 🤔
Elena
Guys, did you notice that he was looking for ways to avoid child support on the Internet? This is the first thing investigators will check! It feels like he didn’t think about the consequences at all 🤦♀️
Pierre
Elena, exactly! But what surprises me most is that he tried to sell access on the darknet. This is a completely different level of crime. I wonder how much he could have made from this if he hadn't been caught? 💰
Olga
Oh, guys, I’m thinking about the children. Can you imagine what it’s like for them to find out that their father did such a thing just to avoid paying child support? This is a trauma for life 😢
Heinrich
Ugh, what nonsense! Previously, men were men - they were responsible for their actions. Now what? They hide behind computers and come up with some kind of schemes. Where is this world heading? There are only hackers all around!
Isabella
Heinrich, don't be such a grump! Yes, it was a terrible act, but technology had nothing to do with it. The problem is people and their values. But how to strengthen the protection of state systems is an interesting question 🤔 Maybe blockchain will help?
Maksym
Isabella, great idea about blockchain! I think decentralized systems could make life much more difficult for these scammers. Although, of course, this will require a serious restructuring of the entire infrastructure 🏗️