Woman charged in pyramid scheme that shut down Net service
Source: SNP
A woman from Bigfork Montana faces a misdemeanor count of unlawful use of a computer after she allegedly initiated an Internet attack that flooded a local Internet provider and forced it to shut down. Jacqueline Briguccia-Isley, 39, caused the e-mail flood when she downloaded a program and sent an e-mail version of a fraudulent pyramid scheme to customers at the Montana Sky Internet company, said Sgt. Brian Fulford, a Kalispell Police detective. The program overwhelmed the system with 20,000 e-mails an hour, forcing the provider to shut down its server.
Fred Weber, Montana Sky's owner, said it was one of the worst attacks ever for his business. Fulford said the crash cost the company about $1,000. The charge against Briguccia-Isley carries a maximum fine of $1,000 and up to six months in jail "It's important that people realize this is not just a game. There is a price to pay if you screw up," Fulford said.
