Mumbai: Teen hacker docked for stealing reward points from coffee chain

The 17-year-old could hack into an entire server using his mobile phone and WiFi. He used the reward points to party with his friends at the same coffee shop

The Mumbai Cyber cell got its first conviction of a minor involved in the hacking of a server of a leading coffee outlet and accessing reward points and gift cards credited to customers' membership accounts. The boy used the reward points to party with his friends.

In a first of its kind order, the juvenile court found the minor guilty, ordered him to sign a one-year bond of good behaviour and take counselling of two years from an NGO.

According to cyber cell officers, the coffee outlet registered a complaint in the last week of September after they noticed something amiss and received a complaint from the customer. "The boy hacked into the entire server of the company and got access to customer login IDs and passwords. He used the entire amounts credited to the cards of several customers," an officer said.

The cyber police collected the company's electronics and found the 17-year-old to have hacked into the system. The boy was detained and sent to a shelter home. During the investigation, the crime branch learned that after passing his HSC, he was pursuing chartered accountancy and watching YouTube videos about hacking. "He is very tech-savvy. He could hack into an entire server using his mobile phone and WiFi. He also ensures that his identity is not relieved by using a bogus SIM card. He used the reward points to party with his friends at the same coffee shop," the officer added.

"The investigation was challenging and took tireless efforts on the part of our team to identify the accused," said Rashmi Karandikar, DCP Cyber.

The cyber cell filed the charge sheet before the juvenile court recently. Considering the case, the cyber cell has asked parents to always keep an eye on the mobile phones and laptops of school- and college-going kids. "The case highlights the need for parents to keep a closer eye on their children and ensure that they are not indulging in any activities that might seem to be fun but could land them in legal trouble," Karandikar added.

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