Rave King’s fraud machine
A former ‘King of Acid House’ may well have been on a mind bending LSD trip when he created this bizarre fraud machine.
But it was a fully working con artist’s computer which enabled Tony Muldowney–Colston, 53, to retrieve bank customer’s details and plunder their accounts of over £500,000.
Muldowney–Colston – also known as Tony Colston-Hayter – once organised some of Britain’s most infamous all-night raves where drugs were peddled to children as young as 12.
The son of a university lecturer, he famously handcuffed himself to Jonathan Ross after his ‘Sunrise’ parties were banned by then former Home Secretary Douglas Hurd.
After slipping into obscurity for two decades the computer genius found his new vocation as the ‘Mr Big’ of cyber-crime.
He was jailed for five and half years in 2014 for masterminding a £1.25m cyber bank heist.
Muldowney–Colston led a gang who planted a hi-tech computer hacking device in a bank to empty high value accounts.
They used a keyboard video mouse (KVM) device – which costs as little as £10 and is popular with suspicious partners hoping to catch their cheating spouses – to take control of multiple computer systems and transmit information remotely.
Six high-worth accounts were emptied, with the University of Portsmouth and the London Metropolitan University among the victims.
After his release Muldowney–Colston was soon back to his old ways – but this time with his bizarre machine.
It was used it to contact victims and convince them he was a member of staff at their bank.
Amazingly, experts from the Met’s Digital Communications and Cyber Laboratory confirmed the device actually worked.
Officers also seized a hard drive containing details of passports and identity cards, 32 credit cards, and a spreadsheet containing names, addresses, e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
Detective Inspector Philip McInerney from the Met Police’s Cyber Crime Unit (MPCCU) said: ‘The scam carried out by Muldowney–Colston affected hundreds of people across the UK, and had the potential to affect many more.
‘He is an audacious criminal who only recently was released from prison for carrying out very similar offences.
‘He shows no concern for the welfare of any individual or organisation, and has made it clear he will use a range of methods to achieve significant financial gain for himself.
Muldowney–Colston was once a a successful professional gambler, astounded teachers by passing a special O-level in fruit machine technology aged just 16.
He once raked in £23,000 a day before he was banned from every casino in Britain.
Muldowney–Colston travelled to Hong Kong in 2003 where he set up an engineering company which produced a component for a Formula One car.
But when he moved back to Britain to marry and start a young family, police believe he became an accomplished fraudster.
Jailing the fraudster for 20 months, Judge Jeffrey Pegden, QC, said:
‘You were released on licence for a 5 and a half year for fraud.
‘In July 2016 you then had a significant period where you complied with your licence but you then returned to fraudulent behaviour.
‘Over a period of months and with a very significant degree of planning you made a whole variety of items for use in fraud.
‘Although you did not manage actual fraudulent activities your intention was plain.
‘You admitted candidly all items seized were for use in fraud.
‘Including making a banking formulation till as well as stealing from the post.’
Muldowney–Colston, of Clifton Street, Brighton, admitted nine counts of possession of an article for use in fraud and two counts of making or supplying an article for use in fraud and was jailed for 20 months.
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