Hacker exposed bank loophole to buy luxury cars and a face tattoo

A UK hacker who stole £100,000 from his bank after spotting a loophole in its systems has been jailed for 16 months.

Unemployed James Ejankowski, 24, of Bridlington, squandered his ill-gotten gains by splurging on a BMW and a Range Rover, and getting his face tattooed (as shown in a story in the Teeside Evening Gazette here). He lied to some members of his family, claiming he'd won the money on a scratchcard while attempting to hide his criminality by funnelling the money through his partner's account.

Prosecutor Shaun Dryden told Teesside Crown Court that Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banking Group had closed the loophole which had allowed Ejankowski to commit fraud last December.

Ejankowski had reportedly discovered that if he used software to transfer notional funds between his current account and his savings account between midnight and 1:00am in the morning, the transaction would go through even though he didn't have adequate funds and without prompt reconciliation.

Dryden told the court: "For one hour there was a credit balance in his account even though he did not have any money."

Ejankowski used the loophole to fraudulently rack up funds which he subsequently transferred to his partner Charlotte Slater's Natwest account. He also used the money to pay off debts and to send funds to other relatives. This money carousel was never going to last long though – as even Ejankowski realised – prompting him to turn himself in to police on Boxing Day.

Banking officials have recovered £34,000, leaving losses approaching £100K.

Ejankowski had already served a community punishment for an earlier ruse involving the fraudulent sale of items online back in May 2015. This meant Ejankowski was jailed for 16 months even after he pleaded guilty to fraud. His partner Charlotte Slater received a suspended sentence over her supporting role in the offending.

A staffer at the Teeside Crown court listing office confirmed that Ejankowski was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment for fraud.

A spokesperson for Clydesdale Bank told El Reg: "This was a one-off isolated incident. We take fraud very seriously and note the court's decision." ®