Ewan McGavin, a 31-year-old man from Horwich, Bolton, has been jailed for orchestrating a phishing website designed to deceive the public into thinking they were on an authentic Amazon page, with the goal of stealing their personal information.
Following an investigation by Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit for Southern Wales, McGavin was found to have paid Blaine Flatt, a 22-year-old from Broadlands, Bridgend, to create the fraudulent website. In February 2024, Flatt pleaded guilty to several offenses, including creating fraudulent articles for use in scams. He was sentenced to a suspended two-year prison term and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community service.
McGavin, who had been out of the country during Flatt’s trial, returned to the UK and was arrested. On January 10, 2025, he was found guilty by a jury for encouraging and assisting the commission of fraud. He has been sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Temporary Detective Sergeant Jack Harris from Tarian commented on the case, stressing the serious consequences of phishing crimes and the harm caused to victims. “Cyber criminals targeting people through phishing scams can cause significant distress,” Harris said. “We will continue to pursue and bring them to justice.”
Phishing scams trick victims into sharing sensitive personal information, often using fake websites or emails designed to look like trusted companies such as Amazon. To protect against these scams, Harris urged the public to be vigilant and make use of resources from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
Additionally, Harris highlighted the importance of reviewing privacy settings on social media platforms to prevent criminals from using personal details to make scams more convincing. “Ensure that you are only sharing information with people you know and trust,” he advised.
