[attach id=196431 size="medium"]Mr Depasquale fraudulently bought talk time from Go’s website.[/attach]

A bright student with a talent for computer programming managed to defraud Go Mobile out of some €4,000 after developing software that generated credit card numbers.

Some account holders have not yet realised they were conned

The numbers, which included security features of the respective accounts, would be verified by a website before 24-year-old Andrew Depasquale, from Naxxar, used them to purchase talk time on the Go Mobile website and sell it on at a discounted price.

He admitted using a programming language called QBasic to develop this software, which produced a series of credit card numbers that are actually attached to real accounts, belonging to strangers.

The plan came to light after the communications company caught cameraman Mr Depasquale using his mother’s account with different credit cards, which led them to the much bigger scheme.

He also created other accounts using the credit card holders’ names to purchase talk time.

He managed to buy €3,735 worth of talk time but Police Inspector Rennie Stivala said there is still untold damage waiting to be uncovered because some account holders, who are almost all foreign, had not yet realised they were conned.

Lawyer Ingrid Zammit Young, appearing for Go Mobile, confirmed the amount defrauded could be much higher.

During the arraignment, lawyer Franco Debono told Magistrate Doreen Clarke that his client was using his intelligence badly and he had done all this to get money to buy drugs.

His client was willing to undertake a drug rehabilitation programme and suggested a probation order. The inspector did not object.

After taking into consideration the circumstances of the case, Magistrate Clarke placed Mr Depasquale on probation for three years and ordered him to repay the money within one year.