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Thread: 100+ arrested for identity theft, piracy, hacking, counterfeiting in Web Snare

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    Edward Taguba's Avatar
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    100+ arrested for identity theft, piracy, hacking, counterfeiting in Web Snare

    U.S. wraps up Net crime sweep

    53 people convicted of identity theft, piracy, hacking, counterfeiting in Operation Web Snare.
    August 26, 2004: 3:46 PM EDT

    WASHINGTON (CNN) - Top federal law enforcement officials Thursday announced the conclusion of an operation that brought 53 convictions involving a series of cyber crimes that targeted 150,000 victims.

    Operation Web Snare, which began June 1, wrapped up Thursday with several arrests at locations across the country. Justice Department officials said victims lost more than $215 million.

    They said there were 160 investigations against the various schemes aimed at 350 subjects resulting in 117 criminal complaints or indictments and 140 search warrants.
    Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the results of the initiative, which he said was targeted at a variety of online economic crimes, including identity theft, fraud, counterfeit software, computer intrusions and intellectual property theft.

    "Operation Web Snare is the largest and most successful collaborative law-enforcement operation ever conducted to prosecute online fraud, stop identity theft, and prevent other computer-related crimes," Ashcroft said.

    One of the major schemes officials said was targeted as part of the operation is phishing, the sending of e-mails designed to look like they are from legitimate financial institutions or other senders requesting financial or other confidential personal information.

    Another major problem and the fastest growing type of computer-related crime is identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission says 10 million Americans had their identities stolen last year. The Justice Department says identity theft costs the nation's businesses nearly $50 billion a year in fraudulent transactions.

    Ashcroft gave one example of a worker in Kansas City charged with conspiring with five of her co-workers to steal several pages listing their co-workers' Social Security numbers. They allegedly took the information to Chicago and used it to fraudulently apply for credit cards.

    Authorities also said they are seeing more use of the Internet to commit crime against rival businesses, bringing a substantial loss of revenue last year and the disruption of many Web sites.

    Resources: http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/26/tech...ex.htm?cnn=yes

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    Thanks for sharing that Ed. I knew that idenity theft was widespread, but had no idea that there were 10 million in one year.

    Brenda Templin
    "The climb to the top is arduous and long. People become exhausted, frustrated,
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    the heart of their followers to carry on." .....by Kouzes and Posner

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    Thanks for sharing the article, because just last week several people in the office received a phishing email. Our IT department informed everyone of the new wave of internet fraud and if it looks supicious then it probably is. I say great that's one for the people. Internet fraud is a growing industry and thanks to law enforcement such as this, I can turn on my computer and feel a little safer.


    LaToya M Gaddy

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    Edward Taguba's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LaToya M Gaddy
    I can turn on my computer and feel a little safer.
    LaToya,

    I hear you on this one. More and more investigations is going on so more and more we can do more trust.

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    Let's say I receive a phishing e-mail. Can I copy it and bring it to this forum? I'd like to see what one looks like and some of the other newcomers probably would too.

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    Recent Phishing Attacks

    Hello April,

    The site below has a list of recent phishing attacks. Click on each to get details about it, and to see an example of the email.

    http://www.antiphishing.org/

    Brenda Templin

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    Thank you Brenda, I'll check that out right now... I thought I was the only one up this late in the forums!

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    Originally posted by Brenda Templin...
    The site below has a list of recent phishing attacks. Click on ... to see an example of the email.

    http://www.antiphishing.org/

    Brenda and All, I went to this site last night and the criminals are SLICK. I would have been fooled by such a polished and professional communication.
    Everyone should see this if they haven't already. And show it to their friends.

    We must remember no matter what messages on line or by phone we get, to always verify it by calling the number on our credit card statement.

    And just because some people don't have to pay the high prices of the theft (since the company absorbs the loss) doesn't mean that it won't be a major headache to sort out.

    Thanks Brenda,
    Last edited by April Rank; 08-28-2004 at 05:39 PM.
    April Rank always learning more

  9. #9
    Thanks for sharing Ed. Recently on our local news, a gentleman was interviewed as a victim of "phishing" apparently from "EBAY"... whomever sent the email form out was computer savvy enough to make the email seem like something EBAY sends out, but when the man got to the point where they asked for his mother's maiden name and bank account information, he KNEW it was bogus... sure helps to keep up to date on the scammers!

  10. #10
    The rule of thumb for ANY email from a company: If it asks for any personal information whether through a link or a response, it is probably bogus. Companies such as Ebay, PayPal, or credit card companies will always instruct you to go through their main site or their toll-free line to verify or edit information. Hope this is helpful.
    Daniel K Grubbs

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    To All:

    Sometimes the bad guys can direct the unwary to a fake site that looks like the real one. I know that this is another thing to worry about, but it is out there.

    Another issue is ambushing - thinking you are going to one site and ending up at one that you would never access (a problem for teenagers).

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    This is a huge problem right now. We also have to be aware of personal or financial information that is shared during "IM" conversations such has MSN Messenger and AIM. These conversations are not guaranteed to be safe either.

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    Identity Theft

    A friend of the family has been going for years with someone using his SS#. I looked into there paperwork to see what I could do to help. I got a list of places where the "offender" has been working. I know for a fact that the friend of the family has not worked because he is disabled. I visited the places of employment and received letters with copies of the Id of the individual that worked there. I took the proof and my friend to the local SS office. They still have not cleared up the mess. The person continue to work, file for unemployment, amoungst other things and my friend is taking the fall for everything. My friend has recently started working again and now the IRS is after him and so is unemployment.

    Does anyone know what else we could do?

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    Do we also get involved in identity theft assignments???? If we did that would be excellent.

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    Thanks for the article on Identity theft. I have known for several years that someone has been using my SSN for id purposes, when I confronted the SSA with the info they were very unhelpful at the time.

    Hopefully soon I will be able to get to the bottom of this ans rectify it with the assistance of this board, training info from the IPIU etc.

    The additional phishing articles and info were also very insightful. Being trained as a network engineer and web developer I have always warned my family to never respond to anything that asks for personal info in an email or open attachments.

    It seems tha tthis phishing is way more common than I was aware of.

    Thanks again all for the info.

    regards,
    Larry

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    What a great article....

    I have a dear friend who is a victim of Identity theft and was for $15,000 and just feels that he does not have the time to go after this person.

    I heard from a talk radio head that to plan on a part time job in getting your identity back.

    1. Why is it so hard to get your Identity back?
    2. Why is there not a service that caters to Recovering Identity theft?
    3. Is there a web that will at least show who can help at this time?

    Thanks
    Elwood

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    More people need to be aware of Idenity Theft. I have had many emails, and phising in my inbox. Not to mention, a Citibank email, that routed me to a fake Citibank site that wanted my information. Some people might not be aware of it is a real or fake site.

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    Thank you all for this great information. The more I read the more I learn. Keep up the good work. The forum really is a great source for information.

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    Brenda, This type of deception is awful!! Thank you for putting the link on your post, it was very educational!! I will pass it on to my friends at my local law enforcement office.

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    Quote Originally Posted by April Rank
    Originally posted by Brenda Templin...
    The site below has a list of recent phishing attacks. Click on ... to see an example of the email.

    http://www.antiphishing.org/

    Brenda and All, I went to this site last night and the criminals are SLICK. I would have been fooled by such a polished and professional communication.
    Everyone should see this if they haven't already. And show it to their friends.

    We must remember no matter what messages on line or by phone we get, to always verify it by calling the number on our credit card statement.

    And just because some people don't have to pay the high prices of the theft (since the company absorbs the loss) doesn't mean that it won't be a major headache to sort out.

    Thanks Brenda,
    Brenda, this is really scarey. I thought I would be able to spot a "phishing" e-mail with no problems, but the quality of these e-mails is fantastic, I would probably have been fooled by them. That link is an eye-opener for sure, thanks for sharing.

    Geoff

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    Scary Internet

    Thank you for the website showing examples.
    The internet can still be a scary place to do any type of transactions. Most of the time, we take care of all our transactions the old fashioned way-USPS....however, when I do internet shopping, I am always leery about how safe it is; now I have a little ammo to help me out!
    Thanks again

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    Great info!!

    Thanks for the site and I looked at it too......really kind of scary that we can't trust anyone anymore!

  23. #23
    Deborah A Bujdos's Avatar
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    I would like to thank you too for listing that site. I just recently had someone using my address and phone number as their contact info on ebay and people were calling me asking for merchandise that was sold by a mystery person and the customers were calling me as though I sold the stuff and I did not. I notified the seller and told them I was aware of them using my info and had no reply. Then I notified Ebay and they have not informed me of any progress in contacting the other person using my info. Thanks again

    Deborah Bujdos

  24. #24

    Thumbs up Super Info - Great Article

    Thanks for the info. Ed,
    This is an area I would like to work in. Great information. It still boggles my mind when I read some of the things people do.
    Great material and wonderful teaching tool.
    As always Ed, you are fantastic.
    Cheri

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    Thanks for the Information Ed.

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    ID theft

    Even if you take all the precautions you can think of, your information is still ending up in various trash dumpsters around the country. I remember seeing a television program that checked up on company policies and procedures for handling customer info that is on mailings that are put in the trash. Seems they found all kinds of non-shredded documents containing names, addresses, ssn's, financial and medical information in trash bins. Many different types of businesses have this information through legitimate channels but even though most firms dispose of it properly, there are still a few that simply think documents disappear when put in the trash can.

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    David, you hit it right on the head, no matter what precautions you take, your info can be stolen. We had a case where my health insurance companies offices were broken into and they stole a list of clients with ssns, addrs, phone numbers etc. Luckily they caught them before they were able to do any real damage to anyone. So, my advice is to keep all your personal info on very close hold. never give out personal information over the phone or net unless you absolutely know for sure who that person/company is that your dealing with.

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    Ed,

    Thanks for sharing this story, it sheds light on the criminal events that take place daily. Unfortunately, it's uncanny the savvy criminals have, if they could only channel that into something positive! It's great to have "Investigators" on the good side of the law.

    Best Regards,

    Gus Owens

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    Hello All, I was amazed at the "professional" look of the the phish examples they showed us. I see that the help website does know from where the actual 00000 are being sent.(The part where they mentioned that they are masked, but then they give the actual site address) Is it then difficult to trace back who originated the site?? I am new at computer skills, and was just wondering?? Diane

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    Phishing

    I have received a few phishing e-mails and some of them do appear quite legitimate at first. But, as soon as they ask for personal information like an SSN or account number, the red flag goes up.

    I have sixteen years of experience in doing information research and background checks, including running SSNs. Frequently an SSN will come back with two or more different, unrelated names. Sometimes this is due to a simple typographical error, such as transposing digits in the SSN, but other times it is due to SSN theft. I have seen an SSN come back with as many as six completely different names and addresses. I suspect that these SSNs were "sold" to various individuals.

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    Janet, I can't begin to imagine the nightmare there must be in trying to fix the problem if one's ID is stolen. Six!! I don't even want to think about it!!

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    I think that's it's so sad that it is still so easy for anyone's identity to be stolen. You would think that there would be a harsh punishment for these companies that are caught not properly destroying important documents from their customer databases. It's a shame to because of how much it could actually cost a person to get out of the mess that is caused by another person, it's like we aren't being protected at all, you become a victim of identity theft, then you become a victim of all of the creditors and such that these people use your identity to set up accounts with. Pretty scary mess, is what that becomes!

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    I checked out that antiphishing website. VERY INTERESTING!! I hope those convicted will do at least a little time in jail. I would be very interested in getting involved in some of those investigations.

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    Identity Theft

    "Another major problem and the fastest growing type of computer-related crime is identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission says 10 million Americans had their identities stolen last year. The Justice Department says identity theft costs the nation's businesses nearly $50 billion a year in fraudulent transactions."

    I have heard this from a number of sources. My opinion is that this type of crime will continue to increase in coming years. That is why I want to get into that area of investigations.

    BTW, I get phishing emails almost every day from some source. Most major companies like E-Bay, PayPal, Citibank, Bank of America, etc. etc., now have fraud departments and welcome our help in trying to catch the people who send these out. Go to the company's real website, not the one on the link in the phishing email, and search for their fraud department. Or just click on the Contact Us link. Then forward your phishing email to them, explaining when you received it.

    This sounds to me like an exciting area to work in.

    Bob Allen

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    10 million is a big number. It is sad to think we have that many criminals in our country.

  36. #36

    Arizona is leading in Identity Theft

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert G Allen
    "Another major problem and the fastest growing type of computer-related crime is identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission says 10 million Americans had their identities stolen last year. The Justice Department says identity theft costs the nation's businesses nearly $50 billion a year in fraudulent transactions."

    I have heard this from a number of sources. My opinion is that this type of crime will continue to increase in coming years. That is why I want to get into that area of investigations.

    BTW, I get phishing emails almost every day from some source. Most major companies like E-Bay, PayPal, Citibank, Bank of America, etc. etc., now have fraud departments and welcome our help in trying to catch the people who send these out. Go to the company's real website, not the one on the link in the phishing email, and search for their fraud department. Or just click on the Contact Us link. Then forward your phishing email to them, explaining when you received it.

    This sounds to me like an exciting area to work in.

    Bob Allen
    Hi Bob,
    I agree with you. It is an area I would like to work in as well.
    I have been away from the forum for a few weeks because I have been trying to find full time work. I love my business but I am struggling to make it pay. I have a Mortgage Compliance Consultant business and some times people would rather take the chance of not paying a fine then pay to find out what they can do to avoid it.
    One of my clients did say he wanted to know how much I would charge to do a Skip Trace. I haven't done one before - I do employment background searches- but no Skip Trace yet. Do you or does anyone know how much to charge and do I charge if I don't find the person. I need some expert details please.
    Thanks

  37. #37
    Donna Abbondondolo Guest

    Phishing e-mail

    Quote Originally Posted by April Rank
    Let's say I receive a phishing e-mail. Can I copy it and bring it to this forum? I'd like to see what one looks like and some of the other newcomers probably would too.
    Hi April,
    I'm a new forum member and noticed you are too! Welcome! I'm always receiving these types of emails as I used to run online auctions at a very well known site. The resolve to these dangerous emails where virtually non-existent. Maybe they (the company) should look at an outside resource to track them.
    Be very careful of any attachments. If you must enter any personnel info. make sure the sight is secure...https:// (notice the "s" after http and there should also be a lock icon "closed" or "locked" in your toolbar.
    Wouldn't it be rewarding to catch some of these thief's!
    Keep safe,
    Donna

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    Very interesting thread here. I wanted to share a little something I found out when I researched it. EBay for example: when you receive what you suspect to be a "phish", you can look at who they addressed the email to. If it says "Dear member", it most likely is a fraud. If it has your name or email, there's a good chance it's legitimate. Also, as popular as Yahoo is as an email provider, you can use the options that Yahoo has available. What I've done is changed my preferences so that I can see the IP address of the person sending the email. You can do this by opening your Yahoo email, then selecting Mail Options (upper right), then select General Preferences. Next, go down to the Messages caption. Under Headers, select show all headers on incoming messages. And now, when you get new emails, you can see additional info from the sender. Try it, maybe it'll help. Let me know if you need coaching through this.
    Joe

  39. #39
    Ms Minta Thomson's Avatar
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    Thumbs up Hi all :)

    Just wanted to include my two cents here.....I work for a very well known org. which is another leader in the 'puter world's testing ground for their servers and software because of the size of our "house" and data we run daily.

    With that being said.....I'm sure you can imagine the levels we exert to ensure we are "secure". It is amazing how sneaky, clever and gutsy these hackers are who spend their lives creating doom and gloom in the net. They thrive on identity theft, fraud, and just "messing" with the everyday data of the world.

    Long story short?? There is a huge market out there for those of you wishing to get into "security".......and its very rewarding when you shut someone down or have the authorities arrest them.

    Nite nite.....Minta

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    Thanks Edward for that information on e-mail fraud. I know I will be able to use it later. While still on level one, visiting the forum often is teaching me so many things.
    I say thanks again. Yvonne Brown

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