Slashdot Mirror
Massive Online ID Fraud Ring Busted
Iphtashu Fitz writes "CNet News is reporting that the US Secret Service in conjunction with authorities in six foreign countries have arrested 28 people in the last 48 hours on charges of identity theft, computer fraud, credit card fraud and conspiracy. Dubbed Operation Firewall, the Secret Service identified a group of people who stole over 1.7 million credit card numbers as well as a passport-forging facility in Bulgaria. The investigation started in July 2003 when the Secret Service began investigating an unspecified financial crime. They identified the website Shadowcrew.com whose members traded tutorials and information about identity theft and forgery and exchanged sensitive personal and financial information. The Shadowcrew website has since undergone a makeover thanks to the Secret Service. A press release about the operation can also be found on their website."
The fed-version of their website is priceless. I especially like the music and the picture of hands reaching through the bars of a jail cell.
"Weapons should be hardy rather than decorative" - Miyamoto Musashi
I think that goes for OS's too
Hacked by Chine^H^H^H^H^HSecret Service!
... how long before the US Secret Service gets served a writ by the RIAA for damages related to the use of the Mission Impossible theme tune? ;)
Life is like a sewer; what you get out of it depends on what you put into it...
Morons. If you want to conspire, wouldn't it be smart to do it somewhere with a wee bit less conspicuous name than shadow crew?
GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
"...a group of people who stole ... a passport-forging facility in Bulgaria."
;)
Sorry, just had to nitpick.
I'm sorry if I haven't offended anyone
What makes that picture especially scary for the members when they visit it is that there is no computer in that jail cell. No computer for 10 years?!? That's worse than a death sentance to some of them!
I like the phrase: :-)
Aren't they supposed to be secret?
"CONTACT YOUR LOCAL UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE FIELD OFFICE....BEFORE WE CONTACT YOU!!"
Yeah! like I know where the local offices are
Is it like a franchise? You get macdonalds and right next to it "your local us secret service office"!
Great!
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
Shame on you, Slashdot!.
My life is in despair because of you!
db
Cig:
ôô
... makes me want to commit some crimes of my own lol *hangs over desk, typing this message*
The Secret Service has not yet learnt how to decode the untold mysteries of the
apparently.
~.~
I'm a peripheral visionary.
From the source-code of the site --No wonder -- the word ShadowCrew does not render properly in Firefox =)
Come on you guys at Secret Service!!! Use a good browser guys
Darkprofits and Shadowcrew.com? Come on.... they should have gone with shinyfunplace.com or fluffylegitimateactivity.com...
What do you expect to happen if you run imgoingtokillthepresident.com? Happy fun time?
yo.
So we can call them the "Hommies?"
They stole an entire facility? I'm not even mad, I'm impressed. wow.
Now where am I going to get my passports?
oBet, oBkov, Vrat Vseki, zoV Gora, moDa, aDski, DZHob,
Identity theft can destroy people, literally.
Identity theft, the worlds leading cause of spontaneous human combustion. Four out of five leading physicists agree.
I can see the headline now:
"Hundreds of thousends of nerds arrested for suspicion of identity theft"
Yep - you are going to be arrested within an hour of visiting the site because of the Patriot Act and then you will be sent to Cuba within a day and held as an enemy combatant.
Here's a fun trick: Go to your friend's house and ask if you can check your email quick from their computer and visit the site. Sit across the street and laugh as unmarked vans take your friend away.
A nazdrave... :)
If you go by the /. norm, this isn't Identity Theft, this is Identity Infringment right?
After all, they didn't take the person's Identity, they just made a copy for themselves....
-- End of Sarcasim --
USSS?
United Soviet Socialist States? I didn't know Bush had gone that far just yet.
oh, United States Secret Service. Still, you have to wonder about a secret government organization using 'SS' as its designation...
AJ: Sir! Yes Sir!
Boss: I want you to go deep undercover, join this identity theft organisation and bring them to justice.
AJ: Sir! Yes Sir!
Boss: Agent Jones.
AJ: what. I'm busy, just one more compile, k.
Boss: Well done Agent Jones, the thieves are locked up and the world's a safer place.
AJ: yo! right on! My l33t undercover hax0r sk1lls roxs!
Boss: hmm. Let me have your mission report.
AJ: yeah yeah, mission documentation is for wimps. Read the source, luke dude.
Boss: such a pity. Yet another brave agent lost to the demands placed upon them. The world's such a cruel place.
That happened to me once! I got better.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
Well that's a relief!
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
that probably depends on which "port" Bubba uses for input/output and at what baud rate...
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
The United States Secret Service was formed in 1865. The Schutzstaffel was formed in 1925.
Under your logic, were I to form a terrorist group and name it "John Kerry", he should have to change his name.
Shit. I just named a presidential candidate, Nazi orginization, AND the word 'terrorist' in the same post... oh well, the NSA was slashdotted earlier, I'm sure they won't be coming to get me, I'm safe here in..@#%#$%34j[CARRIER LOST]
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living."
- Seneca