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Massive Online ID Fraud Ring Busted

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the shakedown-breakdown dept.

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."

6 of 353 comments (clear)

  1. Yes, but... by IceFreak2000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... 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...
  2. us secret service by marc252 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I like the phrase:
    "CONTACT YOUR LOCAL UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE FIELD OFFICE....BEFORE WE CONTACT YOU!!"
    Yeah! like I know where the local offices are :-) Aren't they supposed to be secret?
    Is it like a franchise? You get macdonalds and right next to it "your local us secret service office"!
    Great!

  3. slashdot by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 5, Funny
    The Shadowcrew website has since undergone a makeover thanks to the Secret Service.

    ...and now a free slashdotting to finish them off.

    --
    READY.
    PRINT ""+-0
  4. Note to self by yo303 · · Score: 5, Funny
    During the course of the investigation, computer underground criminal groups were identified as Shadowcrew, Carderplanet and Darkprofits.
    I must remember to make my criminal activity website a little more innocent-sounding the next time.

    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.

  5. Re:We need more action on identity theft by kentmartin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Identity theft can destroy people, literally.

    Identity theft, the worlds leading cause of spontaneous human combustion. Four out of five leading physicists agree.

  6. Re:Wait by xThinkx · · Score: 5, Funny

    Apparently they stole several tags as well. Be on the lookout...

    --
    Let's get one thing perfectly clear, I did not vote for George W Bush, and I do not endorse what he does or says.
    "