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I Was a Cybercrook for the FBI

Posted by Zonk on from the well-not-me-the-guy-who-wrote-the-article dept.

Hoi Polloi writes "Wired News has a series starting on internet crime. The first piece they have up covers the story of a cybercrook who specialized in credit card fraud. Caught in a sting operation in November of 2002, the man who identified himself as 'El Mariachi' on message boards would lead a double life for the next two years working for the FBI. As he reported on credit card scammers, dodged his former associates, and stopped criminals from defrauding the 2004 presidential campaign, he also tried to keep his life together. A fascinating tale that looks at the face of modern crime, and crime-stopping techniques."

51 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. I was a lying media whore by spun · · Score: 5, Insightful

    FTFA Footnotes "The logs appear to be legitimate but Wired News was unable to verify that they were recorded on behalf of the FBI or that they were unaltered by Thomas."

    Translation: this guy made it all up and sold his story to Wired, the Weekly World News for techies.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    1. Re:I was a lying media whore by Qzukk · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Wired, the Weekly World News for techies.

      At least they managed to note that logs say whatever the person who writes them wants them to say. How many juries get to learn that at trial?

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    2. Re:I was a lying media whore by spun · · Score: 4, Interesting

      At least they managed to note that logs say whatever the person who writes them wants them to say. How many juries get to learn that at trial?

      Any jury at the trial of a defandant who has a decent lawyer? There are strict rules for computer evidence. You need to be able to account for everyone that potentially had access to the data. Any basic computer security course will tell you how easy it is to have electronic evidence thrown out of court.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    3. Re:I was a lying media whore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      He's a real character from the carding scene, and he DID narc on quite a few people. I've never heard anything about the 2004 election but knowing the characters he associated with, that is probably overstated.

      The fact that they do in fact commit identity theft on a fairly massive level, does not change the fact that most of them are try hard drug addicts. Script kiddies of the fraud world.

      Most of these people are not capable of being simultaneously meticulously cautious, and exceedingly ambitious. The amount of precautions they take WILL hurt the ammount of business they can do. Caution to the point of staying out of jail involves keeping an extremely low profile, not getting greedy, and resultingly: never making it big. The people who make it big and try to cash out never can.

      Criminals are by nature lazy.

      Forum scheming is hardly the same thing as a conspiracy that is about to be acted upon. I doubt they got further than analyzing the technical concerns.

      Last I heard about "El": once his handlers had no further use for him, they threw him to the wolves of some state cops in regards to some past warrants he aparently never resolved. Good riddance. He was just another one of them till he got caught and they leaned on him. Then he folded like a napkin, became their tool, and started a "new leaf."

      Just goes to show the environment makes the man. I wonder how many of you people who scorn criminals would hold your ground if the tables were turned? Would you serve 10 years to keep your conscience clean? It's the same disdain straight A students have for cheaters. Do your thing, but no matter how much hassle these idiots cause you, karmas a bitch, and they dig their own grave 10X deeper.

      Feel sorry for them if anything. It's the Christian thing to do.[sic]

    4. Re:I was a lying media whore by ozbird · · Score: 3, Funny

      Translation: this guy made it all up and sold his story to Wired, the Weekly World News for techies.

      Did they pay by credit card?

    5. Re:I was a lying media whore by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 1

      I wonder how many of you people who scorn criminals would hold your ground if the tables were turned? Would you serve 10 years to keep your conscience clean?

      What the hell does that even mean?

      Feel sorry for them if anything. It's the Christian thing to do.[sic]

      Too bad there aren't many Christians in this country.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
    6. Re:I was a lying media whore by Ex-MislTech · · Score: 1

      I wonder how many of you people who scorn criminals would hold your ground if the tables were turned? Would you serve 10 years to keep your conscience clean?

      What the hell does that even mean?

      It means, if you were caught for "downloading" and offered a "deal", would you "work" for the Feds, or do the time.

      --
      google "32 trillion offshore needs IRS attention"
    7. Re:I was a lying media whore by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 1

      downloading what, exactly? You can't charge someone with a felony for downloading MP3s, which is what I assume you mean.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
    8. Re:I was a lying media whore by kalirion · · Score: 1

      He's a real character from the carding scene, and he DID narc on quite a few people. I've never heard anything about the 2004 election but knowing the characters he associated with, that is probably overstated.

      TFA implies that the crooks tried to defraud campaign contributers, not hack the polls. Though stealing money intended for a presidential campaign could indirectly affect the votes, assuming the banks/credit card companies refuse to reimburse the funds.

    9. Re:I was a lying media whore by cultrhetor · · Score: 1

      Although I agree with what you're saying in a sense, there is no excuse that justifies this form of criminal behavior. I don't think that people are just gloating about superior circumstances when they crack what you so eloquently termed "dick and fart jokes" or "drop the soap jokes." I think that they're engaging in a socially acceptable means of retribution: people fear crime, they fear the criminals who commit them, yet it does not fall to them to punish said criminals. Exaggerated bravado is one way to deal with it, and calling people who use those means as an outlet "slackjawed knuckle draggers" puts you on that level.

      --
      "Tu fui, ego eris" - Virgil
    10. Re:I was a lying media whore by mgblst · · Score: 1

      Ok, lets try not to understand. Moron.

  2. I RTFA.... the first page at least.... by tygt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Thomas says he is telling his story now because he's tired of the life he's lived on the boards over the last five years and resentful of the control the FBI maintained over him for so long. He also wants to warn the public about the risks they face from the carding community and deter kids from being seduced into a life of crime.

    Resentful of the control? C'mon, man, you didn't do a day in the slammer, and they could've locked you up tight. So, instead, you're basically outing the russian mafia?

    Right then. Good luck, it's been nice knowing you.

    Interesting article, but I call BS.

    1. Re:I RTFA.... the first page at least.... by Iphtashu+Fitz · · Score: 3, Informative

      you didn't do a day in the slammer

      Next time you might want to read the whole FA:

      Thomas began his work for the FBI five months after his Issaquah arrest and after serving three months in jail. ...
      Then, two months later Taylor was jailed in Colorado on new charges unrelated to the Issaquah bust. He served eleven months before being released in May 2004.

    2. Re:I RTFA.... the first page at least.... by tygt · · Score: 1
      Mea culpa.

      Still, 14 months is less than I'd expect if I were to duplicate his crimes.

    3. Re:I RTFA.... the first page at least.... by Thansal · · Score: 1

      His problems stemed from the fact that his handeler knew jack and squat about internet crimes and would force on him things that he thought were wrong (ie likely to get him found out as working for the FBI, likely to screw up other things, etc)

      --
      Do Or Do Not, There Is No Spoon, There Is Only Zuul. Everything in the above post is probably opinion.
    4. Re:I RTFA.... the first page at least.... by autocracy · · Score: 2, Informative

      Please note the difference between the names Thomas and Taylor.

      --
      SIG: HUP
  3. American hacker helps bust Russian cyber crime by Odiumjunkie · · Score: 4, Funny

    in other news, sales of Polonium-210 reached a record high today. Details at 11.

  4. remake? by owlnation · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think I saw this movie... didn't it star Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Walken and Tom Hanks?

    1. Re:remake? by Baorc · · Score: 1

      You are thinking of Catch Me If You Can (2002)

      This revolved around fraudulent checks, not credit cards. From Imdb.com :

      "An FBI agent tracks down and catches a young con artist who successfully impersonated an airline pilot, doctor, assistant attorney general and history professor, cashing more than $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in 26 countries."

  5. Stainless Steal Rat? by Anonymous+Monkey · · Score: 4, Funny

    Jim? Jim diGriz? Is that you?

    --
    We are the Borg...
  6. Clever by markov_chain · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Plant a story in Wired about crook going light side, becoming famous
    2. Script kiddies apply for FBI jobs en masse
    3. Busted!

    --
    Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
    1. Re:Clever by bendodge · · Score: 1, Informative

      But the question is: who get's busted?

      I have read a very lengthy (and officially verified) report from a ex-famous hacker of years ago, who had a very different experience than this fellow. He was locked up in low security for a long time with other non-violent criminals, and he was forbidden to use computers during his parole, and for some time after his release. His phone access was also severely restricted.

      He highly advised potential young hackers to realize that it isn't any fun when you get caught, and he says that if you ever told ONE person of your hacking, you will be caught eventually. The accusing company simply names a damage sum, and then the hacker is sentenced according to tables which are getting continually stricter.

      --
      The government can't save you.
  7. SNITCHES! by flyneye · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Good thing he got a "get out of jail,free" card.
    Snitches get punked in prison.They are lowest on the food chain next to pedophiles and have a low survival rate.

    --
    *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
    1. Re:SNITCHES! by bladesjester · · Score: 1

      You forgot cops, bounty hunters, and prison guards

      All three have large targets painted on them if they get thrown into jail.

      --
      Everything I need to know I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.
    2. Re:SNITCHES! by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      You forgot cops, bounty hunters, and prison guards

      All three have large targets painted on them if they get thrown into jail.

      That seems a bit harsh, you'd think they'd at least give them a chance of not being identified.
      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  8. Bad Pun by DBCubix · · Score: 2, Funny
    'stopped criminals from defrauding the 2004 presidential campaign'

    I guess you could say that the 2004 election wasn't 'stolen' after all.

    --
    I called it a mighty Sperm Whale, she called it Finding Nemo.
    1. Re:Bad Pun by macadamia_harold · · Score: 1

      I guess you could say that the 2004 election wasn't 'stolen' after all.

      It wasn't stolen. They're just borrowing it until 2008.

      --
      Push Button, Receive Bacon
    2. Re:Bad Pun by tverbeek · · Score: 1

      The 2004 election itself was stolen, but apparently the campaign wasn't.

      --
      http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  9. The long tail of cybercrime by necro81 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    FTFA:

    He told Secret Service agent Michael Levin what he'd done for the Russians, but Levin wasn't impressed. According to Thomas, the agent replied that he had multi-million-dollar cases on his desk and wasn't going to waste time on a lousy $50,000 internet scam.
    Unfortunately, this is true of all crime: the scarce resources of law enforcement are generally allocated to the relatively small number of big crimes, while the much larger number of petty crimes are often left untouched. I'd guess that this is particularly true of cybercrime, where the law enforcement resources are more scarce, the big crimes are bigger, and the little crimes like "petty" identity theft are a drop in the bucket. Identity theft is hardly petty to the victim, however, it can ruin their finances and credit for years, and takes tremendous amounts of work to clear up, even when you are lucky enough to not get stuck with the bill.
    1. Re:The long tail of cybercrime by BoRegardless · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Even regular scam investment-retirement "opportunity" cons for large sums are not prosecuted.

      A friend's inlaws lost $750,000 in retirement funds, and the County DA wouldn't prosecut the case. It was too small and would take too many attorney hours over a long time compared to the workload in the particular county (So.Cal.).

      Bo

    2. Re:The long tail of cybercrime by teh_chrizzle · · Score: 1

      when it comes to identity or credit fraud, the amount lost each year pales in comparrison to the legitimate purchases made each year. for every poor schmoe that has a bestbuy credit card opened in his name, there are a thousand that go on thousand dollar shopping sprees every day. no one will fix the credit approval process because "impulse buying" is the only growth industry left in the USA.

      --
      sarcasm:
      -noun
      1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
    3. Re:The long tail of cybercrime by TheNicestGuy · · Score: 1

      Identity theft is hardly petty to the victim, however, it [...] takes tremendous amounts of work to clear up, even when you are lucky enough to not get stuck with the bill.

      Yeah, the most appalling thing in this article to me is how much trouble "Campbell" had getting his money back from Schwab, when apparently they already knew that a scammer had been arrested trying to withdraw it in Brussels. And this was over $100,000, hardly "petty" by any personal finance standards. The details are slightly foggy and rather unconfirmed, but it really sounds like Schwab tried to sweep this under the rug in the hopes it would just go away. Call me naïve, but shouldn't that be illegal? Just like mandatory suspected abuse reporting for certain workers with children, shouldn't financial institutions be required to either make good on funds lost to suspected theft or press an investigation (preferably both)?

      Of course, I can see the other side, which is that most identity theft can ultimately be traced back to some form of user carelessness, so why implement a policy that would not encourage users to build their own savvy. Not to mention the already-mentioned lack of investigatory resources in the first place. But still, what you end up with is the same thing that used to always happen with IT security flaws: When discovered and brought to the responsible party's attention, they would rather try to preserve both their security and the public (and shareholder) trust through an obstinate obscurity.

  10. The Hollies by writermike · · Score: 5, Funny

    Saturday night in my basement
    Workin' for the FBI
    Chattin' in a nest of bad hax0rz
    Cans of Ensure piled up high

    EFNet channel on a west server
    Fulla lamez0rz who were doing wrong
    Just about to email my G-G-Man
    When my browser showed a woman's thong

    A pair of double-Ds made me open my eyes
    My temperature started to rise
    She was a big breasted woman with a web cam
    From an online porno mall
    I just forgot about those bad men
    'Cause that big breasted woman had it all

    --
    If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.
    1. Re:The Hollies by tomservo84 · · Score: 1

      Umm...Creedence Clearwater Revival, I think you mean...not the Hollies.

      --
      Agile Spaceport - You will never find a more wretched hive of scrum and villainy. We must be cautious.
    2. Re:The Hollies by tomservo84 · · Score: 1
      Okay...I recind my previous message. :)

      Although, the review at Amazon says:

      This song is styled exactly like Credence Clearwater Revival. The song begins with a heavy beat and moves into a fast-paced beat with reverb and solid guitar work that all sounds like the bayou music of CCR; one of The Hollies best works.
      --
      Agile Spaceport - You will never find a more wretched hive of scrum and villainy. We must be cautious.
  11. Has to be said. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    stopped criminals from defrauding the 2004 presidential campaign
    Well, some criminals, anyway.
  12. Almost like a crime novel by Thansal · · Score: 1

    It was a fun read. Nothing all that interestign in it, but it really was kinda fun to read.

    --
    Do Or Do Not, There Is No Spoon, There Is Only Zuul. Everything in the above post is probably opinion.
  13. 2004 election by theBeak · · Score: 1

    So, stopped election problems, eh?

    Well, thank God for that. We certainly wouldn't have wanted the general population to become aware of the highly flawed vote-recording and counting systems in use.

    People might have noticed wide-spread problems, but who cares about a few hiccups in Ohio and Florida? ;)

  14. "stopped criminals from defrauding the 2004..." by Irvu · · Score: 3, Insightful

    stopped criminals from defrauding the 2004 presidential campaign... Given the recent recount-fraud convictions in ohio (see here, here, and here) it doesn't look like he succeeded.

    1. Re:"stopped criminals from defrauding the 2004..." by Lordpidey · · Score: 1

      Hell, judging by the fact bush won at all, it looks like he was unsuccessful.

      --
      Some people encrypt by using rot-13 twice. I prefer the more secure method of using rot-1 a total of twenty six times.
  15. Re:Wait a minute by Red+Flayer · · Score: 3, Funny
    FTA:

    defraud the George Bush and John Kerry campaign sites

    That's a lot different than defrauding an election.
    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  16. Can't do the time, don't do the crime by Mr.+Lwanga · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If his story is true, its pretty convenient how he found Jesus as soon as the cuffs went on, FTFA "Get me some federal agents and I'll give you a case involving the Russians and millions of dollars." What a wanker.

  17. If You Want To Stop Crime: +1, Helpful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The first place to look is theOffice Of The President-VICE.

    Thanks for your help,
    Kilgore Trout

  18. Dog Joke by lymond01 · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Tennessee, a guy sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog for Sale."

    He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a black mutt just sitting there.
    "You talk?" he asks.

    "Yep," the mutt replies.

    "So, what's your story?"

    The mutt looks up and says, "Well, I discovered this gift pretty young and I wanted to help the government, so I told the
    CIA about my gift, and in no time they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies eight years running."

    "The jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger and I wanted to settle down. So I
    signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings there and was awarded a batch of medals. Had a wife, a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."

    The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

    The owner says, "Ten dollars."

    The guy says, "This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?"

    The owner replies, "He's such a liar. He didn't do any of that stuff."

  19. Just like Old-Time Radio by Wombat · · Score: 1

    When I first saw this headline, I thought it was a contemporary update of the classic radio show I Was a Communist for the FBI . 78 epsiodes (and also a movie) of cold war paranoia

    So I personally will not RTFA until it has been adapted into a radio drama with hilariously over the top voice acting.

    1. Re:Just like Old-Time Radio by unitron · · Score: 1

      When I first saw this headline, I thought it was a contemporary update of the classic radio show I Was a Communist for the FBI . 78 epsiodes (and also a movie) of cold war paranoia

      So I personally will not RTFA until it has been adapted into a radio drama with hilariously over the top voice acting.

      How about if they do it as a TV miniseries revival of "I Led Three Lives"? :-)

      --

      I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  20. Not necessarily funny ... by ubrgeek · · Score: 1

    http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.01/cybercop. html

    --
    Bark less. Wag more.
  21. FBI - You missed something. by philovivero · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...[he] stopped criminals from defrauding the 2004 presidential campaign.... Hi. FBI? I hate to break this to you, but the 2004 presidential campaign was defrauded. Your guy tricked you into thinking it was stopped. I suggest you re-open the investigation.

    --
    Captain Obvious

    --
    fifth sigma, inc.
  22. FBI sez yur under the limit by Intron · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "According to Thomas, the agent replied that he had multi-million-dollar cases on his desk and wasn't going to waste time on a lousy $50,000 internet scam."

    It was nice of the FBI to tell us this limit. Now we know how much we can go for without attracting Sculley and Mulder.

    --
    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
  23. 'da Shadow knows... by djupedal · · Score: 1

    ...for every individual that eventually surfaces, such as the in this case, there are dozens more that manage to stay just outside the spotlite - those are the really interesting stories.

  24. Re:re by spun · · Score: 1

    Nah, not completely fake, probably just greatly exagerated. I'm guessing the dude really was a scumbag identity thief, and really did get popped by the FBI. They may have even made him rat on a few people. But I'm guessing most of what he says he did for them is a lie. Do you think they'd let him tell the truth? Do you think he'd really admit to screwing over the Russian mafia if he HAD? That's the kind of thing you ONLY brag about if you HAVEN'T done it, unless you happen to like the flavor of polonium.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton