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For 3 Years, Scammers Ran Truckless Trucking Company

Posted by timothy on from the trucker-in-the-middle dept.

mikesd81 writes "Wired reports Nicholas Lakes and Viachelav Berkovich are charged with computer fraud [PDF] for a man-in-the-middle attack that allegedly let them run a profitable trucking company without the hassle of driving a truck. For over three years the Russian immigrants hacked a Department of Transportation website called Safersys.org, which maintains a list of licensed interstate trucking companies and brokers. They then went on forums where brokers advertise cargo in need of transportation and negotiate a deal, for example, to transport cargo from American Canyon, California, to Jessup, Maryland, for $3,500. But instead of transporting the load, they would outsource the job to another trucking company posing as the legitimate company whose identity they'd hijacked. They would then invoice the company and take the money. When the company that owned the actual truck tried to contact the company that needed the goods delivered, they found they knew nothing about it. Over all they made nearly $500,000."

26 of 244 comments (clear)

  1. Wait... by CaptainPatent · · Score: 5, Funny

    1)Start trucking company
    2)... 3)Profit!

    So this is actually a valid business model?!?

    --
    Well, back to rejecting software patent applications.
    1. Re:Wait... by MikeDirnt69 · · Score: 2, Funny

      1)Start trucking company 2)... 3)Profit! So this is actually a valid business model?!?

      No, and you forgot the 4th step:
      4) Get arrested!

      --
      Am I eval()? - http://www.monst3r.com.br
    2. Re:Wait... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      1)Start trucking company
      2)... 3)Profit!
      So this is actually a valid business model?!?

      Well, it worked for a couple of former Soviet Russians, but maybe not for you!

    3. Re:Wait... by berashith · · Score: 4, Funny

      ya, but there is no insurance or matching 401k.

    4. Re:Wait... by guruevi · · Score: 5, Funny

      I don't understand. Can you repeat this with Alice, Bob, Carol and Ted?

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    5. Re:Wait... by iapetus · · Score: 4, Funny

      No. In this case it's got to be Anastasia, Boris, Katya and Taras.

      --
      ++ Say to Elrond "Hello.".
      Elrond says "No.". Elrond gives you some lunch.
  2. And, as usual... by InvisblePinkUnicorn · · Score: 4, Funny

    The true middle man, Keyser Soze, gets off scot free.

    1. Re:And, as usual... by frosty_tsm · · Score: 2, Funny

      He's not real!

  3. More Info! by Mikkeles · · Score: 3, Funny

    I would like to subscribe to their newsletter; does anyone know their address?

    --
    Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.
    1. Re:More Info! by Coraon · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sure I'll add you to the newsletter, for $50.00 (In actuality I wont, I'll get someone else to write the newsletter and when he goes looking for these guys who are supposed to be writing it I'll get off scott free)

      --
      -Ours is the wisdom of Solomon, the magic of Merlyn, the fall of Icaris.
    2. Re:More Info! by SatanicPuppy · · Score: 3, Funny

      Inmate #3L33T3
      P.M.I.T.A Prison
      Dontdropthesoap, CA, 10101-1010

      --
      ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
  4. These people should be considered heroes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The most environmentally friendly trucking company EVER.

    1. Re:These people should be considered heroes by Timothy+Brownawell · · Score: 4, Funny

      ...at which point there's one less truck driving around, and the environment is just a little bit happier. :-p

    2. Re:These people should be considered heroes by DinDaddy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yep. That's why I don't trust anyone. It's illegal.

  5. yro? by TastyCakes · · Score: 4, Funny

    What does yro mean? It has been driving me nuts...

    1. Re:yro? by Drooling+Iguana · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yaks Receive Oscar

      --
      ... I'm addicted to placebos
    2. Re:yro? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      This seems to be more of a (-1 JFGI) post.

      So, uhh, what does JFGI mean?

    3. Re:yro? by gemada · · Score: 3, Funny

      it is the name of the money they use in yrope!

  6. I was scammed by these guys by Gizzmonic · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nice guys, they're very persuasive in person. Vitaly is loud, boisterous, always wants to have a good time. He wears fine suits and a lot of gold. Vlade is quieter, and he seems to have some sort of brooding intensity. He was always wearing track suits and listening to Run-DMC.

    I honestly believed that these were best guys for transporting my adult novelties across state lines. This can be illegal in some jurisdictions (like Texas) and you need someone who knows how to run an illegal business. Since they are Russian, I knew they could handle it.

    They kept telling me that the merchadise was seized at the Texas border by Davy Crockett and Ed Meese, and I believed them for a long time. Finally, after the 3rd shipment I started to suspect something. All of a sudden, the phone stopped ringing. Those Russians had played me for a fool!

    That's when I knew I had to become a symbol. A creature of the night, to frighten away criminal scum like these Russians. I prayed to Jesus, and he transformed me into...the Bat-Man!

    --
    (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    1. Re:I was scammed by these guys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Funny?

    2. Re:I was scammed by these guys by alxkit · · Score: 1, Funny

      is this the plot for GTA 5?

  7. Re:Well.... by dgatwood · · Score: 2, Funny

    Apparently a 100% slice. That's the problem.

    --

    Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  8. Re:Well.... by dedazo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh, I got that from the summary as well, my bad. Thanks for the clarification.

    In that case I grudgingly admire nothing whatsoever about this =)

    --
    Web2.0: I love when people Flickr my cuil and digg my boingboing until my google is reddit and I start to yahoo
  9. Re:500k isnt that much by Shikaku · · Score: 4, Funny

    500k should be enough for everybody.

  10. But... But... But it runs on IIS! by ericferris · · Score: 3, Funny

    Safersys.org runs IIS on Windows Server 2003.

    I really wonder how these hackers managed to crack they way into such a well-known paragon of security and reliability.

    --
    Fantasy: http://ferrisfantasy.blogspot.com/
  11. Re:Owner of a trucking company speaks out. by jger_13 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Yeah - but who's going to compete with Optimus Prime for a contract?