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One Family Suffering Through Years-Long Trolling Campaign (dailydot.com)

blottsie writes: Since 2010, the Straters have been under assault from an online campaign of ever-increasing harassment — prank deliveries, smear attacks, high-profile hacks, and threats of violence against schools and law enforcement officials in their name — and it's slowly torn them apart. Masterminding it all is a teenage Lizard Squad hacker from Finland, at war with their son, Blair, over a seemingly minor dispute. "When the family started getting notices about their utilities being disconnected, they realized things were escalating out of control. Utility provider Commonwealth Edison once called the house to iron out the details about a request to have the power turned off after a supposed move. Something similar happened with their trash service. On Halloween 2013, Comcast shut off their cable and Internet service."

27 of 256 comments (clear)

  1. Can I hire these trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    to cancel my Comcast subscription?

    1. Re:Can I hire these trolls by edtice1559 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You got modded funny but they could probably offer this as a service. In fact, I may open a business doing just that!

  2. Really hard to stop by gurps_npc · · Score: 3, Insightful
    But not that hard to sue/demand compensation from idiots tricked into harming them.

    Cut off my cable because some stranger told you to do so? Better give me a free month or be sued for breach of contract.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    1. Re:Really hard to stop by squiggleslash · · Score: 4, Funny

      Woohoo! Free gravel!

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    2. Re:Really hard to stop by bughunter · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Yea, well the Supreme Court doesn't seem to agree, and now you've probably also contractually agreed to resolve any disputes in Arbitration, with an arbitrator chosen by the corporation.

      http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11...

      --
      I can see the fnords!
  3. Good or Evil? by frovingslosh · · Score: 5, Funny

    This article tries to make the troll sound evil, but he did get them disconnected from Comcast

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  4. Re:Hire a lawyer by phantomfive · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There's a huge investigation on the guy by the Finnish police (according to the article). He's already been in jail once. The problem is, he hasn't done anything (as far as anyone can tell). He complained on a forum, and other people have been doing the harassing.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  5. Re:Trolling is for cows. by originalGMC · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is my official request for a moo blocker chrome extension.

  6. You know what's really subhuman? by wkwilley2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just finished reading this article all the way through, it's fucking disgusting.

    And yet, I can see how easy it would be for this to happen in the first place.

    He's basically a 21st century Charles Manson, I'll bark if you bite.

    --
    Have you ever fallen asleep at the keybhanusdiog?
  7. Re:Hire a lawyer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Time to go to Finland and beat the crap out of him.

  8. Re:Live by the sword, die by the sword. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Ah yes, victim blaming.

  9. The real issue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The real point we should all take away is how insecure these utility companies really are. You would think any competent business would not be fooled more than once on the same address. How hard is it to put a note there this address is prone to phishing attacks, don't process request without fully verifying with owner. Lock account without direct content to owner. There are so many easy ways around these common exploits, but the management of these companies is so behind the times it's ridiculous.

    It wouldn't be hard to do something like 2 factor authentication right over the phone either and that could be turned on for high risk targets like this. Basically utility companies are not taking their customers security seriously.

  10. Re:Live by the sword, die by the sword. by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So we should be all nice and fuzzy with a group intent of harassing people. Oh they are making peoples lives miserable, but let them just go on their marry way, because if we mess with them they will mess with us too.

    Yea it is OK the Nazi were capturing Jews, because we weren't Jews, if we did try to stop them, then they would just go after us.
    Yep that mentality is looked soooo fondly in the view of history.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  11. Re: Live by the sword, die by the sword. by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oh look, someone broke into your house, and stole all your valuables and personal belongings. Well you were stupid enough not to use bank vault doors, and you gave the spare key to a close friend who didn't lock his door that day.

    The problem with Information security is that to be safe you need professional level of security on your consumer devices, and constant vigilance to keep it up. This is a lot of work for a person, especially if they don't find security patches fun, or barely get by using the internet.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  12. Re:Hire a lawyer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Things people always seem to forget they can do. If you have credible evidence against an individual committing a crime, you provide it to law enforcement and they refuse to act, you sue the law enforcement agency. Remember, in the US, the requirement to make a lawsuit valid is you need to be able to prove the defendant has caused you damages. Though not required, most states will allow a jury trial of up to 6 jurors for a civil matter if requested. For federal issues, a civil case amounting of more than $20 is constitutionally required to be given a 6 person jury. And a law enforcement agency not acting on a criminal offense when provided credible evidence is pretty well a slam dunk in front of a 6 person jury for damages caused. And if it's the FBI refusing to act, congrats, the constitution guarantees you that jury trial.

  13. Re: Live by the sword, die by the sword. by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No, don't get into an online pissing contest with anyone, because THERE ARE NO WINNERS!

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  14. Re:Live by the sword, die by the sword. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't use Nazis to make your argument.

    Do you know who used Nazis to make his argument? HITLER!

  15. Re:Trolling is for cows. by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You've already got one. It's called "Don't browse at -1".

  16. Re:Can identity protection services help with this by Chas · · Score: 3, Informative

    Lifelock is essentially worthless.

    They are a "monitoring" service.

    So what they do is go "Woo! Someone just got hold of this person's info and might be misusing it! Isn't that interesting?"

    They're a fucking confidence scam.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  17. Re:Hire a lawyer by BronsCon · · Score: 4, Funny

    But they are Finnish and I'm sure they'll finish eventually.

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  18. Re:Several issues by Whatsisname · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So once again, justice should only be reserved for those with thousands in extra cash laying around.

  19. It's been done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/website-offers-to-cancel-comcast-for--5-180730710.html

  20. Re:If anything can help by bughunter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Actually, it might. It will attract attention from sympathetic people and companies. And if it goes viral, it may even affect public policy. And it might even inspire white hat hackers who don't like Trolls to help identify the culprits. It sure sounds like the work of more than one.

    Anyway, it sure sounds like it can't get much worse.

    --
    I can see the fnords!
  21. Tragedy of the Commons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The so-called hacker collectives are really just perpetrating the tragedy of the commons. We build a fence around the sheep pasture, and they knock it over to show us that we should have built a stronger fence.

    "Why did you do that?"

    "To show you what will happen when the bad people come to steal the sheep."

    It will take them a decade of growing up to realize that they were the bad people.

    Same thing with finding a wallet on the ground. A guy takes the money and tosses the wallet in the trash, saying that if he didn't take the cash someone else would have. No...it was you who took the cash. You're the bad guy.

  22. Re: Trolling is for cows. by TheReaperD · · Score: 4, Informative

    That's not really an option for us who moderate on a regular basis. We have to deal with the trolling and the spam.

    --
    "Be particularly skeptical when presented with evidence confirming what you already believe." -
  23. Re:Kind of like some families named "Koch" in the by epyT-R · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As opposed to left wing radicals like sjws and george soros? Do you not realize they're all part of the same problem?

  24. Re: Trolling is for cows. by lucm · · Score: 4, Funny

    A post about people who moderate gets modded up... CRONYISM MUCH

    --
    lucm, indeed.