By Jeremy Wagstaff (this is my weekly Loose Wire Service column for newspaper syndication) We’ve reached one of those moments that I like: When we’ll look back at the time before and wonder how we were so naive about everything. In this case, we’ll think about when we thought computer viruses were just things that… Read More »
It’s interesting, if you like this kind of thing, to see how online scams learn from each other. Until recently I thought of the Nigeria 419 scam — where you’re contacted by some grieving African widow, burdened with millions that she wants to share with you, if only you’ll let her park it in your… Read More »
My colleague Lee Gomes writes in WSJ.com in his Portals column (a few days old, this, sorry; but it is free) about phishers, and what they’re really like, quoting a guy called Christopher Abad, a researcher for Cloudmark: Mr. Abad himself is just 23 years old, but he has spent much of the past 10 years… Read More »
Gradually the tentacles of the Russian gangs behind phishing are appearing. But we still have no idea how it really works, and how big the beast is. The Boston Herald reports today on the arraignment of a “suspected Russian mobster” on multiple counts of identity fraud, having allegedly obtained personal information from more than 100 victims… Read More »
Interesting piece in yesterday’s Gold Coast Bulletin (no URL available without subscription) about the role of the Russian Mafia, or more specifically, criminal gangs from the former Soviet Union, in Australia. It cites several cases of Denial of Service attacks in retaliation for refusal to pay blackmail or protection money: When Multibet.com CEO Mike Miller… Read More »