Category: crime

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Criminal Gang Physically Assaulting People for Their Cryptocurrency

Posted on By infossl
bitcoin, crime, cryptocurrency, extortion, law enforcement, physical security, Security technology, torture, Uncategorized

This is pretty horrific: …a group of men behind a violent crime spree designed to compel victims to hand over access to their cryptocurrency savings. That announcement and the criminal complaint laying out charges against St. Felix focused largely on a single theft of cryptocurrency from an elderly North Carolina couple, whose home St. Felix … Read More “Criminal Gang Physically Assaulting People for Their Cryptocurrency” »

The Justice Department Took Down the 911 S5 Botnet

Posted on By infossl
botnets, courts, COVID-19, crime, cybercrime, malware, Security technology, Uncategorized

The US Justice Department has dismantled an enormous botnet: According to an indictment unsealed on May 24, from 2014 through July 2022, Wang and others are alleged to have created and disseminated malware to compromise and amass a network of millions of residential Windows computers worldwide. These devices were associated with more than 19 million … Read More “The Justice Department Took Down the 911 S5 Botnet” »

Smuggling Gold by Disguising it as Machine Parts

Posted on By infossl
crime, Security technology, smuggling, Uncategorized

Someone got caught trying to smuggle 322 pounds of gold (that’s about 1/4 of a cubic foot) out of Hong Kong. It was disguised as machine parts: On March 27, customs officials x-rayed two air compressors and discovered that they contained gold that had been “concealed in the integral parts” of the compressors. Those gold … Read More “Smuggling Gold by Disguising it as Machine Parts” »

Tracking Down a Suspect through Cell Phone Records

Posted on By infossl
cell phones, crime, forensics, Security technology, Uncategorized

Interesting forensics in connection with a serial killer arrest: Investigators went through phone records collected from both midtown Manhattan and the Massapequa Park area of Long Island—two areas connected to a “burner phone” they had tied to the killings. (In court, prosecutors later said the burner phone was identified via an email account used to … Read More “Tracking Down a Suspect through Cell Phone Records” »

Self-Driving Cars Are Surveillance Cameras on Wheels

Posted on By infossl
cars, crime, law enforcement, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, Uncategorized

Police are already using self-driving car footage as video evidence: While security cameras are commonplace in American cities, self-driving cars represent a new level of access for law enforcement ­ and a new method for encroachment on privacy, advocates say. Crisscrossing the city on their routes, self-driving cars capture a wider swath of footage. And … Read More “Self-Driving Cars Are Surveillance Cameras on Wheels” »

Typing Incriminating Evidence in the Memo Field

Posted on By infossl
crime, forensics, Security technology, Uncategorized

Don’t do it: Recently, the manager of the Harvard Med School morgue was accused of stealing and selling human body parts. Cedric Lodge and his wife Denise were among a half-dozen people arrested for some pretty grotesque crimes. This part is also at least a little bit funny though: Over a three-year period, Taylor appeared … Read More “Typing Incriminating Evidence in the Memo Field” »

Ransomware Payments Are Down

Posted on By infossl
crime, cryptocurrency, cybercrime, extortion, ransomware, Security technology, Uncategorized

Chainalysis reports that worldwide ransomware payments were down in 2022. Ransomware attackers extorted at least $456.8 million from victims in 2022, down from $765.6 million the year before. As always, we have to caveat these findings by noting that the true totals are much higher, as there are cryptocurrency addresses controlled by ransomware attackers that … Read More “Ransomware Payments Are Down” »

Textbook Rental Scam

Posted on By infossl
amazon, courts, crime, fraud, scams, Security technology, Uncategorized

Here’s a story of someone who, with three compatriots, rented textbooks from Amazon and then sold them instead of returning them. They used gift cards and prepaid credit cards to buy the books, so there was no available balance when Amazon tried to charge them the buyout price for non-returned books. They also used various … Read More “Textbook Rental Scam” »