Fergie's Tech Blog: 07/10/2011

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Three eBay Fraud Rings Dismantled in Romania, 90 Arrested

Lucian Constantin writes on Softpedia Security News:

A major law enforcement operation in Romania led to the arrest of 90 individuals this morning who are suspected of being members of three distinct cyber fraud rings.

Prosecutors from the Romanian Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) assisted by national police executed 117 raids at residences in nine different cities.

The operation targeted three cyber criminal gangs which between 2009 and 2011 defrauded over 1,000 Internet users. The losses are estimated at around $20 million.

The fraudsters operated by posting fake ads on eBay and Craiglist offering to sell cars, motorcycles, small boats, consumer electronics and other goods.

Payments were received in bank accounts set up in the United States using fake or stolen identities and then wired to Romania.

The large-scale law enforcement action was a joint effort between DIICOT and other Romanian agencies, including the Romanian National Police (IGPR), the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), and the General Directorate for Intelligence and Internal Security (DGIPI).

More here.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Update: India Wants to Intercept Skype, Google Communications

John Ribeiro writes on ComputerWorld:

The controversy over India's demand that it be allowed to monitor online and mobile communications resurfaced again on Wednesday, with an Indian minister telling reporters that the government had asked Skype, Google, and several other companies to give it access.

Google said that it had not received any communication on the issue from the government. "Thereby we are unable to comment on it," a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Skype also said it could not comment, as it had not received any communication from local authorities in India on the matter.

There is a whole list of companies that have been asked to provide monitoring solutions, as law enforcement agencies, the home ministry, and intelligence agencies want the information for national security, said Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communications and IT, speaking in Delhi, according to reports.

The government is worried that terrorist outfits are using the Internet and mobile communications to plot and execute attacks. A spokesman for the Department of Telecommunications said he was not aware of the comment by the minister, as he was not at the event.