When I first read this, I was irritated at the kid for being so unremorseful about his deeds. The more I thought about it, those people while not deserving to be ripped off, sure were stupid enough to deserve it. Of course the kid was stupid enough to get caught. That just shows you what happens when you use AOL.
Cops: Boy Stole Credit Info Online
Source: Associated Press
Publication date: 2002-04-01
A 16-year-old boy stole credit card information from 200 people over the Internet and used it to buy items worth more than $1,600, authorities said.
The boy, who was not identified, was charged with two felony counts of misappropriation of personal identification. He was placed in a juvenilefacility and ordered to avoid computers while his case is pending.
He told police he acquired an "underground program" capable of obtaining the e-mail addresses of people who visit America Online chat rooms, a juvenile delinquency petition said. The program would then send e-mails on AOL letterhead telling customers their billing information had been deleted.
Recipients would then be asked to provide their credit card information and would be directed to another site that would gather vital personal information, including passwords and Social Security numbers, the petition said.
The boy, who set up his computer to run the program while he was sleeping, allegedly used the information to buy $1,643 worth items including computer equipment and a $300 water pipe commonly used for smoking marijuana.
The petition does not detail how investigators became aware of the boy's scheme, but it does indicate records are being subpoenaed from AOL and Yahoo!, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports in Monday's editions.
According to the petition, the boy says his victims should thank him because he was teaching them a lesson. "People are really dumb," the boy told investigators, who seized his computer at his home.
Cops: Boy Stole Credit Info Online
Source: Associated Press
Publication date: 2002-04-01
A 16-year-old boy stole credit card information from 200 people over the Internet and used it to buy items worth more than $1,600, authorities said.
The boy, who was not identified, was charged with two felony counts of misappropriation of personal identification. He was placed in a juvenilefacility and ordered to avoid computers while his case is pending.
He told police he acquired an "underground program" capable of obtaining the e-mail addresses of people who visit America Online chat rooms, a juvenile delinquency petition said. The program would then send e-mails on AOL letterhead telling customers their billing information had been deleted.
Recipients would then be asked to provide their credit card information and would be directed to another site that would gather vital personal information, including passwords and Social Security numbers, the petition said.
The boy, who set up his computer to run the program while he was sleeping, allegedly used the information to buy $1,643 worth items including computer equipment and a $300 water pipe commonly used for smoking marijuana.
The petition does not detail how investigators became aware of the boy's scheme, but it does indicate records are being subpoenaed from AOL and Yahoo!, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports in Monday's editions.
According to the petition, the boy says his victims should thank him because he was teaching them a lesson. "People are really dumb," the boy told investigators, who seized his computer at his home.
