Mobsters target Australians online

Thu May 27 18:45:37 UTC 2004

Until you actually arrest the person, it is sometimes difficult to
determine where the criminals are actually based.  Some people thought
the Sasser author was associated with Russia, not Germany.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/26/1085461839964.html

  Eastern European organised crime families are using the internet to
  target Australians.

  Delegates at the annual AusCERT Asia Pacific Internet Security
  Conference on the Gold Coast were warned yesterday that mobsters were
  hiring computer programmers to take their brand of criminal activity
  online.

  The deputy head of Britain's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, Superintendent
  Mick Deats, said one Eastern European syndicate with interests in
  prostitution, drugs and gun smuggling was also earning money all over
  the world from internet credit card fraud, software piracy, child
  pornography and online extortion.

  "This particular group, to our knowledge so far, employ 10 programmers,"
  he said.

[...]

  American psychologist Max Kilger said hackers no longer fitted a typical
  stereotype.

  "The hacker stereotypes are long gone," he said.