Acohido, Byron,

Cybercrooks Lure Citizens into International Crime. Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz. - USA Today, 2005. - SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Article 78, Institutions, 1522-3256; .

Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Originally Published: Cybercrooks Lure Citizens into International Crime, July 18, 2005; pp. n.p..

"To Karl, a 38-year-old former cabdriver hoping for a career in real estate sales, the help-wanted ad radiated hope. The ad sought 'correspondence managers' willing to receive parcels at home, then reship them overseas. The pay: $24 a package. Karl applied at kflogistics.biz, a fraudulent Web site imitating a legitimate site. He quickly received an e-mail notifying him he had landed the job, followed by instructions on how to take receipt of digital cameras and laptop computers, affix new labels and 'reship' the items overseas. Easy enough. Within weeks, he had sent off six packages, including digital cameras and computer parts, to various addresses in Russia. Little did Karl know he had become an unwitting recruit in a growing scheme to assist online criminals, the latest wrinkle in digital fraud that costs businesses hundreds of millions of dollars a year." (USA TODAY) This article discusses how "ordinary citizens are being widely recruited by international crime groups to serve as unwitting collaborators--referred to as mules--in Internet scams to convert stolen personal and financial data into tangible goods and cash."

1522-3256;


Computer crimes
Crime
Electronic commerce
Identity theft
Internet crimes

AC1.S5

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