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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Internet fraud

Internet fraud stories: 9 news summaries

 Phony Ad Clicks at Record High 

Click fraud rate climbs to 17.1% in fourth quarter of 2008

Jan 28, 09 4:07 PM CST
(Newser) - Fraudulent attempts to deceive web advertisers into paying for phony clicks reached an all-time high in the last quarter of 2008, CNET reports. The rate of phony to genuine clicks climbed to 17.1% in the fourth quarter, increasing 1.1% from the third quarter and 0.5% from the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • fraud • DoubleClick • cybercrime • click throughs • Internet fraud • botnets • ad clicks

 MySpace Suicide 
 Case Goes to Jury 

Missouri mom accused of bullying neighborhood teen with fake persona

Nov 25, 08 1:34 PM CST
(Newser) - Lori Drew’s fate is in the hands of a California jury as the case of the “MySpace bully” goes into deliberations, Wired reports. After forceful closing arguments yesterday, the jury will decide whether the mother committed computer fraud by creating a false online identity used to bully a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
MySpace • jury • cyberbullying • Megan Meier • Internet fraud • Lori Drew • criminal trial • deliberations • Tina Meier • Sarah Drew

Court Pokes Facebook Spammer for $873M

Cybercriminal accused of hijacking user profiles to send out millions of messages

Nov 25, 08 7:09 AM CST
(Newser) - Facebook has won an $873 million judgment against a man accused of hijacking user profiles to spew spam, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The award—the biggest ever under federal spamming laws—was made against a Canadian citizen who Facebook accused of stealing login details to send more than 4... More »

MORE ABOUT:
spam • Facebook • lawsuit • cybercrime • Internet fraud

Nigerian Scamsters Want to Be Your Friend

Con artists try to fool Facebook users by posing as friends in need

Nov 12, 08 6:53 AM CST
(Newser) - Nigeria's notorious cybercriminals are looking for some buddies, Ars Technica reports. The conmen have infiltrated social networking sites like Facebook by filching passwords and contacting users in the guise of a friend who suddenly, urgently needs funds. Internet security experts fear the new tactic could prove a lot more effective... More »

MORE ABOUT:
social networking • online fraud • Nigeria • Facebook • scam • cybercrime • Internet fraud

OPINION

Tech Tips You
Should Know, But Don't

'Common knowledge isn't the same as universal knowledge,' Pogue writes

Oct 2, 08 6:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - What people don’t know about basic computer tricks is pretty shocking, David Pogue found while gathering info for his New York Times column. After a call for tips from readers, all involved “soon discovered that what’s common knowledge isn’t the same as universal knowledge.”... More »

MORE ABOUT:
technology • Internet fraud • tips • computers • David Pogue • shortcut

Surfers Beware: Danger Could
Lurk at .hk, .cn

Those domains most likely to house ill intent, security study finds

Jun 4, 08 3:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - A study by antivirus software firm McAfee warns Web surfers to be cautious of sites on certain domains, the AP reports, with corner-cutting registration companies often skipping security precautions. The domains .hk, .cn and .info were found to be riskiest. More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • fraud • web surfing • spam • identity theft • website • Internet fraud

Teen Pleads Guilty in Botnet Adware Scheme

Used IRCBots to profit off of online advertising contracts

Feb 15, 08 1:28 PM CST
(Newser) - A teenager referred to by the FBI as BDH and known online as “Sobe” pleaded guilty to two counts of juvenile fraud conspiracy for a scheme that used botnets to install adware on hundreds of thousands of American computers, including some military systems. He will be sentenced May 5,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
FBI • online advertising • hacking • Internet fraud • adware • botnets

Feds Indict 'Spam King'

Michigan man,
10 others face dozens of charges in stock fraud scheme

Jan 4, 08 1:50 PM CST
(Newser) - A federal grand jury has indicted a Michigan man and 10 others for spamming and stock fraud, Reuters reports. Alan Ralsky and his associates face 41 counts related to using spam to promote little-traded Chinese stocks, artificially driving up prices, and then making a killing by selling the stock. Ralsky... More »

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spam • Chinese stock market • Internet fraud • stock fraud

EBay Fights Web Fraud Gangs in Romania

Inside the war against online auction fraud

Dec 26, 07 4:03 AM CST
(Newser) - Internet giant eBay is battling online auction fraud—and the center of the struggle is a Romanian town in the Carpathian mountains. A top eBay investigator, who has US Secret Service protection, forages police files in the region to combat scams. Internet auction fraud is the specialty of Romanian crime... More »

MORE ABOUT:
eBay • Robert Mueller • Romania • Internet fraud • Ramnicu Valcea • Internet Crime Complaint Center • National White Collar Crime Center • Rob Chesnut • Softwin • BitDefender • GeCAD

9 Stories


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