FTC Halts International Scheme of More Than $10 Million In Unauthorized Credit and Debit Cards Charges

At the request of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a federal court has halted an elaborate international scheme that used identity theft to place more than $10 million in bogus charges on consumers’ credit and debit cards, pending a trial.

More than a million consumers were hit with one-time charges of $10 or less, and their payments were routed through dummy corporations in the United States to bank accounts in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The defendants, using phony company names resembling real companies, and information taken from identity theft victims in the United States, opened in excess of 100 merchant accounts with companies that process charges to the credit and debit card accounts of consumers, according to the FTC complaint.

The FTC believes the defendants may have run credit checks on the identity theft victims first, to be sure they were creditworthy. The defendants also cloaked each fake merchant with a virtual office address near a real merchant’s location, a phone number, a home phone number for the “owner,” a Web site pretending to sell products, a toll-free number consumers could call, and a real company’s tax number found on the Internet.

The FTC alleged that with spam e-mail, the defendants recruited at least 14 “money mules” – people in the United States they paid to form 16 dummy corporations, open associated bank accounts to receive the card payments, and transfer the money overseas. The defendants used debit cards linked to these bank accounts to set up telephone service, virtual addresses, and Web sites that helped deceive the card processors, according to the complaint.

The “money mules” responded to spam e-mail pretending to seek a U.S. finance manager for an international financial services company. The FTC has not determined how the defendants obtained the stolen identities or consumers’ credit and debit account numbers. Consumers’ payments were sent to bank accounts in Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Kyrgyzstan.

None of the consumers affected by the scam had contact with any of the defendants. Most consumers either didn’t notice the charges on their bills or didn’t seek chargebacks because of the small amounts – charges ranged from 20 cents to $10. Consumers who called the toll-free numbers that appeared on their bills either found them disconnected or heard recorded messages instructing them to leave a message, but no calls were returned.

The defendants are the 16 sham companies – API Trade LLC, ARA Auto Parts Trading LLC, Bend Transfer Services LLC, B-Texas European LLC, CBTC LLC, CMG Global LLC, Confident Incorporation, HDPL Trade LLC, Hometown Homebuyers LLC, IAS Group LLC, IHC Trade LLC, MZ Services LLC, New World Enterprizes LLC, Parts Imports LLC, SMI Imports LLC, SVT Services LLC – and one or more persons who are unknown to the agency at this time. The FTC charged them with making unauthorized charges to consumers’ credit cards in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act. The court froze the defendants’ assets and ordered them to stop operating, pending final resolution of the case.

The Commission vote to file the complaint was 4-0. The preliminary injunction order was entered by Judge Ronald A. Guzman in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

NOTE: The Commission authorizes the filing of a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendants have actually violated the law.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

The FTC’s Web site (www.FTC.gov) provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.

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Future Computer Technology from Microsoft

The Days of High PC Maintenance and Repair Costs Are Gone!

At INVISUS, we provide you with significant cost savings for professional computer support services every time you need assistance. Brand name security products and computer services companies charge high per-minute or per-incident service fees anytime you need live personalized help. With the average computer requiring fixes and repairs an average of twice a year, and with security problems at an all-time high, this can hit the pocketbook hard for anyone who owns a computer today.

In fact, American consumers now spend over $4 billion every year on computer repairs including virus and spyware removals and system cleanups. This doesn't include the cost for downtime, the cost of travel to and from the repair shop, or the cost of having to purchase a new computer altogether. Increasingly, maintaining and repairing computers is costing as much as the computer itself.

It's not a question of "if" you will need professional help, it's a matter of "when".

Our service subscribers enjoy the benefit of actually saving money with our service because they don't pay the stiff price the rest of the industry charges for live help. Every security checkup, system cleanup, virus removal, spyware removal, etc. that we do for our subscribers amounts to real bottom line savings to members of the INVISUS community.

There are no per-minute costs nor per incident charges. Ever!!! Our subscribers receive unlimited service at no extra cost.

As a subscriber, you won't have to pull apart your computer, haul it down to a repair shop, and wait for days to get it cleaned up. As an added huge bonus, you'll have an English speaking, US-based technician personally helping you every time you need assistance.

We are here to help make your computer hassle-free and safe again. And we are here to save you money in the process.

So, why not take the first step by taking our free test! Just click on the red test button at the top of the right column.

What Everybody Ought to Know: Why Your Computers Need to Be Fully Protected

Here is what you will need to be fully protected on your home or business computer:

• at least five layers of overlapping security technologies and services to create a virtual fortress for your PC. Most off-the-shelf and free software offer two, or three at the most, programs. But are they overlapping when they work and when they update?
  
  
• desktop firewall to lock out hackers and other unauthorized intrusions and shield your PC from unauthorized communication both to and from your PC, making your PC virtually invisible to hackers and other intruders randomly scanning the Internet for vulnerable PCs;
  
  
• world-class anti-virus protection, including 24/7 scanning and certification that your incoming and outgoing e-mails attachments are virus-free — plus scanning of all removable media such as CDs, Zip disks, portable hard drives, and floppies;
  
  
• anti-spyware that continuously monitors, detects, and eliminates all forms of spyware, hacker tools, and malware from your PC including malicious spyware tools, adware, browser hijackers, search hijackers, keyloggers, ghost spammers, remote access tools (RATs), back doors, and many other illegal programs and applications that breach your privacy and security;
  
  
• patch management that will automatically find and fix security holes and other dangerous vulnerabilities in your computer’s operating system and software programs that hackers use to break into your computer;
  
  
• security alerts that warns you of brand new viruses, worms, and other security threats as they emerge – including specific recommendations of what to watch out for and how to avoid getting attacked to keep your privacy secured and your PC safe; and to wrap it all together,
  
  
• premium technical support that offers free unlimited expert technical support for any security related problems or issues by highly trained technicians.

Although the Internet basically provides a positive and productive experience, cyber-attacks against our personal privacy and security are reaching epidemic proportions. These attacks are occurring in our own homes and businesses. Our own computers are being used are being used as zombies to attack other people, businesses, and even our nation itself. As an average Internet user, you may not be aware of these threats nor have any idea about the dramatically increasing risks you face when connected to the Internet.

On a campaign for internet safety awareness and protection, my mission is to bring critical awareness to individuals, families, and small business owners, and to provide access to the necessary tools and ongoing expertise to secure your computer and help you stay protected.

I invite you to join the many thousands of others who have tested their computers, discovered these threats are real, and taken the necessary steps to protect their computers, their families, and their businesses.

Now that you have become aware of these issues, I encourage you to share this vital information with your families, friends and communities. Together, we can reach many millions of people and inform them about the threats to their privacy and security, and help them get the protection they desperately need.

Remember: When you say “No!” to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don’t, we all lose.

Test your computer now!

Part 3 of 3

What Everybody Ought to Know: Why You Need a Comprehensive Security Service Package

The Internet-based attacks on your personal privacy and security continue to worsen year after year. The future of Internet security is gloomy and it takes an extremely dedicated and savvy computer user to find the right mix of security programs and stay current with the newest threats. Internet security is not a one-time event. You cannot simply install security software on your PC and then forget about its safety and security, and ultimately, the safety and security of your family, home, and business. Internet safety and security require an ongoing, time-intensive process with a fairly high level of expertise and vigilance.

Why you need a team of security experts on your side:

Do you want to be an Internet security expert? If you are like most people, you neither want to nor have the time. You don’t want to worry about staying current with the latest technologies. You can’t possibly keep up with the all the new threats coming at you almost daily because you have better things to do with your time. Instead, most people end up relying on the opinions and recommendations of more knowledgeable friends and family members for their security needs and hope nothing bad happens. But is that the best and safest strategy?

To get maximum protection for your PC, you need an Internet security expert on your side. Better yet, you need a team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business are always safe and secure. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you want a trusted expert you can call for professional answers and solutions without any hassles and extra costs! As time goes on, it will become even more critical than it is today.

The best protection you can have in today’s rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs. Hackers will likely always be one step ahead of law enforcement and the security industry itself. Software-based protection alone, as you can see, is not enough anymore.

Of all the Internet users who have anti-virus software on their computers, 85% of them had computers that were subsequently infected with a virus or worm! Have you ever had a virus you couldn’t get rid of? Has your computer acted funny or has it slowed way down due to a massive spyware infestation? Then you see and know how dangerous and damaging these threats and risks are!

Unfortunately, for consumers seeking security and privacy protection with brand name solutions will find two extremes – complex systems they cannot afford or properly maintain, or consumer-grade technology that doesn’t provide adequate protection. If they do find something that fits their budget, it will likely have only a part of what is needed to truly protect a computer, and it won’t include free expert support and a security guarantee.

Caution: Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security thinking that the anti-virus software that came with your computer is enough protection. Off-the-shelf anti-virus software does not always protect you from attacks such as: hackers, spyware, remote access tools, Trojan horses, password crackers, keystroke loggers, identity theft tools, Microsoft security holes, hybrid viruses, and others much worst. And most people let their anti-virus program expire, thereby losing protection from everyday viruses and worms.

Remember: When you say “No!” to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don’t, we all lose.

Test your computer now!

End Part 2 of 3