Posts tagged Crime at Switched

Posts with tag crime

Busted AOL Spammer Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison

by Tim Stevens, posted Jul 17th 2008 at 7:14AM

Got spam? Yeah, we do too. Oodles and oodles of it each day. Spammers are everywhere, and every now and again, the government nabs one (or two) and sends them to prison for their offenses. The latest feel-good story of that sort comes courtesy of 22-year-old Adam Vitale, who yeserday was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his part in a scheme to send messages to 1.2-million AOL subscribers.

In a sting operation, both Vitale and his accomplice Todd Moeller were arrested after sending out spams on behalf of government agents. In addition to the prison time, Vitale will also have to pay $180,000 directly to AOL in damages, and has pledged that he's "learned a lesson" -- something he apparently didn't do after any of his previous convictions (or the time he was caught running a prostitution ring on Craigslist but never charged). [Source: Reuters]

(Disclosure: Switched.com is owned and operated by AOL)

Cell-Phone-Sniffing Dogs Unleashed on Jails

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 16th 2008 at 2:12PM

One of the most problematic items of contraband that are sneaked into prisons are cell phones. More than drugs or weapons, cell phones cause headaches not just for the corrections officers, but also for law enforcement on the outside. With a cell phone, criminal masterminds can continue to direct actions outside the prison walls and have unmonitored communication with potential suppliers of additional contraband. Cell phones are even sold and rented by prisoners for sky high prices.

But in Maryland, prisons are fighting back with a trio of dogs trained to smell out cell phones instead of drugs. In a recent demonstration for the press, two dogs were charged with finding cell phones stashed in cells. In all but one of the trials, the dogs tracked down the phones in under 30 seconds.

Like drugs and people, cell phones have a unique scent the dogs are trained to pick up. Even so, it's still more difficult for dogs to sniff out a cell phone than, say, a brick of marijuana, 'cause phones just aren't that smelly.

Gosh, being a prisoner just keeps getting harder -- first they took away their pigeons, now they're taking away their cell phones. You'd think they did something wrong. [Source: Washington Post, Via: Textually]

Hitmen Posting Their Services on Craigslist

by Tim Stevens, posted Jul 15th 2008 at 11:04AM

Craigslist is probably the best resource for finding local people who do things that you need taken care of, whether they be mowing lawns, hauling away old appliances, or watching your kids (if you're brave). According to a report in London's Telegraph, the latest types of ads to show up on the site are giving a whole new angle "taking care of" things, with Mexican hitmen advertising their services on the site.

The purported professional killers are offering their services for as little as $6,000, and are pledging traditional service agreements like "job guaranteed in 10 days or less" and "I am 100 per cent professional and don't charge in advance." With offers like that, you seemingly can't go wrong -- except that you're committing a horrible deed and setting yourself up for a potentially long time in jail.

Given this is Mexico, though, you may not have to worry about that last issue. The Mexican police system is overwhelmed with drug-related crimes and has little time to investigate the estimated 1,000 - 1,700 murders that will occur in Mexico this year. We're guessing that's a market Craig Newmark didn't have in mind when he founded the site. [Source: The Telegraph]

Woman Gets Six Years for Simultaneously Drinking, Driving, and Calling

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 15th 2008 at 8:49AM

This is one of those cases where the sheer stupidity involved is overwhelming. If, by now, you're not fully aware of the dangers involved with driving while intoxicated, then you're probably too dumb to actually pass a road test anyway. However, to combine drunkenness, speeding, and talking on your cell phone takes a whole new level of carelessness.

Sarah Taylor, now 23, won't be getting out of jail until she's almost 30 because she got behind the wheel of her Fiat while heavily intoxicated and proceeded to have a conversation on her cell phone. Taylor slammed head on into the Mini of Melanie Simon Lee, who lost control of her vehicle and landed in lanes of oncoming traffic on the M61 highway near Brindle, England. At the time of the impact, Lee's car was stopped in the middle of the road and passers-by stopped to help her. Taylor, preoccupied and drunk, didn't notice the initial accident and then plowed into Lee's Mini, which is what caused the ultimately fatal injuries.

Taylor plead guilty in court and will serve six years in prison. Um, okay, since when does drinking-induced manslaughter get someone only six years? Let's hope this triple threat never drinks, drives, or talks on her cell phoen again. [Source: Cellular News, via Textually]

85% of Online Pharmacies Don't Require a Prescription, Survey Reveals

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 10th 2008 at 12:02PM

Prescription Drugs Easy to Find, Cheap to Buy Online

The Internet is a virtual cornucopia of cheaply-purchased controlled substances. Don't believe us? Just swing by your local college campus and start asking a few questions. According to a recent survey of 365 Internet pharmacies, 85 percent filled orders for prescription drugs (a majority of which were for controlled substances) without requiring a prescription. Many of the sites even flaunt this fact, clearly stating that no prescription was required, a clear violation of U.S. law.

The sites are often hard to track because they only stay up for short periods of time before moving and opening up under a new name at a new address.

These illegal pharmacies are of particular concern since the rate of abuse of prescription drugs has skyrocketed over the past few years. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 48 million Americans over the age of twelve have abused prescription drugs at some point in their lives. [Source: Reuters]

Study Finds That One-Third of Consumers Copy DVDs

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 10th 2008 at 9:01AM

'Round these parts, we prefer to read the fine print first, so it should be noted that none other than Macrovision -- you know, the firm that purchased the now-cracked BD+ DRM scheme for $45 million last year -- financed this here study.

According to poll results from US and UK consumers, around 1 in 3 individuals admitted to "making copies of pre-recorded DVDs in the past 6 months, up over a quarter from the previous year's study." Predictably, males aged 18 to 24 were most likely to wear an eye patch and own a DVD burner (if you catch our drift), and while revenue loss due to illegal copying is certainly a valid concern, researchers did find that 62% of American respondents (and 49% in the UK) were duping flicks they already owned. Arrr! [Image courtesy of George Dillon]

Fight Crime by Texting the Police

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 2:14PM

By now, crime stoppers hot lines and posters encouraging you to "say something" are old hat in the law enforcement tool box. Anonymous tips are an important part of the the crime fighting arsenal in many cities and police are looking for ways to update that weapon for the 21st century.

Many police outfits are taking the teen and twenty something's communication method of choice, text messaging, and collecting tips from those with speedy thumbs. Even major cities like Cincinnati and Boston are experimenting with the system and having measurable success. The very first text messaging tip received by the Boston police department resulted in an arrest in a New Hampshire murder case. In the first year of the program, the number of text messaging tips nearly matched the number of tips called in through the the old-school voice-based hotline.

All the text messages are routed through a server that encrypts the originating telephone number so that tracking them to their sender is virtually impossible, which should help calm the fears of those who don't want to be labeled as snitches. [Source: USA Today]

Teen Lands In Jail After Posting Baby-Tossing Video on YouTube

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 1:42PM

Look we know that babies, for all their cuteness can be absolutely infuriating sometimes. Some parents have even admitted to hating their baby. But no matter how aggravated the child may make you, launching it across a room is never the solution. And posting the video of the baby launch on YouTube is just shy of the stupidest thing ever.

A Georgian teen learned this after being thrown in a detention center following the discovery of this video online by one of his teachers. The 16-year-old, who was helping babysit the toddler, places it on an inflatable pillow, then leaps on the other side, sending the child several feet through the air before it lands on the floor and wails.

The video has since been pulled by Google and the teen faces felony charges of cruelty to children. [Source: WFIE]

Judge Slaps $200 Fines On Men Whose Cell Phones Rang In Court

by Will Safer, posted Jul 1st 2008 at 7:01PM

The title 'Justice of the Peace' takes on new meaning in an Atlanta courtroom, where a judge has slapped a $200 fine on two men whose ringing cell phones went off within minutes of each other in the middle of a hearing.

Atlanta Municipal Court Judge Herman Sloan held the two men in contempt of court for the auditory interruptions. While he finished hearing cases on his docket, he had the two men sit out the time in the jury box. Then, he offered them each a sentence with a choice: a $200 fine or 10 days in jail.

The first man claimed his cell phone was turned off. The second man claimed he was late to court and hadn't heard an earlier announcement warning people to silence their phones. Either way, the judge was none too pleased, and was quick to take action.

Both men chose the $200 fine.

We choose to keep our cell phones on 'vibrate.' [Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution via Textually.org.]

E-Citations Speed Up Ticketing Process

by Evan Shamoon, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 9:08AM

In a bold yet somehow disconcerting move into the 21st century's "paperless office" (if you drive and are prone to parking illegally), police forces and troopers in several states are going digital. Now, with the scan of a driver's license or the swipe of an ID card, officers are able to enter the location, type of violation and print the ticket -- all from a handheld device, according to Chief Deputy Derrick Cunningham of the Montgomery County (Alabama) Sheriff's Office. The electronic citations are ultimately meant to replace handwritten tickets, and are expected to improve accuracy and save time.

Cunningham also expects the move to also improve upon two problems in his office: Poor handwriting and ticket fixing. "No more can people call and say, 'I just got a speeding ticket, can you do something about it?'" he told USA Today, because the ticket is electronically transferred directly to court.

Which is great for efficiency and all. We love tickets. Man, we're really excited.

Check out the state-by-state roundup after the jump. [Source: USA Today]

Britain's Surveillance Cameras Get Ears and Brains

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 29th 2008 at 5:15PM

It was less than a year ago that closed circuit television (CCTV) security cameras in the UK were given the ability to hear. Now, in some places, those cameras are getting a major upgrade in the form of an artificial intelligence program that law enforcement officials hope will eventually be able to identify and locate specific sounds. The current generation of software is sophisticated enough for complex image recognition -- it can even identify if a car antenna is up or not.

The next step for the software is to learn to identify the waveforms of sounds, such as a car window being broken. The hope is that the camera will then be able to locate the sound, pivot to spot its origin, and alert the camera's operator. As the software "hears" more it will learn to identify more sounds.

Big Brother isn't just watching anymore, he's listening and learning. [Source: BBC]

New Fall TV Shows Already Leaked Online

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 27th 2008 at 8:23AM

Usually it's the RIAA that has to worry about advanced copies of albums leaking out. This year, TV stations have been hit hard by file sharers, who have managed to get their hands on a number of TV shows that aren't set to premier until this fall. Of course, the studios aren't happy about it, and some of the shows were never meant to see the light of day. Take, for instance, the ABC remake of 'Life on Mars,' a UK crime drama. The pilot was filmed in Los Angeles, but then scrapped and the entire production was moved and re-shot in New York. The L.A. version of the pilot still made its way online, however, to less than stellar reviews.

One thing the leak has done is confirm our assumption that there is nothing new coming down the pipe that we need to be planted in front of the TV for. Go take up Yoga, join a Muy Thai class, watch the leaves change color. Just please, please, please don't waste your autumn sitting in front of TNT's pun-tastically titled legal drama, 'Raising the Bar.' [Source: NewTeeVee]

66 OLPC XO '$100 Laptops' Stolen from Poor Kids

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 22nd 2008 at 6:15PM

We've been closely following the story of the OLPC XO, the supposed '$100 Laptop,' since it first began production. Months later, when it was finally shipped to needy kids, it actually cost just shy of $200 a pop. Though there have been a number of setbacks and disappointments in the project, none have been quite like the latest: According to Peruvian Radio News RPP, 66 OLPC XO laptops were stolen from a Peruvian school two weeks ago, where they were being stored in preparation for being given out to kids.

What's even more frustrating is that the stolen laptops are likely to deactivate themselves in a short while, making them completely useless. When an OLPC XO is activated, it is supposed to be locked via a passcode specific to a user. So, if the laptop is turned on by anyone else, it will deactivate itself. There have been cases where the laptops have not been locked down as they were supposed to, meaning a stolen laptop could indeed work for anyone. But, even so, eventually each laptop will need to be re-activated to continue functioning, and if the thieves don't have the necessary code to do that they'll turn off and stay off.

This means, rather sadly, that the kids who need these laptops won't get them, and those laptops will probably just wind up in the trash heap. It seems that sometimes a cheap laptop can't solve the world's ills after all. [Source: RPP NOTICIAS via Gadget Lab]

Teen Faces Up to 38 Years in Jail for Hacking School Computer

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 21st 2008 at 11:08AM

Note to our younger readers: Installing spyware on school computers and hacking your way into the system to change your grade is a terrible idea. A pair of teens in Orange County, California are accused of exactly that and now one of them faces a maximum prison sentence of 38 years in jail on multiple counts of second degree burglary, identity theft, computer access and fraud, removing and secreting a public record, and altering and falsifying a public record.

Omar Khan, 18, faces these most severe charges, while his accomplice, Tanvir Singh (also 18) faces lesser charges of conspiracy, burglary, computer fraud and altering a public record and faces a maximum sentence of three years in jail.

Kahn and Singh are accused of breaking into their school to steal tests and alter records, as well as hacking the schools network to change not only their grades, but the grades of 12 other students in the schools computer system. Why is Khan in so much more trouble than his pal Singh? Namely, it's the the identity theft and computer fraud charges, both heavy-duty felonies.

Okay, so you've got some brains, guys, but next time, try cracking open a book! [Source: Channel Web]

Tardy Traveler Calls In Bomb Threat So He Can Catch His Flight

by Will Safer, posted Jun 16th 2008 at 4:02PM

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and phoning in a bomb threat is certainly desperate enough if you're late for a flight. But be careful about leaving tracks. Read on, crimestoppers...

If you're into soccer – we mean really into soccer – then nothing will stop you from attending an important match. So take, for example, this German reporter, who was tasked with covering the European soccer championship and was late for his flight from Verona, Italy, to Vienna, Austria. What to do, what to do?

The options:

Print your ticket from home and go straight to the gate (great time saver).
Call the airline and book a later flight (responsible, yes, but you could miss your deadline).
Phone in a bomb threat from your mobile phone while en route to the airport (only for a man of action!).

Yes! You guessed it! Option number three wins out!

But wait! When desperate times and desperate measures are in play, it's important to keep your wits about you, and this is where the reporter lost his.

Upon arriving at the airport, he asked about his flight being delayed, even though no public announcement had been made, which made him prime suspect numero uno with the authorities and he was subsequently arrested. How did they know for sure it was him? Why, he left his digital tracks, of course.

A check of his mobile phone's call log revealed he was the source of the threatening call. [Source: Metro via Textually.org]

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Busted AOL Spammer Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison

Cell-Phone-Sniffing Dogs Unleashed on Jails

Hitmen Posting Their Services on Craigslist

Woman Gets Six Years for Simultaneously Drinking, Driving, and Calling

85% of Online Pharmacies Don't Require a Prescription, Survey Reveals

Study Finds That One-Third of Consumers Copy DVDs

Fight Crime by Texting the Police

Teen Lands In Jail After Posting Baby-Tossing Video on YouTube

Judge Slaps $200 Fines On Men Whose Cell Phones Rang In Court

E-Citations Speed Up Ticketing Process

Britain's Surveillance Cameras Get Ears and Brains

New Fall TV Shows Already Leaked Online

66 OLPC XO '$100 Laptops' Stolen from Poor Kids

Teen Faces Up to 38 Years in Jail for Hacking School Computer

Tardy Traveler Calls In Bomb Threat So He Can Catch His Flight

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