Gregory Kopiloff has been accused of stealing sensitive financial data of hundred of users using a very simple scheme : P2P LimeWire browsing.
While most of the milion P2P users swap media files such as MP3s and movies, Kopiloff was looking for something very different : credit card numbers, financial reports, income tax returns credit reports and other documents that might give hackers enough information about a person to impersonate them.
The scheme was very simple: the hacker used the stolen IDs to open new credit card accounts and then he used to buy on line merchandise worth thousand of dollars. All these goods were re-sold half the price on various on line auction sites.
Kopiloff was arrested and charged last week with mail fraud, computer hacking and aggravated identity theft offenses. If convicted, he faces a maximum 29 years imprisonment.
Investigators said Kopiloff made many of his purchases from Newegg.com, an online electronics merchant. He allegedly bought high-end computers, cellphones and audio players that could easily be resold.
Kopiloff allegedly had the merchandise shipped to UPS stores and to local hotels, including the Seattle Sheraton, Westin and the Hyatt Regency, to avoid detection.
He was arrested after a Texas resident told his company's security officer about how his bank account had been compromised, with someone in Western Washington passing bad checks on his account. The agent forwarded the information to Secret Service agents and police in Seattle.
The root of these problems is the easy mistake of sharing a lot more than the media folders. We have advised against P2P sharing dangers before and we are doing it again : Be very careful with what you share !
