Janice
02-08-2003, 05:14 PM
Jenny, this one's for you. ;)
FBI Seeks Hacker Who Stole Credit Card Numbers from eBay Users
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A hacker used a University of North Carolina computer system to steal personal financial information from eBay users, federal officials say.
Users of the Internet auction site complained to the FBI they received fraudulent e-mails during the past week that appeared to come from eBay, said Chris Swecker, who heads the FBI in North Carolina.
The e-mails told recipients their accounts were suspended until they verified some personal information -- including their credit card number and mother's maiden name. A link in the e-mail took users to a Web page appearing to belong to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
A hacker used a university computer server for at least two hours Sunday to post the page before technicians shut it down, said spokeswoman Karin Steinbrenner.
The hacker does not appear to be a UNCC student or employee, Steinbrenner and Swecker said.
Officials at eBay said they've noticed an increase in these fraudulent e-mails since early 2002, spokesman Kevin Pursglove said.
"As fast as we can find them they disappear," he said.
By Monday, the page linked to the fake eBay e-mail had disappeared, and was replaced by a Web site registered to a Pennsylvania woman, who said she also had been the victim of identity theft and that thieves also stole an undisclosed amount of money from her bank account. (AP)
Copyright ©2003 Sunbeam Television Corp.
WHDH-TV
7 Bulfinch Place
Boston MA 02114
FBI Seeks Hacker Who Stole Credit Card Numbers from eBay Users
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A hacker used a University of North Carolina computer system to steal personal financial information from eBay users, federal officials say.
Users of the Internet auction site complained to the FBI they received fraudulent e-mails during the past week that appeared to come from eBay, said Chris Swecker, who heads the FBI in North Carolina.
The e-mails told recipients their accounts were suspended until they verified some personal information -- including their credit card number and mother's maiden name. A link in the e-mail took users to a Web page appearing to belong to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
A hacker used a university computer server for at least two hours Sunday to post the page before technicians shut it down, said spokeswoman Karin Steinbrenner.
The hacker does not appear to be a UNCC student or employee, Steinbrenner and Swecker said.
Officials at eBay said they've noticed an increase in these fraudulent e-mails since early 2002, spokesman Kevin Pursglove said.
"As fast as we can find them they disappear," he said.
By Monday, the page linked to the fake eBay e-mail had disappeared, and was replaced by a Web site registered to a Pennsylvania woman, who said she also had been the victim of identity theft and that thieves also stole an undisclosed amount of money from her bank account. (AP)
Copyright ©2003 Sunbeam Television Corp.
WHDH-TV
7 Bulfinch Place
Boston MA 02114