Live data from Hacker News

Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

krebsonsecurity.com

71–80 of 98 posts

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#71
post #59

Payment information contained in those emails — including shipping and other account information — put the happy couple and their young son in Naples, Italy. I am not at all surprised they found him in Naples. That city is a festering breeding ground for scammers, fraudsters, mafiosi, Camorra, and every kind and type of unscrupulous person. I have never hated a city I've visited so much as Naples.

I recently read the extraordinary Naples 44 , the diary of a British intelligence officer assigned to the place after its capture by the Allies. He talks about all of those things and more, including the theft of food from the army on a massive scale. Counterintuitively he loved the place.

Well is it really surprising that people were stealing food from the US army during WWII? I would have done it if I had trouble supporting my family.

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#72
post #25

It's interesting to see the moral ambiguity in this, in the comments and in the article itself. Perhaps the comment with the rarest insight of empathy is the one by Matthew B.: " The people who conduct this type of crime often think of it as justified. After all, Americans are rich aren’t they? How could it hurt them to lose some money? We are poor, if they won’t share, we’ll just take it. We will make them share! Th…

[deleted]

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But they make great pizza there...

I agree with you there -- and the Naples Underground (old cisterns that became bomb shelters) are neat, and Pompeii is an hour away. Those, however, are the sole 3 reasons for going. I tell my friends who visit Italy that if they pass through Naples, you go to Da Michele and get 2 pizzas, check out the underground, take a daytrip to Pompeii, and then get the away from Naples asap.

What about the Museo Nazionale Romano? The Museo di Capodimonte? Castel nuovo? Gothic and Baroque churches? Art nouveau architecture? Ischia and Procida?

You clearly haven't spent nearly enough time exploring, probably because of your preconceptions.

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#74
post #39
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are complaining that Krebs doxxed a credit card scammer who tried to frame him for dealing heroin?

Framing someone for dealing heroin is criminal and morally terrible. The guy's certainly paying and going to prison for it, and for his other crimes. This is justice doing its job. The question that I'm trying to ask is whether public shaming, especially to such a large audience, is really a civilized response. The consequences are also devastating, and reduce the possibilities of getting a second chance at life, som…

More than likely it's pour encourager les autres.

After all, they messed with his family by sending the flower arrangement to his door. A public warning not to mess with him would seem to be appropriate.

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#75
post #49
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's not forget that getting someone in trouble and/or threatening harm/death are not the same thing as actually causing physical harm, and that is not the same as actually causing death. Just because someone is part of the underworld doesn't mean they have no qualms about ordering someone's death, and the only thing holding them back is the money.

Revenge is one of the most powerful motivators for murder and can turn otherwise good people into hot-blooded killers [0-5]. Few people would kill indiscriminately, but if you give them a powerful enough motivation? They'll have no qualms taking a life. This guy has had his life ruined, I doubt his marriage will survive this, and he'll be spending a good portion of his life in prison in a foreign country. Furthermore…

I'm not saying criminals don't kill people. I'm simply making a point about assuming all criminals are the same. There are plenty of white-collar criminals that have and will cause the death of innocent people and there are plenty of violent criminals that won't purposefully cross the line to killing a person.

If for no other reason, we should be wary about stereotyping criminals because what is considered criminal is sometimes quite arbitrary and can change quite fast. How many years ago was it a felony in some states to possess more than token amounts of marijuana, or to take part in sodomy?

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#76
post #25

It's interesting to see the moral ambiguity in this, in the comments and in the article itself. Perhaps the comment with the rarest insight of empathy is the one by Matthew B.: " The people who conduct this type of crime often think of it as justified. After all, Americans are rich aren’t they? How could it hurt them to lose some money? We are poor, if they won’t share, we’ll just take it. We will make them share! Th…

I dunno, he picked a fight and lost, and besides that carders are just generally scummy. If it were some kid who was only guilty of breaking into corporate/government systems for the heck of it, then I could see your point.

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#77
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> whether public shaming, especially to such a large audience, is really a civilized response. This concept is also often referred to by it's more common name: "journalism"

I've been pondering this distinction lately. We recognize that doxxing, etc. are Definitely Bad Things but that's exactly what journalists have always done. It's a matter of degree and intent, of course, but there's an awfully blurry line in-between.

The difference between "doxxing" and "journalism" can indeed get blurry every once and awhile[0], but it's usually not that hard to figure out.

Journalism is newsworthy and has the intention of informing people in the public interest, doxxing is typically not newsworthy or in the public interest and has the intention of harassment or intimidation.

[0] http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/07/gawker-slammed-for-story-out...

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#78
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you entirely. Implied death threat (to him) sent to his wife from someone whom he has now gotten imprisoned who knows where he lives and confirmed it by sending a card... he seems awfully calm about all this and perhaps half-jokingly states he'll visit Fly in prison to meet him in person. I'd be getting placed under a witness protection program (is this even applicable?) and relocate. Move somewhere that…

I doubt it, this isn't a drug cartel kingpin or mafia don we're talking about. He's just a troll.

It is most definitely organized crime. It's just a new model that people are not quite up to speed on, yet.

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#79
post #75
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Revenge is one of the most powerful motivators for murder and can turn otherwise good people into hot-blooded killers [0-5]. Few people would kill indiscriminately, but if you give them a powerful enough motivation? They'll have no qualms taking a life. This guy has had his life ruined, I doubt his marriage will survive this, and he'll be spending a good portion of his life in prison in a foreign country. Furthermore…

I'm not saying criminals don't kill people. I'm simply making a point about assuming all criminals are the same. There are plenty of white-collar criminals that have and will cause the death of innocent people and there are plenty of violent criminals that won't purposefully cross the line to killing a person. If for no other reason, we should be wary about stereotyping criminals because what is considered criminal i…

What I think is dangerous is confirming that he got the Xmas card. Depending how that was sent, he has confirmed that he hasn't relocated his home and that puts him in danger. If Fly wanted revenge, he wouldn't want to hire a hit on the wrong house, now would he? Confirming his family is still in that house makes it a target for a hit or arson if Fly seeks revenge.

Even if Fly was not already a criminal - merely a troll - there are now seeds of revenge planted. He doesn't need to have been a criminal or done any criminal actions for him to want to seek revenge. People who are seeking revenge can be dangerous - to deny that is to ignore millenniums of history proving otherwise. While it has been pointed out this wasn't Krebs first and likely won't be his last - and that he's likely accustomed to such things. The danger is still there.

I am not trying to argue "because he is criminal, he will try to kill" I am saying "because he may seek revenge, he may try to kill". This has nothing to do with his criminality - and my bringing up his criminal behavior was more trying to shed light on "anyone can hire a hitman. they just need money and enough motivation to want someone dead." because it's a commonly held belief that only the rich and powerful (kingpins, political leaders, etc.) have connections or can hire hitmen.

The motivation aspect is covered by "revenge" and "need enough money" can be covered by "criminal activity".

Anyways, I'm done here. I hope he stays safe and I hope his confirming he got the Xmas card doesn't bring him or his wife/family(?) into harm.

Re: Hacker Who Sent Me Heroin Faces Charges in U.S

#80
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Think in terms of branches of government. The executive branch investigates crimes, and the judicial adjudicates them. The exclusionary rule is designed to punish the executive branch for abusing the Fourth Amendment. But if it's the judge that's mistaken, it's the judicial, not the executive, at fault, and the incentive behind the exclusionary principle ceases to exist. (If it helps: the US's exclusionary rule is si…

Why should there be no penalty to the judicial branch for abusing the fourth amendment?

Again, in Europe, it's considered a little weird that we have an exclusionary rule that applies to any branch of government.

But the reason is: judges aren't abusing the Fourth Amendment; they're the arbiters of it.

Post reply on HN