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BEWARE of Ex-Altar Boys; Miami Computer Conman Steals Data from130,000,000 Credit Card Holders

Largest Heist ever of this type!! Dare I say it, another one of those "Who made Miami the City it is Today" is Busted for stealing the Data of 130 MILLION Credit Card Members.

Miami hacker honed his skills at early age
The Miami man accused in a massive scheme to steal the credit cards of 130 million Americans showed early signs of his hacking skills -- breaking into the government network of India.

Police said Albert Gonzalez, 28, launched his career as a hacker cruising Dixie Highway with a laptop to break into the security systems of box stores HAND OUT
nation's largest credit card heist, Albert Gonzalez launched a bold plan from a computer in his high school library: hack into the government network of India.

By the time FBI agents descended on South Miami Senior High School, the quiet 17-year-old senior had already shattered the security systems and left his mark: offensive notes on government message boards.

The successful breach of a network across the world stunned school administrators, but showed Gonzalez was already demonstrating the skills that would define him as one of the most prolific hackers in United States history.

Now charged with stealing more than 130 million credit card numbers in a sweeping fraud case, the Miami native escaped punishment a decade ago when he tapped into Indian servers using two computers in his high school library.

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/1193994.html

By miamimike on Aug 19, 2009, 21:28 in Off Topic.

miamimike says on Aug 19, 2009, 21:33:

PREVIOUS INCIDENTS

The indictment represents the latest brush with the law for Gonzalez, a Cuban American high school graduate who became known to local hackers for his extraordinary computer skills and ability to navigate vast streams of data.

In 2003, he avoided a conviction for credit card theft in New Jersey by agreeing to become an informant for the U.S. Secret Service. But federal agents discovered in 2007 that the man they were using as a key operative was actually carrying out his own secret venture to steal millions of credit cards.

Armed with a laptop and a magnetic antenna, Gonzalez cruised along busy U.S. 1 in Miami tapping into the wireless networks of major retailers, including TJ Maxx, BJ's WholeSale Club, OfficeMax and Barnes & Noble, and stealing the records of sales made with a credit card, prosecutors say.

He was indicted along with 10 others in federal court in Boston for stealing more than 40 million credit cards -- the largest heist of its kind at the time.

Along the way, he amassed more than $1.65 million, a Miami condo, a BMW, a currency counter and a Glock 27. Prosecutors also said Gonzalez buried $1 million in the back yard of his parents' house in southwest Miami-Dade.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/1190587.html?storylin...

"You can take the Banana Out of the Republic but you Cannot take the Republic Out Of The Banana"

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miamimike says on Aug 20, 2009, 12:17:

Azunoman--I think he has a bright future as well in Washington as a Politician,,,

"You can take the Banana Out of the Republic but you Cannot take the Republic Out Of The Banana"

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