Saturday, 17 December 2011

Stalkers and Malware

Many "phishing" and other scam e-mails are sent from hijacked e-mail accounts, using lists of e-mail addresses found on computers by infecting malware. Usually, these are friends and contacts of the account holder, so they may be people who'd be sympathetic if he got into difficulties and needed money.

But what happens if such malware infects a computer owned by a stalker?

Well, the malware searches for lists of e-mails and personal details, and sends scam e-mails to them, and passes any other contact details to cold-calling scammer's call centres, as usual. Except these are not the computer-owner's friends and contacts: they are the people he's been stalking and obssessively gathering information on: see below for an example.


-- On Sat, 17/12/11, PHILIP BEAVEN <philbeaven@btinternet.com> wrote:

From: PHILIP BEAVEN <philbeaven@btinternet.com>
Subject: My Sad Trip...Philip Beaven
To: philbeaven@btinternet.com
Date: Saturday, 17 December, 2011, 9:34

I really hope you get this fast. I could not inform anyone about my trip, because it was impromptu. I had to be in Madrid Spain for a program. The program was successful, but my journey has turned sour. I misplaced my wallet on my way back to my hotel after I went for sight seeing. The wallet contained all the valuables I had. Now, my passport is in custody of the hotel management pending when I make payment.

I am sorry if i am inconveniencing you, but i have only very few people to run to now. i will be indeed very grateful if i can get a loan of 2,605 Eur from you. this will enable me sort my hotel bills and get my sorry self back home. I will really appreciate whatever you can afford in assisting me with. I promise to refund it in full as soon as I return. let me know if you can be of any assistance. Please, let me know soonest. Thanks so much.

Phil


Normally, one is sympathetic to someone whose computer is hijacked in this way and in whose name, friends and family get reams of malicious spam.

But in this case, Mr Beaven seems to have been hoarding details of people who were not friends, family or contacts: they are people he hounds.
Including the unfortunate stained glass artist from Ipswich who Mr Beaven tried to out, falsely, as "Medawar".
The e-mail lacks the profanity and hate-filled abuse that Medawar normally expects from Mr Beaven, which is partly how it was spotted as a scam.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice catch M. The irony is too delicious. :-D

Hopefully this stalkers others victims will come across your blog and be educated.

Anonymous said...

I meant to tell you when I read this the other day that I got nearly that exact email from a guy who I KNOW is part of an illegal/illicit/criminal/sinister home-healthcare establishment. He's evil. His face and "smile" are evil. He's a terrible human being and that sums up what I know of him other than I met him protesting the Iraq War in downtown st pete baywalk. Very briefly. He never had my email address. Suddenly he began "appearing" places. As I turned corners, at the library as I studied or lived, kinda camped out there for a time due to the awfulness of our home which WE OWN and PAY FOR but I have now fixed all of that. (most of it LOL I am talking of things which were causing health concerns and property damage they had done) .. okay so mauricio sent me this email purposefully asking for help as he had no other way of having my email other than acquiring it for nefarious purposes. SOOO he then whoosh disappeared. Perhaps to further the idea he was "trapped outside the country??" LOL As a former banker I've seen it all so um. yeah. At any rate, he made a reappearance in due time, 14 days or so and though in the past he merely meandered about and left even if he did not make an excuse to approach me THIS TIME he made a beeline. He thought I was going to ask him about that email. Never said a word. Never saw him again. What an ASS.
I liken this to people who rob you or use you on the street. A smart peson knows never to reach in their pocket. (got a light? a quarter? what time is it??) All various ploys to start their rap of bullshit.

Hope your Holiday season was and is well. Thank you for the pleasurable and informative read. I am in your debt (tampa)

Anonymous said...

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hrj/iss18/booknotes-Breaking.shtml

Check this out.

I live in FL. hehe. I understand Spain is sympathetic to Americans in these human rights abuses.

Do you know anything about that?

Medawar said...

Spanish Prosecutors are empowered to pursue human rights cases committed in other countries, if the culprit enters Spanish jurisdiction and is unlikely to be prosecuted in the country where the crime happened.

In the UK, the attitude of Crown Prosecutors is largely irrelevant, because of the right to bring private criminal prosecutions as well as civil lawsuits.

There are some important civil rights defects in Spanish law, though: defendants extradited under European Arrest warrants have found themselves in Spanish jails for up to 18 months and then released without explanation, without ever actually being charged with the crime on the extradition warrant. They cannot sue for malicious prosecution, because the charge was never brought.

So, relying on Spain to guarantee your basic rights is a bit of a gamble.

While we're on the subject, don't, for pity's sake, seek justice in a Cypriot or Greek court if you have any alternative at all.

Anonymous said...

"because of the right to bring private criminal prosecutions"


I am going to try to read more about this. (above)
Thank you for your answer. I know during the never-ending BUSH years the PDA (Progressive Democrats of America) had high hopes of bringing charges against him in spain and at one point got somewhere, then they also got close with cheney and he for war-crimes. I am over-simplifying this, I know.
We're at our wits end as we can't handle our own criminals ...

I had hopes for the Hague but ... while I refuse to give up hope, we really need to force OUR OWN government in each country we reside in to take the criminals in hand. They won't; they simply won't do a thing.

And here we go with another election ... a guy called Shitt Mitt four years ago (for good reason) and a guy who was dead to the republican party four years ago and seemingly right up til ten minutes ago are suddenly breathlessly interesting. GAD !!

And idiots somewhere will actually cast votes for them.

What to do? What to do?

I suppose it's wrong to harbor concern over most island nations but seeing as the people are really at the mercy of an island nation due to proximity and control of transportation... For instance I used to think Bermuca was a lovely place but they're fascist in my opinion and have more imprisoned per capita THAN THE US. Greece has always seemed a little hedonistic if that's a proper word to apply. Even New Zealand ... and I had always heard that New Zealand was THEE place to live for optimal experience in life and peaceful living and loving humans. Thanks again

Anon said...

I am currently living in fear for me and my son's life...I am being stalked by several drones...They are waiting on me outside of my job like clockwork and they then follow me home where I had discovered they have videos of me and my son getting I'm and out of shower undressing...I am a single mother to a 12 yr old son and My heart and spirit is breaking because my son is soo young and I'm scared this nightmare is gonna have a profound effect on his life.I have contacted local authorities...FAA...and after months of the torment I sat down and cried as I wrote a congressman to please get justice for me and my son if we were killed by these people/company that was terrorizing us...soo that nobody ever has to feel as helpless and scared as I do right now...I know tonight as every night I will tremble in fear as the "big drone" as i call it cuts me off at the stopsign when i head home I will b gunned down please help

Medawar said...

Anon.
See, if you haven't read it already, my post on the one American law that is actually on your side in this situation:

http://medawarscornflakes.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/americas-forgotten-anti-gangstalking.html

It can be very difficult to get the FBI to act, but it is a Federal offence and it is therefore the FBI's jurisdiction and responsibility.