Hacker nabs prosecutor office�s credit-card number - 03/20/03 08:26 PM
hmm I found this story pretty interesting
They dont have a clue who did it so the finger points at Hackers heh
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The prosecutors who bust criminals became victims of crime themselves last week when someone used their credit card to buy breast-enhancement drugs.
A computer hacker apparently stole the office credit-card number of the Johnson County Prosecutor�s Office in Franklin and used it to fraudulently order more than $700 in purchases.
Among the unauthorized merchandise billed to the prosecutor�s office Visa card: $103.38 in flowers from FTD, $292 in merchandise from Best Buy and $344.95 for a supply of Bloussant, an unregulated dietary supplement that claims to enlarge women�s breasts.
�My first reaction was utter shock,� Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner said. �For somebody to come right in and start stealing from our taxpayers, that�s pretty brazen. We hadn�t seen anything like that before.�
Hamner said his office manager, Michelle Murray, discovered the bogus purchases last week on the credit-card statement. The prosecutor�s office uses the card to charge office-supply purchases and travel and lodging expenses.
It appears the Visa card itself wasn�t stolen, since it was never missing. The card was newly issued, and the statement showed the three unauthorized charges had occurred before the first legitimate purchase made by prosecutor�s staff, he said.
�There was no way of knowing until we got the statement,� Hamner said. �The only thing we can figure out is, some hacker got into a list of newly issued credit cards and was making a series of small purchases, hoping it wouldn�t be noticed.�
Murray had the charges taken off the county�s credit-card bill and canceled the card, Hamner said.
A hacker could be operating anywhere, and Hamner has no reason to suspect the perpetrator is a Johnson County resident. He forwarded the fraud case to the county sheriff�s department. If identified, the suspect could be charged with credit-card fraud, a Class C felony punishable by up to eight years in prison, Hamner said.
Because the prosecutor�s office is itself the victim of the crime, Hamner would request a special prosecutor to bring the criminal charges, he said.
The herbal product Bloussant is sold online by New York-based Wellquest International. In its advertisements and TV infomercials, Bloussant is touted as increasing breast size and firmness. It�s marketed as an alternative to expensive breast-augmentation surgery.
Because Bloussant is a dietary supplement, not an FDA-approved drug, the manufacturer�s claims have not been scientifically evaluated. According to published reports, Bloussant�s ingredients are a veritable herb garden, including saw palmetto, damiana leaves, dandelion, thistle, wild yam, fennel seed and watercress.
Several male employees in the prosecutor�s office like to lift weights to build up their upper bodies, Hamner noted. But the thought of using Bloussant to increase their bust size had never occurred to them.
�That�s an easy way to do it; but we�d just as soon use the bench press,� he said.
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Story was found at this site
http://www.thejournalnet.com/Main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=113&ArticleID=34944
They dont have a clue who did it so the finger points at Hackers heh
====================
The prosecutors who bust criminals became victims of crime themselves last week when someone used their credit card to buy breast-enhancement drugs.
A computer hacker apparently stole the office credit-card number of the Johnson County Prosecutor�s Office in Franklin and used it to fraudulently order more than $700 in purchases.
Among the unauthorized merchandise billed to the prosecutor�s office Visa card: $103.38 in flowers from FTD, $292 in merchandise from Best Buy and $344.95 for a supply of Bloussant, an unregulated dietary supplement that claims to enlarge women�s breasts.
�My first reaction was utter shock,� Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner said. �For somebody to come right in and start stealing from our taxpayers, that�s pretty brazen. We hadn�t seen anything like that before.�
Hamner said his office manager, Michelle Murray, discovered the bogus purchases last week on the credit-card statement. The prosecutor�s office uses the card to charge office-supply purchases and travel and lodging expenses.
It appears the Visa card itself wasn�t stolen, since it was never missing. The card was newly issued, and the statement showed the three unauthorized charges had occurred before the first legitimate purchase made by prosecutor�s staff, he said.
�There was no way of knowing until we got the statement,� Hamner said. �The only thing we can figure out is, some hacker got into a list of newly issued credit cards and was making a series of small purchases, hoping it wouldn�t be noticed.�
Murray had the charges taken off the county�s credit-card bill and canceled the card, Hamner said.
A hacker could be operating anywhere, and Hamner has no reason to suspect the perpetrator is a Johnson County resident. He forwarded the fraud case to the county sheriff�s department. If identified, the suspect could be charged with credit-card fraud, a Class C felony punishable by up to eight years in prison, Hamner said.
Because the prosecutor�s office is itself the victim of the crime, Hamner would request a special prosecutor to bring the criminal charges, he said.
The herbal product Bloussant is sold online by New York-based Wellquest International. In its advertisements and TV infomercials, Bloussant is touted as increasing breast size and firmness. It�s marketed as an alternative to expensive breast-augmentation surgery.
Because Bloussant is a dietary supplement, not an FDA-approved drug, the manufacturer�s claims have not been scientifically evaluated. According to published reports, Bloussant�s ingredients are a veritable herb garden, including saw palmetto, damiana leaves, dandelion, thistle, wild yam, fennel seed and watercress.
Several male employees in the prosecutor�s office like to lift weights to build up their upper bodies, Hamner noted. But the thought of using Bloussant to increase their bust size had never occurred to them.
�That�s an easy way to do it; but we�d just as soon use the bench press,� he said.
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Story was found at this site
http:/
