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File Sharing Software Involved in Denver ID Theft Ring
In the latest reported identify theft ring with the potential to affect thousands of Americans, the District Attorney's Office in Denver, Colorado and local authorities have discovered a fraud ring operating out of a local apartment and based on the use of the file sharing software LimeWire.
LimeWire, a so-called P2P file sharing application, allows users to connect to one another's machines for the purpose of sharing primarily music and videos. The idea is to create a file sharing network with distributed computing power so that the files, most of which are illegal, are stored on individual user's machines not on a remote server.
The information uncovered by Denver authorities included tax records, banking account data, and online bill payment information. The thieves apparently utilized security flaws via the LimeWire software to retrieve the information from the personal computers of at least 75 individuals and businesses scattered across the United States.
It is unclear whether the information was accessed via systems without security protection or if computer hacking was involved. A spokeswoman for the DA's office said, "We have what appears to be 75 potential victims whose computers have been hacked. They all use LimeWire file-sharing software. The potential harm to people is huge. People have to be very, very careful how they do Internet financial transactions."
At the time of the DA's announcement of a consumer alert, authorities had arrested one individual with three others being actively sought in connection with the case. Users of the LimeWire software were urged to discontinue use of the application.
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