November 30, 2017
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(The picture is the Table of Contents from Yegate’s “Definitive Encyclopedia of Fraud”. Yegate is an expert cybercriminal who also teaches others how to commit cybercrime–for a fee)
I’m no longer a fraudster. I’m not a cybercriminal, blackhat, hacker, carder, or any other term that readily applies to denizens of darknet forums and marketplaces. I wouldn’t call myself a good guy either. I have been a criminal so long I don’t think I can call myself a whitehat after just the short amount of time I’ve spent as a speaker and a cybercrime/ security/ fraud consultant. I’m not sure one can ever call someone referred to as “The Original Internet Godfather” a good guy, let alone someone who made the US Most Wanted List and who escaped from prison after being captured.
So no, I can’t call myself a ‘Good Guy”. I say I am trying to be a better person. I think that is all I am allowed to say. I’m not so full of myself to proclaim I’m “Good”.
What I really am is this sort of hybrid character. I often use the “GOllumfun” name on the darknet. People there know I’m a former criminal who still has a fair amount of notoriety in the darkworld. Members of illicit forums know who I am, they know I am a security consultant and that I speak to groups and businesses about how to protect themselves against the type of person I used to be and that these darknet denizens are. They know I worked with the Feds, that I went to prison, that I got out and had a hard time transitioning to a legal life. They know all this, but very few avoid me. Many find me on Jabber or email to chat, ask questions, or seek advice. No not advice on how to break the law. Upfront I tell them I am not about to help them commit crime. We chat about the current state of cybercrime. They share the latest gossip, brag about the latest crimes they are committing, stuff like that. Mostly, they just want to talk. I try to talk them out of breaking the law. Most don’t listen. Some do. Some come to me wanting to come in from the illegal world and ask me to contact law enforcement on their behalf. I do what I can. These guys know I don’t want them to go to jail. But they also know if they don’t stop and get caught I don’t feel the least bit of sympathy for them.
So my relationship with darknet folks is odd. I’m not a criminal, but I’m not an outcast either. It’s a position which aids me in the work I do now. Work? Yep. I’m a public speaker and a consultant. I work with security companies like Next Caller, Emailage, and others. I work with fortune 500 companies to better educate them on various aspects of fraud and cybercrime. I consult with companies across the globe and regularly talk with law enforcement about the latest scams and online crimes. I regularly monitor the darkweb and share information found there with my clients. I’m a busy man. And my limbo-type status helps me in my work. I often make contacts that others are simply unable to.
One of the problems with the current state of cybercrime is that there are a lot of idiots online wanting to be cybercriminals. They don’t understand any of the dynamics of crime. They come into the underground world, buy some guides, do some return fraud, maybe learn how to make serious money with fraud, maybe not. The result is that within many cybercrime communities it is difficult to find anyone who actually knows what they are talking when it comes to successfully committing crime.
You might think that is a boon, that it’s a damn good thing for the good guys. Not necessarily. Many good guys frequent these forums and communities to find out what the bad guys are doing. With so many idiots populating the place, its difficult to determine what is accurate and what isn’t. One of the recent trends is for the more experienced and expert fraudsters to move over to Jabber, Wickr, and smaller groups to network.
Or the experienced and expert become teachers.
Meet “Yegate”. To use the common vernacular–Yegate knows his shit. If I were still a fraudster I would have a great deal of respect for the guy. He is a member of several darknet forums, been around for a long time, and is well-versed in many aspects of online fraud. He also does his best to assist fellow cybercriminals to become better criminals. In short, he is a boon for cybercriminals everywhere. And he is dangerous to merchants, financial institutions, and others across the globe.
Recently, Yegate has started teaching others, for a fee, how to be better criminals. He teaches live classes via Jabber, and also sells write-ups of fraud techniques.
One of the things he has written is a “Definitive Encyclopedia of Fraud”. He sells it for $100. 22 chapters detailing a lot of fraud, techniques, carder security, etc.
I recently purchased the encyclopedia and made connections with Yegate. Over the next 22 days I will be publishing a chapter a day of Yegate’s Definitive Encyclopedia of Fraud. Readers of this guide will get a better understanding of how experienced fraudsters operate, the research they do to commit crimes, the mindset, the ease of committing these crimes, and even how the bad guys use antifraud companies to be better criminals.
Let’s start.
Definitive Encyclopedia of Fraud
Introduction and Security Chapter, Pages 1-8
Thus concludes the first chapter of Yegates Fraud Encyclopedia. Nothing surprising or revolutionary, just a straightforward, common sense approach given by an expert.
Tune in tomorrow for Chapter 2 “SPOOFING”
GOllum https://www.anglerphish.com/
Contributing Writer at News247WorldPress