November 19, 2010 - Consumers need to be watching their credit card bills closely for the next few months to make sure that the charges that appear on them are actually legitimate. That's because an Indonesian hacker by the name of Mun Poo managed to steal at least 400,000 credit and debit card numbers - at least, that is what authorities actually know he was able to steal - before being caught in Secret Service sting operation. 

Poo managed to hack his way into several computer systems, including those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Ohio, the Department of Defense logistic system, and into FedComp; an organization that processes transaction for Federal Credit Unions.

The hacker committed conducted his computer escapades while overseas, but he was foolish enough to then fly to the United States and setup a meeting with a man that he thought was interested in purchasing some of the stolen credit card numbers. The buyer was actually a Secret Service agent. Once the transaction took place, over diner in New York, other agents swept in and arrested Poo.

After seizing the hacker's computer, the Secret Service was able to determine that it contained as many as 400,000 credit and debit card numbers.

This week, a federal grand jury indicted Poo on charges of fraud and identity theft. He is being held without bail.

At this point, there doesn't appear to be any way of knowing how many credit card numbers Poo has actually sold or how long he has been hacking. There is also no indication that the 400,000 numbers recovered were the total extent o his activities. He has already made statements indicating that his hacking activities were not limited to US based banks and credit unions.

ACCESS is advising consumers to be particularly vigilant in reviewing their credit card bills and bank statements this holiday season. Mun Poo's activities were extensive but he is certainly not the only hacker or fraudster in the world and, unfortunately, the scam artists tend to come out in droves at this time of the year. If you find charges on your credit cards, or bank withdrawals that you don't recognize, report them immediately to your bank or credit card company. And if you think you have been victimized by Mun Poo or any other scam artist, you should place a fraud alert on your credit file and may want to consider implementing a credit freeze. While this may cause some inconvenience, it is the best way to shut down identity thieves.  

byJim Malmberg

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