Domain Thief Arrested & Charged By Police

Detectives from the New Jersey State Police Cyber Crimes Unit have charged Daniel Goncalves, aged 25, of Union Township, with:

1. Theft by unlawful taking or disposition
2. Theft of identity
3. Computer theft

The charges relate to the theft of the domain name P2P.com from their GoDaddy account in May of 2006.

After moving the domain name, the investigation found Goncalves again waited the mandatory 60 days and listed the name for sale on e-Bay in September of 2006, where it was purchased for just over $111,000. The purchaser, was professional basketball player Mark Madsen, a Los Angeles Clippers forward who did not know the name was stolen.

Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police stated:

“The domain name industry is in some respects still like the wild west. Many of the rules are not yet codified into state laws, let alone federal or international laws”

“There is no deed for ownership of a domain name.  In most cases they are protected solely by a login and password for the site through which they are registered. Nevertheless, theft is theft, and that law that can be applied whenever possession of an own-able thing is improperly transferred for gain.”

Source: New Jersey State Police Cyber Crimes Unit.

Police Lose Their Domain – Russian Snaps It Up

Eureka is the county seat and principal city in Humboldt County, California, United States.

It’s been reported that their Police Department has allowed their domain name to expire.

The new owner of eurekapd.org in Russia has allegedly kept some of the content.

Police Chief Garr Nielsen told the Eureka Reporter that he wasn’t aware of the domain name being taken over and made it clear he didn’t want the Web site online anymore, but the city of Eureka has not yet decided if it is a “problem” or not.

Well… my guess is that it will be – especially when Jack Bauer comes looking for an answer!

Police Arrest Domain Name Blackmailer In Vietnam

Police in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam have arrested 24 year old, Huynh Chi Hieu for “domain name blackmailing”. Its been reported that the man was caught at a construction company, receiving VND30 million (US$1,860).

In Feb, the man allegedly called the website manager for the Lotus Steel Sheet Company (LSSC), and told them that he had their domain name for sale at $2,500. The company had a different domain name and subsequently didn’t pay the money.

In early May, Hieu allegedly posted damaging information on a fake website he had created and asked for VND50 million ($3,090). The company agreed to the deal and secretly contacted police.