Stop Junk Faxes

"If you've got a fax machine, you've probably heard from companies that want to help you refinance your mortgage, lose weight fast and buy cheap office supplies. Some of them may even want to cut you in on the investment deal of a lifetime.

Most junk faxes are illegal. If you've never had a business relationship with the sender or given permission to have faxes sent to you, the fax is against federal law. In addition, investment-related faxes may violate securities law.

Recipients often get very frustrated.

Consider a lawsuit. If you're so inclined, you can save your faxes and contact a lawyer who takes this type of case on a contingency basis, getting paid only if you win. A simple violation can be worth $500 per page.

"We normally don't have to go to trial on them," said Clearwater lawyer James Thomas, who said the offenders typically settle. He said companies that knowingly break the law can be hit for triple damages of up to $1,500 per page.

Thomas said he relies on an extensive database and "trade secrets" to identify offenders and then collect from them."

Sources of Information:

Check out Mr. Thomas at his website, See also www.JunkFaxPrevention.com, Read more about junk faxes at www.junkfax.org and www.fcc.gov .

St Pete Times

Computer Forensics Lab for FBI

FBI Computer Forensics Lab

"Identity thieves, child pornographers, hackers, fraudsters and other cybercriminals have a new foe in town: a Cybercrimes Command Center. The FBI is establishing the command center on the LSU campus, where it will be home to a task force of federal agents, city and parish detectives and forensic examiners who investigate computer-related crime. It also will house a laboratory capable of processing computer evidence for law-enforcement agencies throughout the region.

The FBI plans to spend $300,000 to renovate and equip the former Wetlands Biogeochemistry Laboratory near South Campus Drive. The 5,000-square-foot facility is expected to open sometime this fall."

Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic - Focusing on Linux, iPod, Xbox

Gov't Cyber-sleuths Focusing on Linux, iPod, Xbox

"Cyber-security and computer experts from the government and law enforcement are increasingly concerned with malicious code that runs on Linux and Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac OS X operating systems and threats posed by devices such as iPods and Xboxes.

Intensive courses on the Mac OS X and Linux operating systems, as well as iPods, were just a few of the offerings at a recent cyber-security conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Network administrators and cyber-investigators say they are increasingly being called on to investigate compromises of non-Windows operating systems and to analyze portable devices such as iPods, according to interviews with attendees by eWEEK.

Two, two-day courses at this year's conference taught attendees techniques for forensic analysis of Mac OS X and the open-source Linux operating system. . . .

[A]lternative computing platforms will come to play a bigger role in cyber-crimes and criminal investigations in the years to come. Devices such as the PlayStation Portable, which has a large hard drive and wireless capability, will become more common and more capable of carrying out or being targeted in online attacks . . . ."

Computer Forensic Services

Computer Forensic services - Child porn cases on hold

"Shortly after 1:30 a.m., "lickercat1982" uploaded an image to a Yahoo chat room. The image posted on the chat room "teen_girls_having_fun" was that of a naked young girl in what was described as a pornographic photo. Yahoo! Inc., the Internet provider, reported the discovery to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as required by federal law.

It would take nearly two years after that report and countless hours of investigation before the Plymouth man behind the screen name "lickercat1982" would appear in court to face two counts of dissemination of child pornography. That lag, officials say, will only get longer. As authorities field a growing number of reports of suspected kiddie porn online, investigators say it is taking longer to get the right evidence for court action due to a shortage of computer forensic experts in the field."

The Enterprise

Computer Forensic Services