Extortion letters we have received so far, posted here.

[HollywoodSportsbook]

<LI>1st letter:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Mitnik [mailto:weekendattackers@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2003 8:46 AM
To: info@hollywoodsportsbook.com
Cc: cs@hollywoodsportsbook.com; help@hollywoodsportsbook.com; accounts@hollywoodsportsbook.com; banking@hollywoodsportsbook.com; manager@hollywoodsportsbook.com
Subject: Under attack


Dear Sportsbook operator,

Your site has been targeted for an attack this weekend. This may already be happening as this email is being sent.
You have a flaw in your network that will allow this attack to take place. Once the attack starts, no one will be able to find your website.
You have 2 choices. You can ignore this email and try to keep your site up, which will cost you tens of thousands of dollars in lost wagers and customers, or you can send us $30k by Western Union to make sure that your site experiences no problems. If you send the $30k your site will be protected not just this weekend, but for the next 12 months. This will let you enjoy business with no worry.
If you choose not to pay for our help, then you will probably not be in business much longer, as you will be under attack each weekend for the next 20 weeks, or until you close your doors.
You can always choose to wait, see what happens, and then contact us for our help when you realize you can't do it yourself, however, then it will cost you more and your site will still be down. The choice is yours as we await your response

p.s. The sites that were attacked and paid last weekend are happy that they paid and are protected and look forward to a profitable football season.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<LI>2nd letter:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Dudes
You can increase your pipe 10 times and it won't help. Pay the 30k today or you will have to beg us to take your $40k Saturday

p.s. Protection is better than being destroyed <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<LI>3rd letter
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Dear Will,

You have got to be the dumbest m0therfu(ker in Costa Rica. If you want to sacrifice to show you are tought guys, go ahead. In the mean time, the other books will take your customers.

Do you think they will send you money for being a stand up guy. Your FBI guy can suck my dick and the 2 of you can cry on each others shoulders when you are broke and out of business. You can post on the forums all day long, as you are showing everyone that you are the man, a broke man soon.

You can continue to be an idiot or do the right thing, and I don't care.

P.S. Come Sunday morning when you realize how much money you have lost, and want to make a deal, your cost will be $40k

P.S. P.S. Did you ever think that one of your competitors might have hired us to get rid of competition.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<LI>4th letter:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Dear Partner,

I would love to thank you for being so stuborn and stupid. Because of you, I collected from 3 sites without attacking them, as they saw what we are doing to you.

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

I hope you are having as much fun as I am. Every sportsbook is laughing at you on how stupid you are. =)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

In 20 weeks you can let me know if it was worth it, and I forwarded a copy of your last email to pinnacle. =)))

P.S. Once again, thank you very much partner<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We thought we'd keep you guys in the know. One thing is for sure: We will NOT pay.

Will
Hollywood International
1-800-220-0002

 

[jjgold]

I think these hackers might be the stupied fuks in the world!!!!!

Now listen up hackers do you realize you are dealing with lots of guys that have "mob ties"

Do you realize this???? Do you know what they do to people that steal from them and try to shake them down????

Well they fire bullets in your head!!!!!

This is suicide what your doing and I feel very very sorry for you!!!!!

I hope you made your funeral plans.

 

[FunkSoulBrother]

Out of curiousity, did anyone request the Name and City that they want the Western Unions sent to? Is it in Russia?

 

[-Slim-]

I hope whoever is doing this crap gets "caught". And I use that term VERY loosely. Caught is an understatement

 

[kongen]

let's start a pool to have this hacker whacked, im in for a few hundred.

 

[JudgeWapner]

I'm good for a dime,but I want an ear.

 

[jjgold]

I bet boys there are contracts out for these hackers already.

 

[corey]

Pinky for 2

 

[TheGeneral+]

Thanks for sharing Hollywood & Good luck.

 

[deadon]

jjgold!this is 2003 the books these days don't have balls.

 

[corey]

How did you come by this gem of information.

 

[Java]

I love how these hackers are offering protection from themselves. "If you choose not to pay for our help...."

First, they claim that there is a weakness in Hollywood's network. This implies that by pointing out the weakness or installing a software patch, the problem would magically disappear. Of course, if they stopped attacking the problem would disappear as well.

Second letter ups the ante. The imply that the price will go up.

Third letter uses m0therfu(ker as possible way to avoid a profanity spellchecker? (Unless hollywood made the edit to handle an rxforum contraint). The extortionists seem to be getting more desparate (asking for an FBI blowjob is never a smart move). Again, he repeats the price increase (must be like a telemarketer reading off a sheet). The implication that it is from a competitor and that they were "hired" seems like a weird claim to make.

The Fourth letter is completely sarcastic. However, I think that the extortionist should give Hollywood a cut of the $90K (3 books @ $30K each).


As for Western Union, is there ANY way to tag a payment with instructions like "contact police at once and arrest this extortionist" or take his picture? Not a whole lot of places where you can cash a $30k Western Union and it must raise some alerts. Should be some way to have Western union security identify these guys.

Anybody that paid, call Western Union and ask for the surveilance tapes from whatever place paid the guy. Post the picture on every sportsbook site and forum with a BIG reward.

 

[FunkSoulBrother]

Sorry to repeat myself:

Have any of the sportsbooks that have been threatened by this group gone so far as to get a Name and (more importantly) City where they want the western union to be sent?

 

[slots]

We know who the stand up guys are!! Like Hollywood is gonna get shaken down hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah


Yea right!

 

[Railbird]

"stand up guy" sounds familar, thats an east coast term, folks dont say that out here in Cailfornia. Obviously there is a book that is behind all this. I would guess Cris or Nasa

 

[Pickles]

the crime and ransom have nothing to do with each other.
The crime is for fun-10yrolds can sometimes do this.
Ransom-could be any joker

 

[PO69]

Funk, keep in mind that the city that money was to be sent doesnt really matter. As long as you have the correct amount and control number and have SOMEONE with an ID with the name on the western union, then you can pick up money like this ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!

 

[FunkSoulBrother]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Funk, keep in mind that the city that money was to be sent doesnt really matter. As long as you have the correct amount and control number and have SOMEONE with an ID with the name on the western union, then you can pick up money like this ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I didn't know that. Then out of curiousity, why do books make us send money to Jose Rodriguez in Belize when we could be sending money to John Smith in Cleveland, and looking a hell of a lot less suspicious?

 

[eh]

I am not too sure about that one playersonly69.

I had some money sent to me Western Union and by mistake they sent it to Canada. They would not let me pick it up down south here. I had to have my buddy cancel it and send it to the correct city. That was about a year ago though, not sure if the rules are the same but I can hardly see the rules becoming more laxed these days.

 

[Zackrave]

player69 is right, the hacker could be in china, and JORGE GONZALES could recieve the $$ in brazil.