AOL Scam

Teen Scammers Caught

Police nab two young suspects
in a sophisticated credit card scam.

July 27, 1999

County officials in Sacramento, California, have arrested
two teenage suspects in an online credit card scheme
that affected hundreds of America Online customers.

The first suspect, a 17-year-old high school student,
reportedly sent emails to thousands of America Online
subscribers in an effort to dupe them out of their credit card
numbers.

The teen sent the emails to the subscribers claiming there
was a problem with their accounts, according to the
Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

To correct the problem, the teen reportedly directed the
subscribers to a fake AOL website, where they were asked
to re-enter their credit card numbers.

According to Sgt. Rick Gibson of the Sacramento County
Sheriff's Department, one of the people who bought those
credit card numbers was 18-year-old Dino Dagdagan of
Carson, California. Once Dagdagan had the numbers, he
allegedly used them to buy computer equipment, which he
then put up for auction on eBay.
Although AOL representatives said they are glad the
scammers were caught, an AOL spokesman said on Tuesday
that this isn't the first case involving this type of fraud.

Because the 17-year-old is a juvenile, he was released to
his parents' custody last week. Dagdagan is also free on
a $10,000 bond.

If you want to know more about how to protect your credit
card online, you can visit the Federal Trade Commission's
website at www.ftc.gov.