Ask Slashdot: How To Track a Skype Account Hijacker?

An anonymous reader writes "My Skype account was hijacked, which I discovered after Skype suspended it for suspicious activity, including a number of paid calls and an attempt to debit my card. Now that I've secured the account again, I can see the call history — there are several numbers called in Senegal, Mali, Benin and Philippines. Obviously I could call them myself and create a bit of havoc in their lives, but ideally I'd like to trace the hijacker himself — perhaps with some kind of 'social engineering' approach. Or is it just a waste of time?" How would you do this, and would you bother?

I wouldn't start that journey from here

[realitycheckplease]

Is it possible that the hijacker was selling calls to other people, possibly immigrants, maybe even illegals. If so, the numbers called may have no direct connection to the hijacker, rather each olne of them may know a different someone who knows the hijacker. So you could be looking for the common factor between the people who made the calls to the numbers that you have. I'm not sure that it will be easy to find that common factor. After all, you have Jim and Bill and Fred's numbers; Sue called Jim, Anne called Bill, Jenny called Fred; Sue, Anne and Jenny all know Henry .... so if you have Jim and Bill and Fred's numbers, and don't even know whether Henry exists or not, how do you find Henry?

You're a fucking idiot

[bucky0]

Do you think someone broke into your Skype account to call 5 random countries? They're all toll numbers in Africa. The damage is done and you lost

Re:I wouldn't start that journey from here

[tftp]

Sue called Jim, Anne called Bill, Jenny called Fred; Sue, Anne and Jenny all know Henry .... so if you have Jim and Bill and Fred's numbers, and don't even know whether Henry exists or not, how do you find Henry?

It's pretty much impossible; not mathematically but practically. First, Jim, Bill and Fred live in different foreign countries. They have no obligation to tell you anything, even if you are a police officer in your own country. But if for some reason they choose to endanger their relatives, they may not know where Sue, Anne and Jenny live. But if you manage to find them, those three are not required to tell you anything (if they are in the USA, at least.) But if you manage to make them talk and they point at Henry, Henry can always say that he used his own Skype account, but the OP "hacked" it to "frame him" because he is "raysis." (Well, that story is being tried by the Boston bomber's mother.) The OP may find himself on the receiving end of a counter-suit, if not of a criminal complaint (doesn't matter if it has merit or not - justice is not based on such trivial things.)

The OP should pick better passwords, write the loss off, and take this experience as a valuable lesson.

Let it go.

[six025]

Just let it go. It's not worth the time or the hassle.

Use better logic

[O('_')O_Bush]

You need to use the same kind logic as when buying a used car.

1. Do not assume you can outsmart them or that they have made glaring mistakes
2. Realize they do this professionally, that is, spend years eating and breathing this type of activity
3. Realize if there was some way to retaliate or gain an advantage, they wouldn't be doing this for a living.
4. Re-evaluate your position.

Their ISP won't care

[bradley13]

Look at the places they called. Likely the hijacker is somewhere in a developing country. Unlikely to be the same country where the poster lives. The ISP will not care, as long as their bills are paid.

Re:Post numbers

[Anonymous Coward]

Neither is my cat. It still catches the mice though.

Re:Dont get involved.

[Psyborgue]

This. And contact the authorities. Those countries do have a lot of terrorist activity.

Don't call the numbers

[mysidia]

They're most likely either (1) disconnected numbers, (2) toll numbers that will rack up massive charges, OR (3) Numbers that the thief sold innocent 3rd parties "cheap long distance minutes" to, through fraudulent schemes.

Don't engage yourself in placing international harassing phone calls to "create havoc" in random people's lives; that would be you committing a crime. ,

scamming a scammer

[Tom]

Or is it just a waste of time?

That, at best.

Old saying: There's always a sucker in a game of poker. Look around the table. If you don't see him, it's you.

Never play criminals on their home turf. They are doing this for a living, you don't. Guess who's better at the game?

Re:Post numbers

[symbolset]

Cats don't belong to people. People belong to cats.

Re:get a life

[mendax]

Seriously

Surely you have better things to do in your life than troll around here and issue such nonsense. On that note, I'm going to get back to my life and go to sleep. You may continue to troll along as you choose.

Re:What about the IP

[markus_baertschi]

Your Bank/Credit card company has no 24h service number for such this ?

Time to change credit card company.