Paranoia Over Legal Status Of WikiLeaks Breeds New Generation Of Scams In The US

[Turborama]

Charles Arthur, technology editor
www.guardian.co.uk

The call, when it comes, is both unexpected and worrying to its American recipients. "Your computer and IP address have been noted as visiting the WikiLeaks site," says the recorded message. The penalty for doing this: a $250,000 or $25,000 fine, and the possibility of imprisonment. But it does leave a number to call where the fine can be paid – with a reduction for prompt settlement and without the unpleasantness of a court case.

For Americans, whose airwaves have been filled with people proclaiming that the WikiLeaks site is somehow breaking the law and a threat to the US, with federal workers being warned not to visit the site while using work computers, and the US government issuing subpoenas for the records of some of the 700,000 people who follow the WikiLeaks Twitter account, the message may sound plausible enough to act on.

But that would be a mistake. For the call is just the latest manifestation of fraudsters' well-known ability to pick up on concerns and milk them. The Spokane arm of the US's Better Business Bureau, an independent organisation which accredits businesses, has warned people to beware of the scam.

"It was only a matter of time before clever scammers would reveal a 'latest' approach at attempting to part people with their money in 2011," notes the organisation. "If you are military personnel, this type of call could seem very real or hold more significance because the US Pentagon openly banned military personnel from visiting WikiLeaks for security reasons."

Continues: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/20/wikileaks-phone-scam-america-illegal-access

[sabrina 1]

1. Rep. John Conyers clearly stated that Wikileaks had done

nothing illegal.

If people are being scammed as a result of the lies being spread then the DOJ has an obligation to make a statement that Wikileaks is a legal, news organization and the these scams will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Well, that is what SHOULD happen. But as we learn every day, if there is a criminal, a liar or dictator around doing things that help the cause of the corporate state, it will be the innocent who will be punished.

No return to the rule of law means these scammers are probably being applauded, rather than prosecuted by the DOJ.

[Turborama]

2. Very true

It's as if they are sanctioning the scammers' criminal activity. Does this make them accessories?

If so, who has the wherewithal to bring a case against the DOJ?

[sabrina 1]

3. Good question. The way this DOJ has been operating

you'd hardly notice that Gonzales is gone. All investigations into wrong-doing have been dropped.

I don't know if the American people can sue the DOJ but something needs to be done to restore the rule of law in this country. Electing Democrats apparently wasn't the answer.