Dr. Frank Kardasz (Ed.D)

1. Know the threat. The online world is a dangerous place. Just like any city or town, there are “good” neighborhoods and “bad” ones. Likewise, the Internet community has an overwhelming number of good, decent people mixed in with a few “bad guys.” The bad guys can be right next door or across the globe, but both can be equally harmful to you and your personal data.

2. Use the tools. Every home or small business user should install commonly available security tools such as anti-virus software, anti-spyware software and a personal firewall. It’s also important these programs and the computer’s operating system must be maintained with the most recent patches or updates. Probably the most common – and most easily remedied – security problem in home or small business computers is out-of-date software.

3. Be smart online. Like the physical world, cyberspace has its “con-artist side” typified by bogus e-mails advertising “get-rich-quick” schemes, “can’t-miss” stocks and come-ons from the opposite sex who “can’t wait” to chat. All too often, these are teasers drawing users to Web sites with viruses, bot programs or other cyber risks. In many cases, anything goes and relatively few rules apply. Remember, if it is too good to be true, it probably is.

4. Never respond to unsolicited requests for personal information. Be wary of e-mails from organizations or individuals asking for your personal information. Always ask or look for contact information on unsolicited requests and be skeptical. No reputable bank, for example, will e-mail you asking you to provide personal information for “account verification.” If you believe the content may be suspect, contact the company directly to verify.

5. Beware of “phishing” e-mails. Phishing is one of the fastest-growing forms of online fraud for identity thieves. Phishing e-mails appear legitimate, often addressing you by name, which makes them even more convincing. Thieves sending these e-mails usually ask you to click on a link in the email that takes you to a phony Web site – if you are interested, it is best to go to the site yourself by typing the Web site name directly into your browser rather than clicking on the link provided in the e-mail. A skeptical attitude toward unsolicited e-mails is always the best policy, especially if you have never done business with a company before receiving an e-mail solicitation from it.

6. Do not use personal information for passwords. Using information such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, names, e-mail addresses or telephone numbers as passwords can make you an easy target. Be sure your passwords contain at least eight characters and include numbers or symbols. To avoid misuse, do not write down passwords.

7. Review privacy and security policies for the companies you do business with online. All reputable companies post a privacy and security policy or statement on their Web site. This should tell you what information the company collects, how it is used and what is shared. If you are concerned about your information being shared with other companies, make sure there is an option to keep your information confidential.

8. Monitor online activity regularly. If you conduct business online, review your account statements regularly and consider using a separate credit card for online purchases or payments to ensure all transactions are in order. By reviewing online statements and transactions frequently, you could detect a theft and limit its damage. Identity thieves typically use stolen information for only a short period of time to avoid being caught. If you suspect a security breach, act quickly by contacting the companies you do business with immediately.

Retrieved October 31, 2007 from http://www.eds.com/news/releases/4069/?rss=141&filterid=0

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 07:09 PM | Permalink

10/30/07. By John Tunison. The Grand Rapids Press

Grand Haven - The Internet became an addiction for Kevin Wolters.

Specifically, the 36-year-old Holland man was hooked on "Internet sex," as his attorney described it Monday in an Ottawa County courtroom.

The problem continued until he caught the attention of two Internet crime task forces created to nab predators.

Wolters, a former boys soccer coach at Holland Calvary Schools, was sentenced Monday in Ottawa County Circuit Court to 270 days in jail for using a computer to accost a child for immoral purposes and using a computer to disseminate sexually explicit material to a minor.

He was placed on five years' probation and, during that time, may not have access to a computer nor be in contact with minors unless another adult is present. He must register as a sex offender.

Police said Wolters tried to solicit online what he thought were two 14-year-old girls. They turned out to be undercover officers with the State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Macomb Area Computer Enforcement Team.

During more than a month of online chatting in February and March, Wolters sent sexually explicit images of himself and talked about meeting to "engage in erotic fondling," according to a Macomb County prosecutor.

He was arrested in early April. Wolters' attorney, Robert Hamilton, said Wolters has been in sex-offender counseling since June 1. He was out on bond before being sentenced to the jail term Monday.

"This was, frankly, a situation where Mr. Wolters was addicted to anonymous Internet sex rather than seeking out a young woman," Hamilton said. "This was not a problem with someone who was a pedophile. "It's just something that got out of hand, a bad habit that became an addiction," he said.

In court Monday, Wolters made a broad apology.

Wolters was a 15-year coach with the Calvary Schools boys soccer team, serving as assistant coach for nine years and head coach for six years. Police said there was no evidence he had any inappropriate contact with soccer players.

Monday's sentence stemmed from charges through the state police task force. Wolters earlier was sentenced to a jail term in the Detroit area for contact with the Macomb task force.

Send e-mail to the author: jtunison@grpress.com

Retrieved October 31, 2007 from http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-38/1193770610172490.xml&coll=6&thispage=1

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 06:18 PM | Permalink

Submitted by Brandon Long on Tue, 10/30/2007 - 5:04pm. News Crime

As a result of two search warrants executed today in Monticello by agents of the GBI’s Milledgeville Office, local attorney Roy R. Kelly, 59, has been charged with Sexual Exploitation of Children and with violation of the Georgia Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Act.

The search warrants were executed at Kelly’s law office at 121 East Greene Street and at his residence at 573 College Street. Images of child porn were found on his office computer.

A tip was received from federal law enforcement partners that stemmed from an investigation into a commercial child pornography website. This tip was forwarded to the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at the GBI which led to the investigation of Kelly. After his arrest, Kelly was transported to the Jasper County Jail.

As the investigation continues, additional charges are possible. The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) is a multi-jurisdictional task force that investigates and prosecutes individuals who use the Internet to exploit children. The task force is funded by a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and administered through the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI’s administration of the ICAC Task Force is in keeping one of the mandates established by Governor Perdue’s Child Safety Initiative.

Source: GBI News Release

Retrieved October 31, 2007 from http://www.wmgt.com/node/4992

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 04:23 PM | Permalink

By Robert Anglen. The Arizona Republic. 10/28/07

Maricopa Community Colleges chose the daughter of a member of Congress to run an outreach program over at least two applicants who were more educated and had more experience in fields described as crucial for the job.

College officials say they hired Laura Pastor because she was the most qualified of 51 applicants for the position and performed better in interviews than other candidates. She since has done a great job, officials say.

The college district denies Pastor got the position because her father, Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Phoenix, has funneled millions of taxpayer dollars into the outreach program, including $1 million in federal grants at the time his daughter was being interviewed in 2005.

Pastor is now touting her leadership of the Achieving a College Education program in her bid for a hotly contested seat on the Phoenix City Council, which will be decided Nov. 6.

But newly released resumes and applications of the top three candidates for the job show that Pastor had the least experience in working with colleges or with outreach and scholarship programs. She has taken an unpaid leave of absence while she runs for office.

For months, the college district fought to keep private the names, resumes and applications of the other two finalists, saying the information is confidential. They later offered the resumes without names. A Maricopa Superior Court judge sided with The Arizona Republic and ordered the college to make all of the records public, which it did Oct. 16. The Republic since has tried to contact all three finalists; it reached Pastor and one other.

College spokeswoman Chris Chesrown said officials were trying to keep the records private to protect the hiring process for anyone applying for a college job. The district was not aiming to protect Pastor from scrutiny, she said.

"What are we supposed to do? Put a warning on applications saying these may become subject to a public-records request?" Chesrown said.

The scholarship program at South Mountain College gives at-risk high-school students a chance to earn a college degree by taking college classes prior to graduating.

Records show that Pastor was hired at a salary of nearly $66,000, which was $16,000 above the advertised maximum range for the director's job.

Chesrown referred questions about Pastor's hiring to South Mountain College President Ken Atwater. Atwater, who could not be reached for comment, has said that he gave Pastor the increased salary based on her qualifications and recommendations from a search committee. After interviewing three finalists, he said Pastor was "by far" the best candidate for the job.

"I wouldn't have applied for the job if I wasn't qualified," Pastor said Friday. "My qualifications speak for themselves."

The minimum qualifications listed for the job included experience with:
• Various high school, community college or university programs.
• Development, administration, promotion, coordination or evaluation of programs, including for at-risk students.
• Securing and monitoring grants.
• Scholarship-based programs.
• Supervising staff and directing work of subordinates.

Pastor has a master's degree in public administration and worked as a middle-school teacher in low-income districts.

In the two years before taking the college job, she worked in two midlevel state jobs with the Department of Economic Security and the Department of Insurance.

In her resume, Pastor highlighted a three-year stint managing a project with Chicago Public Schools to create partnerships with museums in the city.

"Having direct responsibility for developing, implementing and managing a $1.5 million program, securing grant funding, supervising personnel and four years of teaching middle-school students makes me an ideal candidate for this position," she wrote.

Unlike the other two finalists, Pastor's resume shows no experience with at-risk high-school students or any college-related work history.

Finalist Jennifer Steele spent three years directing a scholarship program at Maricopa Community Colleges when she applied for the job.

Steele, who has a master's degree in education leadership, focused on experience working with at-risk populations, including seven years as executive director of Safe Haven Children's Services.

"I have been involved in designing programs that meet the needs of at-risk populations for the last 15 years," she wrote.

The other finalist, Richard Daniel, has a doctorate in education leadership and policy studies and worked for three years as a researcher for a national student lender.

Before that, he was director of alumni relations at the University of Nevada at Reno and director of student affairs at Arizona State University.

Daniel noted that he once developed a program that linked ASU with four of Maricopa Community Colleges' 10 campuses and 10 area high schools. He had also supervised as many as 35 employees and managed a $3 million budget.

Now working for the University of Texas, Daniel said that he was never concerned about whether politics played a role in Pastor's selection.He said he didn't learn who had beaten him out of the job until a few weeks later, when he was hired by South Mountain to run a similar program.

"My outreach program helped support her outreach program and vice versa," he said.

Records show that two phone calls and a letter were lodged with the college over Pastor's selection, calling it favoritism. The college Equal Employment Opportunity officer dismissed the grievances as unfounded, saying there were no violations of laws or regulations.

Rep. Pastor, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, has denied that he pulled strings to get his daughter the job. He also said that he would have continued supporting the scholarship program whether or not she was hired.

Laura Pastor says that she has never used her father's connections to get ahead. She said she didn't know that the scholarship program owed its existence to her father when she applied for the job.

Pastor has run into similar allegations over campaign contributions, which show that she has pulled in thousands of dollars from employees and lobbyists for timber, airline and other industries connected to her father.

She said that she was unaware of the connections to her father and that all of the contributors are personal friends.

Reach the reporter at 602- 444-8694 or robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com.

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 02:07 PM | Permalink

By Chuck Biedka. Valley News Dispatch. 20/25/07.

A former New Kensington (Pennsylvania) Cub Scout leader now charged with having child pornography served almost 10 years in prison for killing his toddler stepson. Daryll Gene Hepford, 49, of Sherman Street, is accused of having child pornography and using the Internet to send six pornographic movie files to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. The "girl" turned out to be a state trooper.

Pittsburgh Scouting spokesman Bob DeWitt said he didn't know about a Hepford's 1978 murder conviction. He said the Greater Pittsburgh Council is investigating it along with Hepford's tenure with Cub Scout Pack 134 in New Kensington.

Scouting officials said he was part of Pack 134 in the late 1990s. At one point he was the Cubmaster. "We checked with the Pack and we feel really confident that there was no inappropriate act in the context of Scouting," said Mike Surbaugh, Scouting executive for the Greater Pittsburgh Council, which oversees about 50,000 Scouts. "This is incredibly unusual for us."

According to court records, Hepford was found guilty 29 years ago of third-degree murder in the death of his 21-month-old stepson in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County. At the time of the boy's death, Hepford was working for a security company and was a member of the National Guard. He was married and he and his wife also had another child. Records show Hepford's stepson died on Feb. 22, 1978. Hepford told police that he was watching TV that afternoon when he heard a "thud" and went to see the boy face down near a mattress. He said the boy was "rubbery legged and unable to stand," and he took him to the restaurant where his wife was working. The boy was then driven to a hospital. The child had injuries to his abdomen and died that night. Hepford was later charged with murder. During trial, Hepford's attorney said there was evidence that the boy was prone to falling. However, a doctor insisted the injuries couldn't have happened from an accidental fall. Hepford was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison. According to state Department of Corrections records, Hepford began the sentence in February 1979 and released on parole in June 1988.

Surbaugh said Hepford's 1978 conviction for the death of a child should have ruled out his service as a Cub Scout leader. Until 2003, when Scouting started to use a paid service to check backgrounds, the screening was done locally. "We relied on friends, neighbors and religious leaders" to tell Scout leaders if there was a problem, he said. Surbaugh didn't know what type of screening was done for Hepford or who vouched for him. He also didn't know if someone called the state police or state corrections officials to check databases. Scouting now uses a paid service to check nationally for criminal records or other reasons that would preclude a leader candidate from being around Scouts, he said.

In the child pornography case, Hepford is charged with having contact with a minor or a law enforcement officer assuming the identity of a minor and transmitted obscene or sexual materials to that person.

He also is charged with sexual abuse of children for possessing materials that depicted a child younger than 17 engaging in a prohibited sexual act or simulation of a sexual act.

Hepford was released on $25,000 non-cash bond pending his Dec. 6 preliminary hearing.

Chuck Biedka can be reached at cbiedka@tribweb.com or 724-226-4711.

Retrieved October 28, 2007 http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_534492.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 01:33 PM | Permalink

From the Herald Sun. By Stefanie Balogh.10/28/07

A jury recommended killer Lisa Montgomery be sentenced to death for cutting a baby out of a mother's womb in one of the US's most chilling murders.

Jurors reached their death penalty decision after more than five hours of deliberations in Kansas City, Missouri. The judge sentencing Montgomery, 39, is obligated to consider their recommendation.

Earlier, Montgomery was convicted of kidnapping and slaughtering eight-months pregnant Bobbie Jo Stinnett on December 16, 2004, to steal her unborn child, Victoria Jo. Montgomery was arrested the day after the strangulation murder, which she planned for weeks, if not months, and researched on the internet how to perform a caesarean section.

Montgomery, who had faked pregnancies to gain financial benefits, was found at her home in Melvern, Kansas, where she was showing off Victoria Jo as her child. Victoria Jo is now a healthy three-year-old who has been reunited with her father, Zeb Stinnett.

Assistant US Attorney Matt Whitworth told the court that every time Victoria Jo had a birthday, "it will be the anniversary of the slaughter of her mother". Federal prosecutor Roseann Ketchmark said Montgomery had committed the "worst crime" and violated the expectant mother "in the most wicked way possible".

Victoria Jo was nearly four weeks premature and prosecutors said Montgomery had not sought medical attention for her. Montgomery's defence team asked for mercy, saying she was mentally ill and did not fully comprehend what she was doing because she had suffered physical and sexual abuse as a child.

Montgomery met the Stinnetts at a dog show in April 2004 and struck up a casual acquaintance over the internet. At the same time, Montgomery told people she was pregnant. After she learned about Ms Stinnett's pregnancy online, she created an online identity and set up a meeting on the pretence of buying a puppy.

She strangled Ms Stinnett with a rope and cut Victoria Jo from her mother's womb in the Stinnett home in Skidmore, Missouri. A sentencing date has not been set.

Retrieved October 28, 2007 from http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22659039-663,00.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 01:31 PM | Permalink

By Trisha Volpe, KARE 11 News. Photo of Katherine Ann Olson

Katherine Ann Olson had accomplished a lot in just 24 years. She was co-valedictorian at her high school in Cottage Grove. She studied theatre at St. Olaf. She traveled the world, even joined the circus in Argentina and worked as a nanny in Turkey.

Her family says Katherine hoped that experience would help find her a job at home in the TwinCities. They also say Katherine often found the internet, and Craig's List, in particular to be a helpful tool to meet people and find opportunities.

This week, police say a man used the internet to lure Katherine to her death. Authorities say Katherine was looking for a job on Craig's List, an internet web site for classified advertising, when police say she saw a posting that peaked her interest - someone looking for a babysitter in Savage. Katherine had some nanny experience and applied for the job police say.

She left her home in Minneapolis Thursday morning to answer the ad and meet the person who posted it, but she never returned. The next day, after her roommate told police she hadn't seen Katherine since Thursday morning, and after someone found Katherine 's purse and a towel full of blood at a Savage ball field, police found Katherine 's body. She was in the trunk of her own car, about a mile away. The car was parked at Kramer Patk Reserve in Burnsville.

Police say Katherine Olson simply answered the Craig's List ad, and the person who posted it killed her. That man is 19-years-old and from Savage. He's now in the Scott County jail on suspicion of murder.

"It's not the typical, by any means, homicide where most of them there's some type of relationship between the victim and the suspect. And we have not, at this point, other than the Craig's List connection determined anything further than that," says Captain David Muelken with the Savage Police Department.

At this point police are still trying to determine where and how Katherine was killed and why. The man now accused in her murder is expected to be charged officially on Monday.

Police say the suspect was actually arrested at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport Friday, where he worked. Friends tell us it was a new job, fueling airplanes.

Retrieved October 28, 2007 from http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=268340

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 01:19 PM | Permalink

10/26/07. Associated Press

A 34-year-old woman has been charged with using the Internet to try to get revenge on an old boyfriend by breaking up his marriage. Pilar Stofega has been charged with second-degree harassment and breach of peace and released on $2,500 bond.

Waterford police say she created phony profiles of the former boyfriend's current wife on some adult Web sites that included the wife's home and work phone numbers and high school yearbook picture.

Stofega said she did to it "to be vindictive, knowing that the profiles would create marital problems between" the victim and her husband, according to court documents.

The plot came to life when strange men started calling a Waterford woman's house over the summer, saying they had seen her profile on an adult Web site.

The man Stofega had dated eight years ago used his own computer to investigate and discovered someone had created a profile for his wife on several Internet sites, according to court records.

Police say the husband did more online investigating and was able to find out that the person behind the phony profiles of his wife was the woman he dated in 1999. He passed the information on to Waterford police, leading to Stofega's arrest last week.

Waterford police got a court order to seize Stofega's Internet records. They reviewed the account records before searching her house in late September.

Stofega was at the house when police served the warrant. Officers said she provided them with a sworn written statement in which she admitted to intentionally creating the profiles in the victim's likeness on the adult Web sites.

Stofega is scheduled to appear in New London Superior Court on Monday. Court records did not list an attorney and her phone number was not listed.

Information from: The Day, http://www.theday.com

Retrieved October 27, 2007 from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_internet_revenge;_ylt=AjLuj1pZKKxoEn5QxdJ3cTIE1vAI

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 03:06 AM | Permalink

The following link goes to a presentation regarding media relations specific to ICAC investigations. The information may be useful to investigators, prosecutors and administrators who supervise cases involving Internet crimes against children:

http://docs.google.com/Present?docid=ddhxr8zh_111f64rgg&fs=true 

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 03:21 PM | Permalink

ICAC Investigators and Prosecutors -

Click the link below for a short slide presentation. The presentation is an orientation to unlawful images and provides information about employee wellness:

http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=ddhxr8zh_136fv9ccqg4

 

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 02:06 AM | Permalink

October 5, 2007

MILAN, Mich. - John D.R. Atchison, the federal prosecutor who was arrested in an Internet sex sting after he allegedly traveled to Michigan from Florida to have sex with a 5-year-old girl, hanged himself in a Michigan federal prison Friday morning.

Atchison, 53, of Pensacola, Fla., was put on suicide watch after he used a bed sheet in an attempted suicide in September.

Detroit police confirmed Atchison's suicide death at 10:14 a.m. Friday. They have not released any details.

Atchison was a married father of three and a respected figure who coached girls' softball and basketball in a park a few blocks from his home in this well-to-do beach community.

Atchison had been communicating with an undercover sheriff's detective from Macomb County, Mich., who was posing online as the fictitious girl's mother and arranged for him to have sex with the child, police said.

He was arrested carrying presents for her, including a doll and earrings, and sexual materials, officials said.

"There were no red flags. He was normal. He went to work at the courthouse Monday through Friday. It's not like he carried dolls to the ballpark," said police Lt. Rick Hawthorne, who knew Atchison for more than 10 years and coached softball.

In the community that once applauded Atchison for his dedication to youth sports, people now worry that the assistant U.S. attorney might have held other secrets. But authorities have so far found no cases of child molestation in Florida involving Atchison.

The Pensacola mayor has tried to reassure parents and other residents alarmed by Atchison's arrest. "There was nothing involving local children and there should be no implication that there is," he said.

As a federal prosecutor, Atchison mostly worked on tax and financial crime cases. According to court records, it appears he never prosecuted child sex abuse cases.

Atchison's attorney, James C. Thomas, released a statement Friday: “We are deeply saddened to learn the death of John Roy Atchison. Our heartfelt regrets go out to his wife and children, his parents and his brothers and sisters. This is a man who has done a lot of good in his life. Unfortunately, he is going to be judged by his most recent charges and what we have read in the media, and not by the goodness, hard work or by the love of his family. I expect to be filing a Suggestion of Death and will request the federal judge to dismiss the case once I receive the necessary documents.”

Atchison was charged with three felonies, the most serious of which is crossing state lines with intent to have sex with someone under 12. Conviction carries a minimum 30-year prison sentence and a maximum of life.

Retrieved October 6, 2007 from clickOnDetroit.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 01:48 AM | Permalink