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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/05/AR2007070501153_pf.html

“Terrorism’s Hook Into Your Inbox”
U.K. Case Shows Link Between Online Fraud and Jihadist Networks
By Brian Krebs
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Thursday, July 5, 2007; 2:34 PM

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Aaron Weisburd, who directs Internet Haganah, a Web forum dedicated to tracking pro-terrorist Web sites online, said cyber crime and credit card fraud have been a steady subplot underlying most of the terrorist-related sites he’s tracked online since 2002.

In a recent analysis, Weisburd examined a number of Internet sites residing on a Web server also used to host a jihadist site. Weisburd said he found numerous counterfeit online banking sites, the sort typically set up by scam artists to steal personal and financial data from consumers.

“In short, the terrorist Web site was the most legitimate site on the server,” Weisburd said. “In an age when people sign themselves up for the cause and make a good faith effort to try and kill people, credit card fraud and identity theft is a crime [terrorist sympathizers] can get into from the privacy of their own home. Pretty much wherever there are jihadists active online, you will also find guys engaged in online fraud.”

Weisburd said credit card fraud and the cyber crime methods that facilitate it are ideally suited for upstart terror cells seeking funding. The Carbondale, Ill.-based activist said he also sees a great deal of overlap in membership between the Arabic-language online hacking forums and those of the online jihadist community.

“If they don’t know how to get started in online fraud, these guys can find all kinds of support from people who will gladly teach them how to do it.”

If Tsouli helped to pioneer a number of methods for the jihadist forums, jihadist groups have since moved their Internet operations further underground. Experts said most of the major forums have since consolidated their operations into small number of password-protected forums known as the Al Fajr Center.”