Myself in World of Computing

Criminals running an ATM card-skimming scam made a big mistake this week: They tried to hit the Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas.
As the conference was kicking off a few days ago, attendees noticed that at ATM placed in the Riviera Hotel, which plays host to the annual event, didn't quite look right, according to a senior conference organizer who identified himself only as Priest. "They looked at the screen where there would normally be a camera," he said. "It was a little bit too dark, so someone shined a flashlight in there and there was a PC."

The ATM looked like a working system, but when people would put their cards in the machine, it would scan their card information and record the PIN numbers they entered. He didn't know how long the ATM had been at the Riviera.
Conference organizers notified local law enforcement who hauled away the machine on "Thursday or Friday," said Priest, who said he works as a "civil servant" in his day job.
Credit card skimmers -- small devices installed on top of card readers to steal information -- and fake ATM machines are a common problem. Once the criminal records the card information and PIN number, he can use that to create a fake ATM card and then empty the victim's account.
Previously unsophisticated criminal gangs are increasingly using these devices, Priest said. "They're realizing that this is a great way to make money without getting caught."
The criminals probably didn't realize that they were installing their ATM in a hotel that was soon going to be flooded with more than 8,000 security professionals, he added.
They were smart enough to place the machine in one of the few spots in the hotel where there was no security camera to catch them, Priest said. "It was literally right next to the hotel security entrance."




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World Environment Day (WED) is one of many "international days" founded and promoted by the United Nations to raise awareness of particular issues. Other UN enviro related "days" include World Water Day, International Day for Biological Diversity, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, World Habitat Day, World Food Day, International Mountain Day.

All of them very important reminders of the impact that we as humans have on the planet. World Environment Day is the most well known and celebrated of the UN environmental days and the UN lines up events for 5 June every year that are hosted in a particular city around the world. Each year the host city changes.

World Environment Day 2008 is hosted by the city of Wellington, New Zealand and the theme is "CO2 - Kick the Habit: Towards a Low Carbon Economy."







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