UPDATE: A day after we reported this story, the DNC added a much-needed “Captcha” feature to its Party Builder page to prevent it from being exploited by automated email spammers. When someone said “Party Builder,” DNC leaders apparently took it quite literally. Unconfirmed reports say that billowing, smokey clouds soon emanated from a nondescript, closed-door meeting room at DNC headquarters.

In a major Internet security breach, scammers are manipulating the Democratic National Committee’s web site to send mass emails intended to dupe victims out of large sums of money in hopes of realizing a larger return.

The Register, a British technology news and opinion web site first broke the story. As of Aug. 28, no U.S. news media outlet has yet picked up on the breach that affects Democrats.org.

According to Internet researchers, a “significant” amount of fraudulent messages has been sent through the Democrats.org web site. Experts show that the DNC web site is still being exploited, as scammers continue their spree of Internet abuse that began on or around August 1. The scammers have been using a computer program that automates the sending of false emails through the Party Builder page — a web page meant for inviting friends and family to the DNC.

Instead of ads for male potency pills or weight loss schemes, the fraudulent emails in question are advance-fee scams, also known as “419 bank fraud,” which refers to the criminal code of Nigeria, where the scam originated in the 1980s, following the decline of the Central African country’s oil-based economy. Fast-forward 20 years and with the availability of email, the scam proliferates with Nigerians sending their bogus letters over the Internet instead of by mail. Some experts estimate that the average 419 scammer can rake in as much as $60,000 a month. Compare to the country’s paltry $2,300 per capita GDP, as cited in the CIA World Factbook (2008).

A spokesman for the Democratic Party had no comment, and the DNC has not yet acted on its security breach. It continues to contribute to the enabling of scammers as they flood millions of user mailboxes with spam email day after day, week after week.

The issue is particularly serious for the DNC, because it affects the credibility of future email sent from its web site as email servers worldwide flag Democrats.org email as junk. The fact the process can be automated further exacerbates the breach, which could be corrected with a simple Captcha program — Internet lingo for a means of ensuring that email sent through the page is not generated by a computer, reducing the potential of such a web site being used as a portal for mass email.

Links

• Diagram Shows How DNC Web Site is Circumvented
• US Dems Fill Inboxes with 419 Scams
• 419 Advance-Fee Scams
• CIA World Factbook Profile of Nigeria

The next Republican revolution will involve technology because of its efficiency and effectiveness as a means of mass communication. What better time than now to get up-to-speed and dust off those computer keyboards!

The Pendleton Public Library, 595 E. Water St., will offer free computer classes in September in the library’s community room. Class sizes are limited and registration is required.

Computer Security & Maintenance

This is a two-part class.

• Mon., Sept. 14 from 4 to 6 p.m.
• Thurs., Sept. 17 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Internet for Seniors

• Fri., Sept. 18 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Microsoft Word

This is a two-part class on the popular word processing software.

• Weds., Sept. 23 from 4 to 6 p.m.
• Thurs., Sept. 24 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Basic Email

• Mon., Sept. 28 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Contact

Please call Arlene Shannon at (765) 778-7527 ext. 106 to register. Arlene is the adult programming and outreach specialist at the library, and she is eager to assist you. Also, you may email her at ashannon@pendleton.lib.in.us.