Stop H*Commerce (The Business of Hacking You)

What the filmmakers have to say about it, "The plot line is essentially a behind-the-scenes story of how computer hackers actually run online scams, phishing sites, etc. The process has been pretty interesting so far, especially since there are some fascinating people that were interviewed for the film (like Steve Woz, the Apple co-founder)."

The Film Makers Promotional Page

Here is the first 4 episodes of the video, the rest can be viewed via the link above, you seem to need to register to watch the last 2 parts.

Our review of Stop H*Commerce (The Business of Hacking You)

I enjoyed the film a great deal, a interview with the Woz is always interesting to me. The film begins with a brief history of hacking in general, before moving onto it's main focus, hacking for money. All the standard scams are covered here, from the infamous 419 scam, to phishing scams. The filmmaker's also focus on a couple from Oregon who has fallen victim to a 419 scam. This part was sad to watch, the effect the scam had on the couples marriage and wife's seeming unwillingness initially to accept that she had been scammed. It's interesting to note that these victims did not come of as being particularly naive. Except perhaps in the field on the Computers and the Internet. The film is wise to point out that many new users are discovering the Internet and they will initially be particularly naive, and thus provide a prime target for the scammers.

It worth noting that I only reviewed the first 4 parts posted above, keep this in mine when I voice any criticisms I may have of Stop H*Commerce.

I would definately recommend this film, especially users new to the Internet who may not be aware that these type of scammers are out there. This also touches on my main criticism of the film. I would have liked to have seen some more time devoted to how Internet users can recognize these types of scams, with perhaps a short list of steps users can take to avoid getting scammed online.

All in all a good film. The production values are high and it held my attention throughout. A must watch for people new to the internet, but hardcore coders will also appreciate the stuff pertaining to hacking lore. It made me wan't to dust of the old C64 and take it for a spin. Good Times LOL.

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