£7,000 to hack a phone or bug a computer: Private investigators have detailed price list of illegal services

Bank details for £2,000 and phone bills for £450 also on 'menu' of services

PIs could also use viruses to steal data, including what tax people pay

Their illicit services were used by law firms, insurers and wealthy individuals

Criminal private investigators charged firms up to £7,000 to hack a phone, according to a secret document leaked yesterday.They offered to hack, blag and steal sensitive personal information in a detailed price list of illegal services, a police intelligence report found.Among those fuelling the underworld trade were information hungry law firms, insurers, financiers and wealthy individuals.The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) found intercepting telephone conversations came with a bill of up to £7,000.

Yours for £7,000: Private eyes could eavesdrop conversations for a cash sum, according to Soca. File picture

And private eyes charged the same amount to use computer viruses to steal data from the hard-drives of targets.

Personal bank details could be obtained for £2,000 and one month of itemised phone billing cost £450.

More...

• Firms hired by Whitehall used rogue private eyes: Revelation means 'secret hacking scandal' has reached doors of Government
• Corrupt private investigators targeted HM Revenue and Customs, BT and British Gas to access sensitive private data

Other services, including getting customer details from utility companies and finding out how much tax people pay, could be purchased for as little as £100.

The price list was compiled in a 2008 report by Soca officials who were deeply concerned at the increasing threat of dodgy private eyes.Yesterday, an uncensored version released on the internet for the first time outlined how private investigators targeted almost every source of official information.

An itemised phone bill for a month would set clients back £450. File picture

Among the public institutions to come under attack were HM Revenue and Customs, the Department of Work and Pensions, the NHS and local authorities.

Other private companies included high street banks, British Gas, British Telecom and mobile phone companies.Rogue private investigators outsourced work to specialist ‘blaggers’ who posed as customers and colleagues to access private information.Using untraceable mobile phones, they often referred to scripts and hints recorded in a document that became known as ‘The Blagger’s Manual’.The incriminating ‘how to’ book of crime was found by police when they raided the offices of one private investigator operating in the London suburbs.

The Soca report, which was previously released in a censored form, was based on the results of five criminal investigations.Among them was Operation Carytid, Scotland Yard original investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World.They found five groups of people were using private investigators to obtain information that they could not get their hands on legitimately.They were those involved in messy divorces, debt collectors trying to find people, insurers investigating claims, criminals who want to frustrate the police and the media.

One of the most prolific private eyes has since come forward to claim that 80% of his clients were not linked to the media.The leak came as pressure continues to pile on Soca and police to name those who may have used criminal private eyes.

MPs, including Keith Vaz, want to find ways of publishing the list

More than 300 companies and individuals may have been identified by police investigating so-called ‘blue chip’ hacking.A list of 102 names has been passed to the Home Affairs Select Committee by Soca on the agreement that they will not be published.So far no-one has been named publicly or prosecuted despite clear evidence that the activities of their snoopers broke the law.Keith Vaz MP, who chairs the Home Affairs Committee, has written to a string of regulators to ask for what guidelines are enforced on the use of private eyes.MPs are concerned that some companies may have turned a blind eye to how they obtained the information because they were desperate for results.Home Secretary Theresa May is expected to announce proposals that will require private detectives to have a licence to operate.

Anyone found guilty of hacking, blagging or other similar offences will be barred from working in the field.

A spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs said it takes expert technical advice to help protect the mass of information it stores.

He said: ‘We take the protection of customer data extremely seriously so we constantly review our processes and procedures in light of developments.’A BT spokesman said staff take their responsibility to protect customers ‘very seriously’ and ‘will not tolerate’ misuse of its databases.A Home Office spokeswoman said: ‘We expect law enforcement agencies to take tough action against criminal behaviour wherever it is identified.’

What's Your Favorite Life Hack for Technology?

Because smart people who are good at solving problems with DIY methods or life hacks also happen to be very good at the Internet and because people who are good at the Internet also happen to be very good at finding DIY methods or life hacks to solve problems, it seems like we've come to a point where we already know how to solve all of technology's minor annoyances with simple DIY hacks.

Like come on, who hasn't figured out ways (or at least saved ways to a folder on their desktop called Hacks) to fix messy cables and power cords with binder clips, bread tabs and/or ribbons or something. And seriously, we all know by now that binder clips are the most versatile tool in a life hacker's arsenal, right? Cardboard toilet paper rolls are a solid second place though.

Did you hear about the one where you tie extension cords together to prevent them from unplugging? Or the accidental genius that created rubber bands on a power adapter? And what about pen springs to extend the life of your cables! There's just so many little fixes out there that blew our minds once upon a time but are just recycled over and over now. And that's fine! We didn't all know the world was round at one point. Or something like that. Whatever.

What's your favorite life hack for technology? Is it one of the nine BuzzFeed cited in the video above or is it something even better? Or maybe it's one of the 40 tricks we featured last year? Or maybe you just like seeing life hacks more than actually using life hacks.

Dotcom says Anonymous protest hack of NZ govt websites will backfire

Hackers disabled several websites of New Zealand's ruling party to protest a new law that would enable the country’s spy agency to snoop on its citizens. Kim Dotcom said hacking the sites only gave PM John Key “a new excuse to pass the GCSB bill”.
Dotcom, the MegaUpload founder who the victim of Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) snooping last year, is among those outraged by the New Zealand bill. However, the internet mogul said on Twitter that hacking National Party websites would only make things worse. 

The bill was actually prompted by disclosures that the Bureau had illegally spied on Dotcom, who is fighting attempts by the US government to extradite him on charges of Internet piracy, copyright infringement, and money laundering.

On July 28 hacktivist group Anonymous uploaded a video on YouTube claiming responsibility for the hacking of fourteen websites, including those for Prime Minister John Key and Finance Minister Bill English. The attack was prompted by Key’s refusal to listen to protests against the ''despicable piece of legislation''.

“This new law allows to spy on New Zealanders without a warrant. We strongly condemn this bill,” the video message explained. “John Key, do you think you can pass a new law without a majority of New Zealanders behind it?”

A screenshot from gerrybrownlee.com

The websites of the Prime Minister and Finance Minister were restored after being attacked around midnight. The website of the Deputy Leader of the National Party Gerry Brownlee is still disabled.  

The surveillance bill, which is expected to be passed in parliament, would give the GCSB carte blanche to listen in on citizens’ phone conversations. As things stand now, it spies on foreign targets via electronic listening posts but is not allowed to spy on New Zealand citizens or residents.

The law has been slammed by Internet and civil rights groups, prompting street protests over the weekend. Thousands of people turned out in eleven cities and towns across New Zealand in what was dubbed as an “uphill battle” to stop the bill from coming into effect.

''It has come to our attention that the thousands that have marched against this bill has still not been enough to send John Key and Peter Dunne a message," Anonymous said in the video message.

"John Key make no mistake the majority of New Zealanders oppose this bill. Due to your own arrogance and your unwillingness to listen to the people we have decided to take direct action.''

Anonymous promised that the websites would remain offline until the National Party patched its web servers or withdrew the bill and apologized to those it had affected, including Kim Dotcom.

Last January New Zealand police stormed Dotcom’s mansion, seizing assets and digital material. A judge later condemned the raid as illegal and ordered law enforcement to return items that were seized that were not directly linked the case against Dotcom. The judge’s decision also led to an official apology from Key to Dotcom, who alleged that the GCSB collaborated with the US government in a bid to comply with the extradition order issued by Washington.