Teen-agers used cyber scam to get credit card numbers

Wednesday, January 12th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) -- Four teen-age boys have been charged in what police say was an Internet scam to steal credit card numbers and defraud hundreds of people around the country.

The boys, ages 14 to 16, obtained the credit card numbers by tricking America Online and Earthlink subscribers into transmitting their account information to the teens over the Internet, according to Detective Jay Davies.

The information allowed the teen-agers to obtain the passwords, addresses, phone numbers and credit card numbers of people in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Nebraska, Texas and elsewhere.

The alleged cyber scammers then used the credit card numbers to make about $8,000 in purchases, arranging to have the merchandise
delivered to unoccupied homes, according to Davies.

America Online spokesman Rich D'Amato said Wednesday that the company warns subscribers against giving out their passwords or other sensitive information and that AOL staffers will never ask a subscriber for a password or billing information.

The teen-agers, whose names weren't released, are all students at the same high school. They were arrested between Dec. 23 and Jan. 6 and charged with numerous counts of fraud, conspiracy, credit card theft and receiving stolen property.