Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 16:19:06 EDT From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: Beware of CameraWare - An FBI Sting! Please see to it that this message is posted to as many newsgroups and other places on the Internet as possible. The web site known as CameraWare.com (also known as ttinet.com and also known as surveylens.com) out of San Diego, CA are government (FBI) informants Their phone number is 800-525-2527. Their principal product appears to be Camera Ware. CameraWare.com is a 99 percent porn operation. They give away free camera (sending to the net) software, in order to induce people to use their 'service'. They charge some sum of money for a 'viewer' to see the images others have transmitted. In order to operate the CameraWare sending software, you have to fax to them various documents such as a copy of your credit card (front and back), a copy of your driver's license, etc. AND sign a printed statement that you will not send any illegal images over the net, meaning mostly child porn stuff. In their 'central exchange' (the site where all the images being sent are captured and then dissemintated to everyone who has a viewer which you have to pay for), they think nothing is wrong with capturing all the images sent in and relaying them to the FBI (which is, I personally think), the basis of the whole operation. If Cameraware somehow gets customers mixed up, associates the wrong images with the wrong customer, that that's no big deal to them. I want to warn all netizens that CameraWare is a front for the FBI, or at the very least they are extremely cordial the the FBI and show the government your personal ID card/picture, your credit card and whatever other information they have on you. In addition to two pictures of me which the FBI alleged came from CameraWare (the print outs had Camera Ware images on the page), from a broadcaster logged onto their site under the name TEST they also proceeded to show me some photographs of very young guys (naked photos) from a broadcaster logged in as the name 'gay guys in Independence', insisting "these had to be from you also". The pictures frankly were rather sickening, but even more sickening to me is that **the only way** that picture of me along with a copy of my State of Kansas ID card and my Visa card could have come into their possession was from the folks at CameraWare, which they admitted was the case. So be Very Aware of CameraWare, ( http://cameraware.com ) and its two affiliated sites ( http://ttinet.com ) and ( http://surveylens.com ) since if you have done anything in front of a camera for them chances are likely it has already or is being sent to the FBI. When the two FBI guys came to my door earlier today, they asked if they could look at my computer, and I volunteered to let them see the whole thing. They found nothing, and went away with their usual bluster about 'how we do not believe you' and 'we are going to keep our eyes on you' etc. Its embarassing to me that I actually referred a couple customers to them I know of (from Yahoo and AOL Messengers) to CameraWare, thinking the guys might enjoy the service. And I am also embarassed that I right here on TELECOM Digest (my home site) put up glowing messages about CameraWare for guys on T.D. who might enjoy that sort of thing. The only reason I sent them my picture ID card and a signed statement that I would not break any laws when using CameraWare was because I trusted them ... I never expected them to violate my privacy this way. Just be Very Aware that CameraWare is an FBI sting operation. Patrick Townson ptownson@telecom-digest.org