Hacker challenges local news station to help CA victim in taunting letter
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- A self-described hacker wrote to 7 On Your Side, saying he used a Bay Area man's identity to take out a loan from an online bank and now wanted to help his victim. abc7ne.ws/3Yh15HY
Was any of it true? 7 On Your Side followed a winding trail and made a shocking discovery about what really happened.
#hacker #crime #identitytheft #abc7news
What an awful bank. They didn’t even run the credit report? That’s where freezing credit reports would have stopped this fraudulent application.
The brothere were in it together.. dont be naieve
@@bigboomer751 Say they were - what’s that got to do with my comment? The bank still needs to run a credit check. BTW, “brothers”, “don’t “, “naive”. Don’t be stupid.
@@lillypatience TJ maxx does credit
@@lillypatience You are definitely the naive one...with a side of low self esteem it seems. There is no requirement to run a credit check and their collusion is what beat the banks security.
Money is a device designed specifically to limit access to energy. Debt is only ancillary to this reification. ;-) But it's cute to watch the do-gooding ignorant feign intelligence.
Blood may be thicker than water, but this is a special kind of betrayal that I don't think can be so easily mended.
Why mend it at all? You cut ties with this man and with anyone who associates with that man.
What are you talking about
How convenient that the identity thief just happens to be his brother who is also out of the country and essentially untouchable. The US does not have an extradition treaty with Indonesia.
Blood may be thicker than water is misquote. Blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. Meaning your chosen family bonds are stronger than that of your bio family
Wow this is fucked up on so many levels.
Amen to that😢
Sofibank needs to be permanently closed and sold to someone else because whoever is running the bank and whoever is in charge has no power and had no security and privacy what so ever
Sugi left the door to the safe open, but wants the bank to pay for his stupidity? Sugi can sue his brother for the money he stole from him, because he didn’t steal it from the bank he stole it from Sugi.
Banks shouldn’t be owned by individuals.
bet that the hacker works for or with them and suppressed the appeal action
The bank needs to take the loss, as they didn't fully confirm his identity and we should change laws so loans should never be allowed to be finalized online and need at least a notary or bank to ID when signing.
there are regulations surrounding this activity, if the bank didn't follow their due diligence, they will end up eating it, but, harto will have to pay for legal expenses... keeping this in the public eye is his best weapon.
But that would mean a bank would have to admit they didn’t do their due diligence!
Can’t have that. Sorry.
Banks must remain ALWAYS confident (and often wrong).
The banks run the country that's why there won't be any new laws
@@paladro the bank DID do its due diligence though. Passwords, license, location showing him in the house. It’s Sugi who violated the terms of the agreement by sharing all of his protected information and documents with his brother.
What a criminal brother!! Man… this is unreal!! 🤬🤬
SoFi helped robbing this man.
No, Sugi helped his brother by failing to secure his passwords and documents. Let him sue his brother.
@@Statman-g1xnot true. Just yapping and making assumptions🤡🤡🤦🏽♂️
Wow - avoid SoFi like the plague.
💯🎯
"No SoFi for you!" --soup nazi
Thank God for bad credit. They treat criminals better than this
That's what I always say. No one is going steal my identity and if they do they can only help. Lol
@@AriesRebirth 😁
Yep 👍 😊
I used to say that for laughs. I realize now it's the absolute truth.
@@AriesRebirth😂😂😂
Nice for his thief brother to put an eye patch and tell his charity work to gain symphaty.
Just wait until these scammers get a hold of more powerful AI. They'll be able to make a video of the victim from just a photo and apply for these types of loans en masse.
it’s already happening
Yeah they have voice cloning capabilities already. I’ve seen scambaiters on RUclips clone the scammers voice. It’s messed up
it's already starting to happen, they just need about 20 seconds of your voice too. in a year or so it'll be indistinguishable from the real thing. after i saw a video of daggoth ur a character from morrowind, reviewing a fallout new vegas mod in completely fluent speech i started to get concerned it was memes at first but now it's getting dangerous.
It's already happening. That's why I don't do voice verification, for ANYTHING. Are you kidding me! Hackers will be able to get my voice recordings by having apple and other companies then use AI to use my voice to apply for things. No way, Jose
How sad that a brother would do this.
So let me get this straight, SUGI went to OREGON with family and left his brother at his home. WITH his drivers license, ATM Card and cell phone. WHO LEAVES THE STATE WITHOUT THEIR DRIVERS LICENSE AND OR CELL PHONE? the brothers were trying to scam sofi and his brother is just not coming back to the US to avoid jail time. At the bare min. it sounds like he left his cell phone, drivers license to commit fraud in case his brother got pulled over or what not - it sounds too fishy.
💯
If they went skiing only, and someone else was driving or they used public transport, and you were going with people you trust to not leave you in the lurch on the ski slope? I can easily understand leaving those things home for safekeeping. If the alternative is leaving them in the car or a locker in the place where you're going skiing? Yeah, no. I would choose to leave these important things at home.
That being said, your suspicion has merit, and it's something that could well be the truth.
But, also, as a general rule, we also need to remember that ATM cards or SIM cards can be cloned (hence the warning from police and banks to look closely at ATM card slots before inserting your card), and often enough scans or photocopies of driver's licence is enough, which is why we should think again and again before uploading it online or sending to someone.
I agree
@@edene.4870 do you realize how many pockets ski pants and jackets have? I could easily fit 10 phones and 10 different wallets on my person when I'm skiing... Usually have a pile of hand warmer packets too
@@austinh1028 Sure, I realise that. But I still never would take my phone with me on the slope. A smartwatch for just in case, yes, but not anything more important I could lose or damage.
But I already did say that I agree that in this particular case the guy being in on the scam is a very valid option that should be investigated.
SoFi is being lazy.
Sue the brother. Sue the lender.
Haha....Rudy doesn't have any money..go ahead and sue him. When is he coming back to US to surrender ?? Never
.
deport the bro and ban him from travel to US. /Canada, ***both countries need to stand together on deportation etc!!
Goodluck sueing someone out of the country lol waste of money doing that..
17:45 The brother is trying to say that the hackers actually came the house to help get into the computer
This is crap, the hackers would live nowhere nearby, and would definitely not show up at the house. This claim is ridiculous
I would hope all the money can be traced from the loan, to the Chase Bank, to the cash withdrawals and to the crypto wallet which should still be available for review. In fact, you could still trace the crypto to where it went
This story still smells.
It's bullsh*t
what a mean brother to do this to family
SoFi seems complicit in the crime
What an awful bank!!
What an awful step-brother.
What an awful brother
I mean it’s understandable if the bank denied it given this circumstance
Who needs enemies when you got family like this?
SoFi really let this guy down with the debt, offered no help in trying to get authorities to trace the bitcoin, or anything. Sure it sucks that your twin abused your identity, but to fail multiple times, no hard credit pull, no proper investigation (that usually takes a few days, not on the same day, thats crazy), no offering of information on what SoFi believed the OWNER of the account used to verify their supposedly OWN account... All that adds up, really needs more information given to the owner of their own account, not needlessly stressing them out to try to find out that their own family members did it, not any information from the bank.
Let's protect the criminal at all costs.
It's almost impossible to trace BTC.
Man my older brother thought i was stealing his identity and dude came knocking to my door when i was asleep and socked me as soon as i opened it. He regretted it after he realized he was wrong.
Wow! What a story with a twist!!
Little brother needs to go to jail. This is highly suspect. Why would the brother go skiing and leave his cell phone debit card drivers license and credit cards at home?
Seems like the withdrawals and subsequent security texts happened on a different day.
Because he didn't need them, obviously. He thought his things were safe.
Exactly they in on it together
He left his phone etc for his brother to use while he was away. I’ve met a woman from Indonesia and I saw how her family members were taking advantage of her. She worked so hard and sent all her money back home to able bodied family that could work but expected her to pay for everything even tho she didn’t even live there anymore. She didn’t even notice what they doing to her. And believe me I tried to help her to see it clearly but she felt it was her responsibility. So leaving your phone and credit card for your brother to use while he’s visiting is not unusual at all for that culture. I’ve also watched so many Kitboga and Scammer Payback RUclips videos to recognize the crypto scam the brother fell “victim.”
Armchair detective, your opinion is just that - OPINION
At least I am not the only person with a sleezy sibling or two, . . .
Sleezy is one thing. Only having the same last name is another thing altogether.
If Sugi Harto is willing to cooperate with the conviction of his brother AND the brother returns to the US for justice , the bank and whoever is now servicing the loan would be forced to admit that this was fraud. How can the bank be sure the brothers aren't colluding?
This is very fishy, he only figured it was his brother after being told about the evidences
And why would a hacker communicate after the crime is done?
There is one detail that I would think could prove who stole the money. Where was it deposited, was it an account in Sugi’s name or his brother’s? I would assume that if it was deposited into an account with Sugi’s name, he would have noticed it. But if it was his brother’s account or another persons. It makes the fraud possibility a little more likely.
@@only1muppet Agreed but even if fraud is proven money will only be returned if the brother is convicted of the fraud and begins a prison sentence and/or has to pay $52K plus any punitive amounts.
Was very sketchy but 17:35 is outright absurd. This is not fraud, he took the loan.
Obviously the bank's online ID verification process is at fault if it didn't determine that the brother was a fraudulent applicant. Imagine how easy it would be for an identical twin to run this fraud on their sibling!!
Not just failing the ID verification. I'm more worried that they didn't do any kind of credit inquiry. I keep my credit frozen with all Credit Bureaus thinking that it would stop this very thing that's happened to this guy in this story.
No wonder hand written signature has been the standard proof of will and identity for the greatest part of mankind. Now it's downhill.
I bet Chase has or had video proof of who withdrew the money. If the cops would have requested the footage it would’ve made the investigation so much easier.
Half brother..no brother what a POS if my brother did that to me id be in prison.
Parents do this to their children! I was shocked when I found out one of my friends had horrible credit.
His father had gone and taken out utilities, rentals, credit cards lines of credit and never paid any of them back!! So my friend turned 18 he got to discover that his credit score was 500 something.
Absolutely criminal to do such a thing needless to say! But to your own family member no less!!! Unfortunately that often is the case, if you're suffering identity theft.
It's someone close to you who knows you and had access.
It's scary that Sofi didn't go a step further. Before I would release $50,000 you'd have to come in and I'd have to lay some eyes on you and make sure everything was kosher including fingerprints. But Sofi doesn't care. They just want to get the loan done and get their money.😢
My dad did the same thing to me I was born in 89 so they didn’t check stuff like that back then because he gave me the same name as him just different middle name so cars bills etc my credit is garbage and they won’t fix it even though I was a child at the time of all the stuff being open
My mom! She wrecked my credit by the time I was 14. I didn't find out until I was 18 that I had utilities, credit cards, and tons of small loans.
Meanwhile someone is getting paid more than 52k to investigate this, ridiculous.
At least the hacker is taunting a news station. This is how many criminals get caught. This is the tipping point at which criminals start making bigger mistakes.
The hacker is teaching the banks how to keep the customers safer. The bank simply refuses to learn, because it will cost them more to implement overall improvements to their security than the cash being lost.
It’s probably a wake up call for people to expose the obvious problems with tech and online everything. Will people wake up is the question. The unfortunate truth is probably not.
In my opinion, Sofi is not buying the story, and here's why?
(1) He leaves wallet and cell phone at home.
(2) He goes on vacation with no wallet and cell phone.
(3) He creates an alibi that he wasn't home.
(4) He knows that in fraud, identity cases, you don't have to pay for fraud.
(5) The brothers split up the money.
(6) When the brothers realize that Sofi is not buying the story, the brothers decide to go public.
(7) The brothers come up with a plan. His brother confesses to fraud.
(8) The brothers thought that this was going to be an open and shut case.
(9) There are too many pieces of the puzzle missing.
(10) The story doesn't make sense.
Explain all the things Sofi failed to do?
Did they pay an employee?
@fernandogallardo... I thought the same thing.. leaving wallet, access to his computer.. plus his social security is too much.. this was planned
Brilliant analysis 👍 there's something really fishy in this story
@17:35 "Rudi said a member of the crypto group came to Sugi's house and hacked into a database containing a security video of Sugi. Rudi claims a recording of that video got through ID verification".
This is so ridiculous its laughable. They aren't even claiming the brother tricked the ID verification by looking so similar, they're saying a hacker group somehow repurposed a security video to trick the bank. What kind of security video would include Sugi holding up his license to the camera? Its also an amazing coincidence that the brother happens to be wearing an eyepatch in the news video, and is wearing sunglasses in the only other photo the brothers provided, so the bank won't have enough data to use facial recognition software.
There is no brother.
Sugi sent in a packet about himself 😂
No, just no. I don't believe any of their story. Maybe there is a Rudi and maybe he's helping, but I think this is an elaborate scam to dupe SoFi out of money. The family went to Oregon on a ski trip but he left his driver's license, credit cards and laptop home with his brother? The brother conveniently gave it to scammers using Bitcoin then left for Indonesia? None of the "proof" proves anything. Confessions, Bitcoin receipts etc. I'm just not buying it and I think the bank is in the right.
This. There’s no way you leave on a ski trip and leave your ID at home.
Heart breaking all the way. There is just no easy way for this man, love of family or a good name.
Sugi is scamming the bank, framing his brother.... no one has the same exact face, uneven eyebrows and voice as their brother.
That poor man. Being scammed just destroys you and it becomes your new job. You dont know if all your money will be gone or just the amount that you noticed.
I can’t believe how many people buy this story! 17:45 a member of the crypto group just happened to be in Berkeley it was able to make it to the house to “hack into a video database” all in the same day. Also, why would he have to come to the house to hack into a database and send a video?
This dude is just trying to get out of a loan with a ridiculously high payment!
It should be illegal for these loan companies to sell off any financial instrument that is undergoing a fraud dispute.
It wasn't ongoing though it was a closed dispute. Why do you think they closed it the day it was opened.
I dont believe the brother got tricked, he seems smarter than that.
Are you guys blind?!? That same guy!!!!
They both could have been in on the scam. Not buying this elaborate story filled with crypto fraud and all kinds of twists and turns.
Family trip is expensive. 😅
It’s possible that both are involved, but most people have dirtbag family members that would have no problem doing the same thing.
You must have a perfect family. Most of us aren’t so fortunate
@@lmcc0072 I'd lean that way if it wasn't for the claim that a member of the crypto scam came to his house to "hack into a database to grab security camera footage to get photos to fool the online verification" part.
I'm not believing you're a humay
So sugi, doesn't want to pay his loan back.. weird the grammar the hacker wrote in is English as a second language..just like our victim... Weird!
Brother or not I'd send him to jail. I hope SOFI goes after him and relieves Sugi of the debt.
Some hackers stole my father in law’s Life’s savings and retirement from bank accounts…over 700K and neither the FBI or the bank is doing anything… I don’t understand why because there supposed to investigate and insure 250K -1M depending on bank and account… He’s white , old trucker and rough around the edges but still doesn’t deserve loosing everything without help.. how can he reach you guys for help? He lives in the Valley around Fresno area…
Send a certified letter to the station and email them.
Then try to contact your local and national news stations and local and national newspapers.
I called the FBI with proof of an interstate wire fraud, 6 figures. They told me that they had a file on the guy, they knew who he was and what he was doing, but they had limited resources. Essentially, if the crime is less than a million dollars, the FBI does not have the resources to pursue it. So if criminals keep each crime less than a million dollars they fly under the FBI’s enforcement threshold.
This is highly suspect. This is wire fraud, a federal crime. It's amazing how many of you believe that only the younger brother is the only guilty one. 😄
This is so messed up. SoFi needs to close and be charged. I hope they also catch the Killian Rose scammer.
Sofi was the target, this guy is collateral damage, and wouldn’t be surprised if the hacker was in the employment of someone who was shorting the stock.
C’mon…
These brothers are in on it together. Blame the brother in a country that would not waste their time with this fraud.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Well played Brothers… well played!
But not well enough. I see through it too as does the bank.
Yea he went on vacation to another state without his drivers license and cell phone, sure.
man am i glad everyone in my family has been raised with exceptional morals. also never planned on banking with sofi, this gives me another reason not to lol.
Reminds of my deadbeat brother, except what my brother tried to do was significantly worse. Honestly, I hope the worst for him. It's that bad.
Lesson Number 1: Don't have an account at SOFI. They are a huge liability to do business with.
Spotty Zoom connection? Remote area? Eye patch? Same crook eyebrow? Get a search warrant and arrest Sugi/Rudi….
If this story is on the level, it just goes to show you that you need to secure all of your financial information and IDs from EVERYONE, including people that you feel are close friends and family members. Maybe Sugi left his drivers license when he went to Oregon so his lookalike brother could drive a car while they were gone? If so, that’s not a wise thing to do. SoFi Bank is also to blame for making frauds/scams like this possible. A simple fingerprint would tell who actually signed for the loan.
This dude is lying. He filed for the loan himself and is claiming his brother that looks like him did it so that they can both get away Scott free with stealing $50,000 from the bank
Honestly, I don’t even think he has a brother that looks like him. I think he’s trying to just fool people into believing it wasn’t him that did it all.
Someone didn’t watch the video lmao.
There’s something a bit off about this whole story. What kind of news station does a story like this without properly verifying the existence and identity of the brother? Why not connect with a journalist in Indonesia?
Could he have took the loan out hiself and pocketed the money and sent these letters out..Alot of shady people in California especially Berkeley professors
The subtext of what really happened begins at 17:34.
Unfortunately my dad's sister stole his identity when I was a kid. Crypto didn't even exist back then she was just being greedy. She lived with us. It messed up the family dynamics permanently.
It's honestly heartbreaking to do something so violating to a family member. It's worse to know that Rudy was pig butchered and it caused all of this. Absolutely awful.
No way. Too many holes in this story. Need to see ALL of Sugis finances. How does a person from Indonesia know so much about US local news and bank loan paperwork? It seems like they tried to pin the loan on a scammer, didn’t work, then are trying to pay off the loan slowly.
It isn't one person from Indonesia. They are criminal organizations that create farms where they have people do these crimes. Oftentimes the people on the farms that do the crimes are held there against their will. Google the term 'scam farms.'
Banks in Indonesia work the same way. Do you think Indonesia is a developing country with no computers?
Yeah, I thought it was against Muslim religion to use computers.
I agree. How does Rudi know so much about the US news, banks, etc?
@@perezsan1 wow you need to read a book.
"We've retained ... a live recording of his face"
So the bank doesn't know what "live" means.
I just am not believing this story. This sounds really fishy!
Rudy could hardly speak English yet was able to apply for a loan and create and mail a packet to different entities. ... uhuh ...
All of it is almost believable except the lie that someone from the crypto chat came to the house to help him with loan issues online 🙄
Sounds like 4d chess. This man just doesn't want to pay, lol.
What more evidence does the credit companies and banks need for them to figure out their services and security are so easy to break through and use a persons personal info
Am I the only one that thinks this whole thing is fishy
as a former gray hat, its so incredibly easy to get access ,as easy as answering your phone ,after that its a hunting game :/
Wow….this actually was a very interesting story….knowing Rudi was involved in a scam too just makes this even more interesting….😮
Thank you, ABC7, for helping people out like this!!!!! ❤❤❤
But.. he is the one scamming the bank.
I think this guy sugi is a genius and pulled off the greatest scam in history and got away with the money
It all seems a bit off and sugi's body language
All the data collecting, sales and breaches. Freeze your credit
He's not the first and will not be the last.
SoFi wanted their money back and rhey don't care where they get it from.
3:53 either confirm him as a victim or charge him with a crime. Why are we having to watch this if there’s nothing to it?
He took out the loan and is trying to get out of it like this….
It's the brother who took out the loan.
My family would tell you, if I caught them stealing from me or using my identity to do something like that, they would be in jail! Tell your brother he needs to work a real job to pay you back instead of hiding within a volunteer group. PAY YOUR BROTHER BACK!!!!
Plot twist: he did it himself to get out of the loan
It's a possibility
A brother who would steal your wallet and then help you look for it all while asking _where was the last place YOU had it_ and _what could YOU have done with it_ ?
The moral of the story is don't do business with sofi bank
How do we know he didn't do it himself to get out of having to pay back the loan?
I see no other motivation by a "hacker" to send a letter like this. Suspicious.
You shouldn't even be allowed to open lines of credit without being seen in person... Absolutely crazy
People truly dont understand how awfully unfortunately easy it is to do this. Every single persons identity is stored online somewhere. Social security numbers are a waste of time anymore.
For any loan regarding a bank they should require you to meet in person, or an online video conference.
To insure you’re the actual person applying
Can't really trust your own family in most cases. Sad.😐
This bank is definitely involved.
yes.. the approved the loan.... SHAME on the bank.. only real americans should have money.. not these illegals
The criminal here is THE BANK!!! 1) Allowing a fraudulent account get created 2) going after the victim knowing he was a fraud victim.
I’ve been with my bank, solely online, since 1999. Best bank I’ve ever been with. The problems are regulations, laws, and who is responsible for them!
Great investgtv work! Saddened to learn of the family struggling thru the betrayal.
He took out the loan. He wrote the letter and sent it. And he is claiming he didnt do it to scam sofi of money and claim fraud. Its the same guy.
What Rudi did is not easily forgivable between siblings. I know that by experience, Rudi must be held accountable by the law.
Oh my! So wrong on so many levels! Even if SoFi or new loan holder 'forgave' the loan, the damage of betrayal by Rudi is left in the depths of Sugi to overcome. On the outside he is trying to work through it and is kept busy writing SoFi, work and life in general...but in every quiet moment Sugi will turn inward and have this unresolved wrong that the brain tries to resolve and can't. fathom how Rudi would do this to him. Bringing Killiam Rose into his home too!
Rudi may also have the same towards scammer but it is not as personal but still an unresolved wrong. Rudi will never be able to undo what he has done to restore the relationship with his brother, or internally with his own character
"No! Two plus two equals five, that’s a mistake! What you did was mean, downright mean!", said Fonzie to his younger cousin Spike after he Burglarized Arnold's on Happy Days
Of course, the crypto scam on the brother could be a bald faced lie on the part of the brother. He could be enjoying the money he stole, still hoping Sofi will write ot off as a scam.
If the bank had done due diligence and required an in person meeting this may have never happened
If he didn't apply for the loan in person, then the bank cannot claim that he 'personally applied for the loan'; case dismissed.
This is why I don’t have good credit lol
What a nice hacker, bad bank and bad fiance company..