Catch as CATCH Can

Scam artists can run, they can hide—but nobody can outrun the long arm of the law when the Internet extends its reach to common netizens.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Associate Editor [August 2, 2002]

Last week, the Computer and Technology Crime High Tech Response Team (CATCH) of San Diego, Calif., with the assistance of the Chicago Police Department, the Secret Service, Google, a quick-witted legal intern, and ISP-Planet, captured alleged con man Ronald J. Travis, a.k.a. Corey Dyer.

In March, we reported that the concerned netizens of Broadband Reports, formerly known as DSL Reports, had unearthed a digital subscriber line (DSL) service scam. Operating under an alias, Travis was allegedly passing bad checks in payment of leased office space, computer rentals, employee payroll, and radio advertisements for DSL Monster. The phony DSL service provider promised to deliver DSL access for life for an up-front service fee of $129. But in the end, DSL Monster delivered nothing to beguiled subscribers and Travis disappeared before law enforcement agencies could react.

Last month, we updated you with the latest news of Travis's exploits and posted photographs, asking readers to be alert for the alleged scam artist. We asked that readers who had any knowledge of Travis's whereabouts contact detective Detective Skip Stephenson in the San Diego CATCH.

On Monday, Detective Stephenson contacted ISP-Planet to inform us that Travis has been captured in the Chicago area.

"Ronald Joseph Travis went by several names but most recently he perpetrated his scams while using the name Corey J. Dyer. Travis was taken into custody on Wednesday July 24th in Aurora, Illinois, near Chicago," Detective Stephenson said. "The arrest was made possible due in part to articles published on the Internet, including some by you. One article published by you was invaluable to the investigation because it included photos of Travis."

It seems improbable, but Ronald J. Travis, having absconded with the ill-gotten profits from DSL Monster, had foolishly started another scam using the same identity, Corey J. Dyer, in Chicago. Only this time, Travis is accused of running a fraudulent legal scheme, something he'd done before in Los Angeles.

Apparently, Travis briefly operated a law office serving immigrants in California. He quickly closed the business when clients alerted officials that Travis had never passed the state's bar exam.

This time, Travis set up shop in Aurora, Ill., where he claimed on a website to be an attorney. He provided only an AOL Instant Messenger alias for contact information. An unidentified man who was looking for an inexpensive attorney met Travis on the Web. The two continued their conversation in a chat room, then arranged to meet in person so the would-be client could pay a $100 retainer fee.

Travis did not show up for the appointment, so the client contacted the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern University's Law School. The clinic serves people who cannot afford legal representation. An alert young intern, Benjamin Mack, fielded the call, and provided various resources that anyone can use to track down a genuine, licensed attorney. But Travis, working once again as Dyer, was quickly proved a fraud.

Mack did a quick search through Google for the name "Corey Dyer" and found our article, as well as several others, that included photographs of Travis as provided by CATCH. After making sure that person alleged to be behind the the DSL Monster was the same person claiming to be an attorney in Aurora, Ill., Mack contacted the CATCH team on last Wednesday.

Detective Stephenson embarked on a brief, successful trip to Chicago. Working with Chicago Police Detective Cory Chan and former CATCH team member Al Lewis, now part of the Chicago branch of the Electronic Crimes Task Force, a division of the Secret Service, the three law enforcment officials worked quickly to to snare Travis. Together, they persuaded Travis's would-be client to set up another meeting with the suspect.

Travis was quickly taken into custody by the Chicago Police Department at the arranged meeting. His residence was searched, and Travis waved his rights concerning extradition across state lines. He was shuttled away to California and is currently awaiting trial in San Diego.

In the U.S., there is currently a debate about how much information should be shared among various government agencies and with the public. In this case, sharing information enabled a legal intern in Illinois to pass critical information on to California officials.

Asked whether Internet criminals are often caught by information posted to the Web, Detective Stephenson said, "we've had one or two other cases where someone saw something on the Internet, but this was probably the most significant."

So there you have it. Scam artists can run, they can hide—but nobody can outrun the long arm of the law when the Internet enlists the alert eyes of common netizens.

— End