IP Address

cafcdave123

Does anyone know how easy it is to track an IP address?

I have basically had a fraudulent payment go through on my card and the company are tracing the IP address.

If people are using their tablets etc and picking up wifi from pubs etc, can this be traced back?

csr_cafc

Yes usually up to a certain point i.e. if using it in a starbucks they should be able to tell which one

LuckyReds

Too many factors involved unfortunately mate, sorry to hear that though.

Essentially, with something like fraud you would expect the perpetrator to have taken some steps to mask his IP address somewhat. Be that by using a VPN* hosted in another country, some form of anonymising router* or a traditional simple proxy*. This doesn't mean that they're untraceable - just that the costs and hassle involved generally outweigh the benefit for plod/insurance companies. (I think the police have a £5,000 minimum payment for investigation, whilst insurance companies and banks will probably vary - I'm sure someone can clarify that)

If this was your credit card then you should be able to issue a chargeback and then get on to the card company to change all your details. It may be best to contact any banks you bank with, and head off to Noddle for a free credit report - just to keep an eye on things for a while. You never know how these guys got your info, or what other info they've got on you.


* VPN = Virtual Private Network; the machine in question forms a virtual network (which is encrypted) with another computer over the internet. For all intents and purposes it's traffic now originates from that location.

Anonymising Router = Not a proper term, I'll admit, but something akin to TOR (The Onion Router) - where internet traffic slowly filters through different computers; going through many different locations before finally reaching it's destination.

Proxy = A simple third computer acting as a go-between for all traffic.

cafcdave123

Cheers guys, I have sorted everything with my bank so it's just the inconvenience rather than the loss of any money.

The company is in fact a loan brokers so it looks like they have tried to take out a loan to then steal that money.

The reason I asked is because the company said they would track the IP but I immediately thought that you can pick up wifi anywhere and you wouldn’t do this sort of thing from your front room using your virgin broadband!

[Deleted User]

LuckyReds said:

Too many factors involved unfortunately mate, sorry to hear that though.

Essentially, with something like fraud you would expect the perpetrator to have taken some steps to mask his IP address somewhat. Be that by using a VPN* hosted in another country, some form of anonymising router* or a traditional simple proxy*. This doesn't mean that they're untraceable - just that the costs and hassle involved generally outweigh the benefit for plod/insurance companies. (I think the police have a £5,000 minimum payment for investigation, whilst insurance companies and banks will probably vary - I'm sure someone can clarify that)

If this was your credit card then you should be able to issue a chargeback and then get on to the card company to change all your details. It may be best to contact any banks you bank with, and head off to Noddle for a free credit report - just to keep an eye on things for a while. You never know how these guys got your info, or what other info they've got on you.


* VPN = Virtual Private Network; the machine in question forms a virtual network (which is encrypted) with another computer over the internet. For all intents and purposes it's traffic now originates from that location.

Anonymising Router = Not a proper term, I'll admit, but something akin to TOR (The Onion Router) - where internet traffic slowly filters through different computers; going through many different locations before finally reaching it's destination.

Proxy = A simple third computer acting as a go-between for all traffic.

You should write textbooks. That is class...love the definitions at the end

JohnBoyUK

99.9% of internet knock off nigels will use a VPN on a proxy server to download from torrents and newsgroups. Stops your ISP knowing exactly what you're downloading so you cant get kicked off for misuse against their T&Cs.

Ahem. Cough. Apparently. So I was told...

tangoflash

JohnBoyUK said:

99.9% of internet knock off nigels will use a VPN on a proxy server to download from torrents and newsgroups. Stops your ISP knowing exactly what you're downloading so you cant get kicked off for misuse against their T&Cs.

Ahem. Cough. Apparently. So I was told...

Yeah, like Virgin have now taken it upon themselves to self appoint Richard Branson chief comissioner of the internet police and now try to block everything. The thing is, downloading via torrent isn't in itself illegal. Okay, 99% of the stuff people are sharing on there is copyrighted, but who the fuck are they to decide?