5 ms·

OP seems a bit naive, but I can't believe it given everything he's written. Of course the Fly won't send threats over mail, he knows everything he writes is be

by steven2012 11y ago

OP seems a bit naive, but I can't believe it given everything he's written. Of course the Fly won't send threats over mail, he knows everything he writes is being watched. I would be worried, however, that he somehow gets word to someone to exact his revenge, since he really has nothing to lose at this point.

Nadya 11y ago
I agree with you entirely. Implied death threat (to him) sent to his wife from someone whom he has now gotten imprisoned who knows where he lives and confirmed it by sending a card... he seems awfully calm about all this and perhaps half-jokingly states he'll visit Fly in prison to meet him in person. I'd be getting placed under a witness protection program (is this even applicable?) and relocate. Move somewhere that doesn't have risk of being burned down if Fly manages to contact anyone. Anyone deep enough in the criminal scene has connections to people that can make bad things happen to other people for the right price. This isn't something I'd be posting about on a blog as if it's some sort of crime detective story... his life and his wife's life could potentially be in danger.
- rubbingalcohol 11y ago
  I doubt it, this isn't a drug cartel kingpin or mafia don we're talking about. He's just a troll.
  - Nadya 11y ago
    Even low hanging fruits have connections. I think all the hush-hush on black markets creates as much danger as it creates safety in making such discussion taboo. The idea that only kingpins or the mafia have connections to hitmen is something that exists only in Hollywood media. I guess thinking about it further, the 'good' news is that if the criminal was successful at what he did and had a couple grand to hire a hitman - he wouldn't have needed to crowdfund the heroin. So you're right in that it's more likely a small time, not-black-market-rich troll rather than someone more dangerous.
    - kbenson 11y ago
      Let's not forget that getting someone in trouble and/or threatening harm/death are not the same thing as actually causing physical harm, and that is not the same as actually causing death. Just because someone is part of the underworld doesn't mean they have no qualms about ordering someone's death, and the only thing holding them back is the money.
      - Nadya 11y ago
        Revenge is one of the most powerful motivators for murder and can turn otherwise good people into hot-blooded killers [0-5]. Few people would kill indiscriminately, but if you give them a powerful enough motivation? They'll have no qualms taking a life. This guy has had his life ruined, I doubt his marriage will survive this, and he'll be spending a good portion of his life in prison in a foreign country. Furthermore, he gets to be humiliated not once - not twice - but thrice by Krebs. That's a lot of motivation to get back at a guy and it would be foolish to not even entertain the thought that he may seek revenge. I could link to hundreds if not thousands of stories about revenge killings. Hell - it's such an old motivator it's featured in many parts of Greek and Roman mythology. E: Ignoring that the reason the Witness Protection Program even exists is to protect peoples' lives after they ruin a criminal's life. [0] Possibly NSFW ; no gore but someone dies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PUE8fYxjq8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PUE8fYxjq8 [1] http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/12/ex-ira-gunman-shot-dead-in-apparent-revenge-killing http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/12/ex-ira-gunman... [2] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3009762/Man-gets-life-without-parole-revenge-killing-girl-2.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3009762/Man-gets-lif... [3] http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/texas-dad-accused-murdering-drunk-driver-killed-sons-found-not-guilty-article-1.1919158 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/texas-dad-accused-murd... [4] http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-me-0711-van-sentencing-20150710,0,4320715.story http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-me-0711-van-sentencing... [5] http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/nearly-40-yrs-after-murder-revenge-killing-in-up/ http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/nearly-4...
        kbenson 11y ago
  - Jemmeh 11y ago
    These criminals are not stealing all these credit cards for fun. It's to make money. They have money. Obviously they can throw $200 at someone just to troll him. They could pull together more if they really decided it was necessary. Money talks.
    - snowwrestler 11y ago
      Online organized crime has been going on for over a decade, and Krebs has been covering it for that long too. He's quite well known in the online criminal underworld. If a well-resourced and ruthless criminal wanted Krebs dead, it would have already happened. Instead the high-end criminals seem to be mostly amused and flattered by the coverage from Krebs. They even give him email interviews sometimes. They know he can't really do anything to stop them. He's just a writer. It's generally only the new or small-time folks, who get their egos bruised, that try to harass him. These folks are generally cowards and not rich or well-connected anyway.
      - Jemmeh 11y ago
        Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. Reporters have died in the past from reporting on dangerous things. Here's a few: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_... As someone else has pointed out, you don't have to be some high up gangster to hire a hitman. Or even just show up and shoot someone.
  - runjake 11y ago
    It is most definitely organized crime. It's just a new model that people are not quite up to speed on, yet.
- Jemmeh 11y ago
  Krebs is a security investigative reporter. He has had many threats and written about them before. I am sure he is taking some precautions. That said, I don't envy him or the danger of his job--but that's something a lot of reporters just live with.
  - tptacek 11y ago
    It might help readers to know Krebs is the security investigative reporter; he is probably the single most important reporter in the world on this particular beat.

Nadya 11y ago

I agree with you entirely. Implied death threat (to him) sent to his wife from someone whom he has now gotten imprisoned who knows where he lives and confirmed it by sending a card... he seems awfully calm about all this and perhaps half-jokingly states he'll visit Fly in prison to meet him in person. I'd be getting placed under a witness protection program (is this even applicable?) and relocate. Move somewhere that doesn't have risk of being burned down if Fly manages to contact anyone. Anyone deep enough in the criminal scene has connections to people that can make bad things happen to other people for the right price. This isn't something I'd be posting about on a blog as if it's some sort of crime detective story... his life and his wife's life could potentially be in danger.

rubbingalcohol 11y ago
I doubt it, this isn't a drug cartel kingpin or mafia don we're talking about. He's just a troll.
- Nadya 11y ago
  Even low hanging fruits have connections. I think all the hush-hush on black markets creates as much danger as it creates safety in making such discussion taboo. The idea that only kingpins or the mafia have connections to hitmen is something that exists only in Hollywood media. I guess thinking about it further, the 'good' news is that if the criminal was successful at what he did and had a couple grand to hire a hitman - he wouldn't have needed to crowdfund the heroin. So you're right in that it's more likely a small time, not-black-market-rich troll rather than someone more dangerous.
  - kbenson 11y ago
    Let's not forget that getting someone in trouble and/or threatening harm/death are not the same thing as actually causing physical harm, and that is not the same as actually causing death. Just because someone is part of the underworld doesn't mean they have no qualms about ordering someone's death, and the only thing holding them back is the money.
    - Nadya 11y ago
      Revenge is one of the most powerful motivators for murder and can turn otherwise good people into hot-blooded killers [0-5]. Few people would kill indiscriminately, but if you give them a powerful enough motivation? They'll have no qualms taking a life. This guy has had his life ruined, I doubt his marriage will survive this, and he'll be spending a good portion of his life in prison in a foreign country. Furthermore, he gets to be humiliated not once - not twice - but thrice by Krebs. That's a lot of motivation to get back at a guy and it would be foolish to not even entertain the thought that he may seek revenge. I could link to hundreds if not thousands of stories about revenge killings. Hell - it's such an old motivator it's featured in many parts of Greek and Roman mythology. E: Ignoring that the reason the Witness Protection Program even exists is to protect peoples' lives after they ruin a criminal's life. [0] Possibly NSFW ; no gore but someone dies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PUE8fYxjq8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PUE8fYxjq8 [1] http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/12/ex-ira-gunman-shot-dead-in-apparent-revenge-killing http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/12/ex-ira-gunman... [2] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3009762/Man-gets-life-without-parole-revenge-killing-girl-2.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3009762/Man-gets-lif... [3] http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/texas-dad-accused-murdering-drunk-driver-killed-sons-found-not-guilty-article-1.1919158 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/texas-dad-accused-murd... [4] http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-me-0711-van-sentencing-20150710,0,4320715.story http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-me-0711-van-sentencing... [5] http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/nearly-40-yrs-after-murder-revenge-killing-in-up/ http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/nearly-4...
      - kbenson 11y ago
- Jemmeh 11y ago
  These criminals are not stealing all these credit cards for fun. It's to make money. They have money. Obviously they can throw $200 at someone just to troll him. They could pull together more if they really decided it was necessary. Money talks.
  - snowwrestler 11y ago
    Online organized crime has been going on for over a decade, and Krebs has been covering it for that long too. He's quite well known in the online criminal underworld. If a well-resourced and ruthless criminal wanted Krebs dead, it would have already happened. Instead the high-end criminals seem to be mostly amused and flattered by the coverage from Krebs. They even give him email interviews sometimes. They know he can't really do anything to stop them. He's just a writer. It's generally only the new or small-time folks, who get their egos bruised, that try to harass him. These folks are generally cowards and not rich or well-connected anyway.
    - Jemmeh 11y ago
      Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. Reporters have died in the past from reporting on dangerous things. Here's a few: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_... As someone else has pointed out, you don't have to be some high up gangster to hire a hitman. Or even just show up and shoot someone.
- runjake 11y ago
  It is most definitely organized crime. It's just a new model that people are not quite up to speed on, yet.
Jemmeh 11y ago
Krebs is a security investigative reporter. He has had many threats and written about them before. I am sure he is taking some precautions. That said, I don't envy him or the danger of his job--but that's something a lot of reporters just live with.
- tptacek 11y ago
  It might help readers to know Krebs is the security investigative reporter; he is probably the single most important reporter in the world on this particular beat.