4 ms·

Unlikely tbh. Unless the starts align the wrong way, generally the way its gonna go is first they will pull your background, and see that there is no criminal

Unlikely tbh. Unless the starts align the wrong way, generally the way its gonna go is first they will pull your background, and see that there is no criminal record, good credit and a tech job. So the first thing that is going to happen is that you will get a couple of FBI agents probably show up to your door and ask you questions. At which point you could sit down in front of your computer with them, pull up your accounts, and see the evidence of the transfer, all without answering questions with a chance to self incriminate.

zionic 4y ago
No lawyer would ever advise anyone to just “casually talk to FBI agents that show up at your door”.
- ActorNightly 4y ago
  Talking =/= answering questions. The advice of "not answering questions" applies mostly for situations where cops are looking for the guilty party, and you don't want to accidentally self incriminate (or if you are guilty, you have a higher chance of getting off) FBI having records of you specifically in relation to a shady website is already past the point of looking for a guilty party - the people they send are specialized in cyber crime, are there to investigate the entirety of the situation with enough information about you already collected from all the sources like ISP logs, background check, and so on, all indicating that you are probably not guilty, as people who actually run sites like that statistically lead very different lives You can refuse to answer questions and let them in, however that has a higher rate of a search warrant, seizure and possibly arrest. Or you could just show them your domain registrars, tell them that you have no idea where it came from, and then look up history that shows the transfer, and that could be the end of your trouble, without any self incriminating statements.
justrudd 4y ago
I generally like to think I'm a rather calm individual. It takes quite a bit to get me flustered. But let me tell you, I have had a couple of FBI agents show up at my door. And when I saw those badges, even though I know I've not done anything, I was nervous. Had a legit adrenaline dump. All because my address was the last known address of someone they wanted to speak with. This someone was male, brown hair, about the same height and build as me, etc. As soon as they noticed the similarities, it was not a "sit down in front of your computer and straighten this out" kind of situation. They are there for a reason - to find a criminal. They aren't there to shoot the shit with you and explain "it's all just a big misunderstanding". If the FBI shows up at your door without a warrant, don't let them in and don't speak to them. If they insist, insist on having a lawyer present. Luckily my situation ended up OK. I got a lawyer who specifically had experience with federal law enforcement and had them do all the "straightening up of the situation". But it cost me money and took weeks of what should have been "here is my driver's license, passport, and deed. I am me, not the other guy".
cgriswald 4y ago
You're completely wrong and should lawyer up if they ever come to your door. That is not at all how the FBI operates. If they suspect you of operating a child porn ring they aren't going to just show up and ask questions, because if you are operating a child porn ring you will have nuked the evidence before they return with a warrant. They show up with a warrant. They will not allow you to touch the computer, because they won't want you to have a chance to nuke the evidence. In any case, you don't need a clean record, good credit, or a tech job—which would actually be a liability here—to have an account with a domain registrar.
- ActorNightly 4y ago
  If they suspect you of operating a child porn ring, they know that you will most likely take precaution and nuke everything if you even catch wind that you are under investigation, which is why they will subpoena your bank records, phone records, ISP records, and probably put surveillance on you. If the only thing that shows up from all the data is literally a public DNS that points to a public ip address with questionable content, while you are leading a relatively normal life with all your other income accounted for, the agency (given that they have enough tech experience in cybercrime here) will most likely assume that you are a victim, and will go talk to you. Now of course, nothing is for certain, but statistically speaking, FBI doesn't go busting doors without prior investigation.

zionic 4y ago

No lawyer would ever advise anyone to just “casually talk to FBI agents that show up at your door”.

ActorNightly 4y ago
Talking =/= answering questions. The advice of "not answering questions" applies mostly for situations where cops are looking for the guilty party, and you don't want to accidentally self incriminate (or if you are guilty, you have a higher chance of getting off) FBI having records of you specifically in relation to a shady website is already past the point of looking for a guilty party - the people they send are specialized in cyber crime, are there to investigate the entirety of the situation with enough information about you already collected from all the sources like ISP logs, background check, and so on, all indicating that you are probably not guilty, as people who actually run sites like that statistically lead very different lives You can refuse to answer questions and let them in, however that has a higher rate of a search warrant, seizure and possibly arrest. Or you could just show them your domain registrars, tell them that you have no idea where it came from, and then look up history that shows the transfer, and that could be the end of your trouble, without any self incriminating statements.

justrudd 4y ago

I generally like to think I'm a rather calm individual. It takes quite a bit to get me flustered. But let me tell you, I have had a couple of FBI agents show up at my door. And when I saw those badges, even though I know I've not done anything, I was nervous. Had a legit adrenaline dump. All because my address was the last known address of someone they wanted to speak with. This someone was male, brown hair, about the same height and build as me, etc. As soon as they noticed the similarities, it was not a "sit down in front of your computer and straighten this out" kind of situation. They are there for a reason - to find a criminal. They aren't there to shoot the shit with you and explain "it's all just a big misunderstanding". If the FBI shows up at your door without a warrant, don't let them in and don't speak to them. If they insist, insist on having a lawyer present. Luckily my situation ended up OK. I got a lawyer who specifically had experience with federal law enforcement and had them do all the "straightening up of the situation". But it cost me money and took weeks of what should have been "here is my driver's license, passport, and deed. I am me, not the other guy".

cgriswald 4y ago

You're completely wrong and should lawyer up if they ever come to your door. That is not at all how the FBI operates. If they suspect you of operating a child porn ring they aren't going to just show up and ask questions, because if you are operating a child porn ring you will have nuked the evidence before they return with a warrant. They show up with a warrant. They will not allow you to touch the computer, because they won't want you to have a chance to nuke the evidence. In any case, you don't need a clean record, good credit, or a tech job—which would actually be a liability here—to have an account with a domain registrar.

ActorNightly 4y ago
If they suspect you of operating a child porn ring, they know that you will most likely take precaution and nuke everything if you even catch wind that you are under investigation, which is why they will subpoena your bank records, phone records, ISP records, and probably put surveillance on you. If the only thing that shows up from all the data is literally a public DNS that points to a public ip address with questionable content, while you are leading a relatively normal life with all your other income accounted for, the agency (given that they have enough tech experience in cybercrime here) will most likely assume that you are a victim, and will go talk to you. Now of course, nothing is for certain, but statistically speaking, FBI doesn't go busting doors without prior investigation.