HACKED for a KNOWN PERSON in the USA

[iogames]

Ok my mind is cool, trying to decide what can I do...

I hired a programmer via Guru.com to upgrade a script, but the job went wrong and I paid half since I can't use the script anyway...
I know the guy, it was the only one I gave access at that level, I got his threatening emails saved, and he couldn't go farther than the public_html's folder...
My question is? how can I do to proceed legally?
I've invested around $1000.00 on scripts, all my licenses were there:
-vBulletin
-vBSEO
-GARS
-PHP Auction
-Million Dollar Script
-vBMailer Full
-PeelAds
etc...

HOW CAN I TRACE IT AND GET A PROOF THAT COULD BUST HIM?
I know there's more experienced ppl here than me and him...
Second... how can I protect my licenses?
I'm 99.9% sure he was it, since we worked a month ago, and with that FTP's password he just could erased everything on that folder and no other folder hold the same password... almost a year of work.

Please from vBulletiner to vBulletiner, tell me what do you do???

[jat1801]

shouldn't of gave it to a guy you dont know

[iogames]

Originally Posted by jat1801

shouldn't of gave it to a guy you dont know

Sounds logic, no realistic...

Still remain the fact of how can I trace him, and how can I protect my licenses...

[Hex_legend]

I had the same problem with someone, it turned out that I didn't have a leg to stand on

If you need any help with mods / forum designing, drop me a PM

as the scripts you bought are to your own name, go where you registered them and change your accounts details (passwords) the sooner the better, so he can't access them and change that access...

you can't do a thing about licensings, because you have no proofs he will use them actually. use google from time to time to see if your license numbers are on the net... that's all you can do... once you see that, report the hacker to the author... they will handle license hacking...

[iogames]

as I say I'm still cool...

So what we have to learn is that this is a hobby and a very vulnerable one?
Time consuming, Sleep disturber, Social isolator, but not legally protected?

[Kingster]

Originally Posted by Hex_legend

I had the same problem with someone, it turned out that I didn't have a leg to stand on

If you need any help with mods / forum designing, drop me a PM

Originally Posted by iogames

as I say I'm still cool...

So what we have to learn is that this is a hobby and a very vulnerable one?
Time consuming, Sleep disturber, Social isolator, but not legally protected?

I think that you do, actually. Do you KNOW he took copies of your stuff? If so, and it can be proven (like it resides on his hard drive, etc.), then it is larceny. If everything he stole adds up to more than $500, then it is grand larceny, and a felony.

To find out that he has stolen it is difficult. Unless you were logging his every move on the server (which you may want to do, next time)... Well, you have have some evidence for the cops to get a search warrant. Additionally, since it occurred on the net, officially, that's wire fraud, and a federal crime.

IANAL, but those are some of the things that I remember from a digital forensics class I took out of curiosity's sake...

[iogames]

Well I know is him, the FTP account was created for Him to test the script...

Wire fraud is a legal concept in the United States Code which provides for enhanced penalty of any criminally fraudulent activity if it is determined that the activity involved electronic communications of any sort, at any phase of the event. As in the case of mail fraud, this statute is often used as a basis for a separate federal prosecution of what would otherwise have been only a violation of a state law.

The crime of wire fraud is codified at 18 U.S.C. ? 1343, and reads as follows:

Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication in interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If the violation affects a financial institution, such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.

[SCRIPT3R]

Save your access logs to your server in case this goes anywhere. Also, for future reference, I would suggest setting up a test forum for testing purposes. There's no real reason anyone should be testing things on a live forum. Especially, when you don't know the person.

[RichieBoy67]

Your saying he took all of your licences? Do you have any proof that he has actually used any of them?

As for the "job went wrong"? what does that mean? So you payed him for his work or not? I am confused? What do you mean he could not go past the public directory and what is he threatening you about? Lack of payment?

I think you are jumping the gun if you are saying he has downloaded and is using the scripts just because he had access to them. Generally developers have access to this stuff all the time and unless it was his plan to start with I highly doubt he would pursue anything like that...

There is much of the story missing though. Are you saying that maybe because you owe him money he is using the script?

I really don't know but unless you have any proof that he has used any of the scripts than I think you should just forget about it and move on. I am a little curious though about the "job went bad" statement... Many times when Jobs do go bad it is not the developers fault. You would never know that by reading some of the threads that get posted here on that subject.

Best of luck to you either way. Chances are that many of those companies will find out sooner or later if licences are on the Internet and being duplicated.

WebDevoMan