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Digital dragnet: North Coast Cyber Investigations helps the good guys fight against computer crime.

Article Excerpt
Lee Fairchild's computer was infected, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The former ABC Wide World of Sports employee and entrepreneur was checking his email one day three years ago when his PC started to act up. As Fairchild had only basic computer knowledge, he consulted a friend who knew a bit about computers. It was just as he feared: His computer had a virus.

Fairchild found that someone had been using a "Trojan horse" virus to hack into his personal computer, gaining access to his customer records under the guise of a mass email.

He installed a special software program on his computer and was able to track the sender of the virus to America Online. He contacted AOL, which could not give him any information about the owner of the screen name. Meanwhile, his computer remained infected and vulnerable to computer crime.

Eventually, Fairchild chose to close his company, in part due to the infiltration of the cybercriminal. He contacted the FBI after finding out that the closest private computer forensic examiner was in Utah; the Cleveland Assistant District Attorney vowed to work on the case, but the investigation was halted after Sept. 11.

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