One UAB computer scientist, Gary Warner, director of Research in Computer Forensics has partnered with a chemist, Elizabeth Gardner, Ph.D., director of UAB’s Forensic Science program to launch 20 Targets for Takedown, a project to take down websites involved in financial scams and opioid sales and bring criminals to justice. Their partnership is an extension of their research study, “What you can’t buy, can’t kill you,” which developed methods to identify and document websites selling opioids, fentanyl and its analogs.
20 Targets for Takedown identifies 20 websites each week responsible for crypto investment scams and opioid sales, respectively, and helps take them down. By the end of the year, the project will have eliminated a thousand financial scam domains and a thousand opioid sales domains.
The project “20 Targets for Takedown” is an endeavor of Intelligence for Good, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Warner that aims to make the internet a safer place for everyone, and to ensure that criminals are brought to justice and fear the consequences of scamming innocent people.
Why crypto scams?
Crypto scams have no “natural predator,” meaning perpetrators face little to no risk when committing these crimes, according to Warner of the UAB College of Arts and Sciences. When criminals target banks or public entities, they are likely to get pushback. However, the public — especially people who are elderly — are easy targets for them.
“The elderly are losing their entire life savings to these criminals, and I believe it is unacceptable that criminals keep scamming people without a fear of being caught,” Warner said. “20 Targets for Takedown exemplifies this belief by targeting criminals on an individual level.”
Warner has cybersecurity student analysts working under his direction. Each week, these students identify websites involved in financial scams, provide evidence to justify terminating them and work with corporations, government agencies and volunteers to effectively take down the websites.
Why online opioid sales?
Gardner says anyone can find almost any prescription or non-description drug online. The problem, however, is that many of these online sites sell counterfeit drugs.
“A user might think they are purchasing oxycodone (a prescription drug) at a cheaper price online, but it is a counterfeit pill that has been altered and has been contaminated with fentanyl,” Gardner said. “Any drug purchased online can contain fentanyl, and a naïve user may overdose and die on the first dose.”
To combat opioid sales online via 20 Targets for Takedown, Gardner has two UAB forensic chemistry student analysts, funded by Intelligence for Good, who identify these life-threatening websites and eliminate them.
Gardner notes that “three out of four times, these fake online pharmacies will only take money and the customer would not receive anything."
“While most opioid sales take place in person, people can identify websites where they can buy illicit opioids just by doing a simple search engine search,” Gardner said. “None of these drugs are FDA-regulated, and many of these have toxic components. Therefore, it is critical that we use our resources to eradicate these sites and save lives.”
Warner and Gardner hope to continue engaging students in these projects and raise volunteers and contributors to find ways to fund projects like 20 Targets for Takedown that can help make the internet a safer place. Interested contributors and volunteers can contact info@intelligenceforgood.org.