I’m doing this AMA to spread awareness.
I was introduced to cybercrime at age 12 — not by strangers, but by my own father.
My early years involved carding: cloning cards using track data from POS systems with encoders like the MSR206. As I got older, the game evolved — phishing, SIM swapping, account takeovers, crypto laundering, and social engineering all became tools of the trade.
Between 2015–2023, I was involved in a long list of frauds: identity theft, wire fraud, online auction scams, romance scams, fake job postings, ransomware threats, insider trading, and more. I learned how to exploit systems, and how easily trust can be manipulated — from both a technical and psychological level.
But I never saw the money. My father controlled everything. And by early 2023, I finally walked away.
I now work legally in a restaurant. The transition has been hard. Sometimes I think about the money, but I don’t want to go back. Not because I became some saint — but because I know how it ends: prison, paranoia, or worse.
Comments
Can’t you use the skills learned in an ethical way, seems a waste not to?
Is he still in the game? How is your relationship?
Where were you based when you did this? Was it a “family affair “ or was your dad part of a bigger network?
What is your philosophy today? Do easily duped people “deserve” to be conned, or does it offend your moral compass?
What do you mean you never saw the money? Like.. you and your father didnt make any money on it? Or he keeps everything?
Is he still in the game?
You said your father has now gone no contact with you. Did you have a say in the decision? Did you ask him not to? How do you feel about your father now?
You never got caught?
What was the most money you made?
Advice on how to safeguard against these crimes or precautions one can take?
Did/Does your father have a technical background? Do you know how to code?
Was in the same world at 14 years old with a bunch of dumb friends. Still feel guilty about it, and the community is filled with awful people, fucked up so many lives
How did you manage to drain crypto accounts?
Are you some kind of genius? Do you need to be extremely smart to pull off stuff like that at 12? I understand your father was involved and guided you, but still, it seems very impressive.
And if you don’t mind me asking- what are you doing/planning to do career wise now?
Any tips to keep your crypto safe?
Have you considered getting involved with the people at DEFCON? They would love your input as someone formerly involved with cybercrime. You would offer a fresher perspective on what happens with cybercrime.
https://www.defcon.org
From your answers, it seems you and your father made a good amount of money.
How did he spend it?
Did he at least buy nice things for you or just some presents once in a while?
Have you tried to hide part of the money so you could have a little amount of money for yourself?
If you never saw any of the money, how do you miss the money working for a restaurant now?
What is needed to do a SIM swap on a person? Does it require getting some information from them? Some vulnerabilities on their phone? Something else?
Why did you delete your previous posts about working on the dark web, where you mentioned finding jobs and doing them secretly while your wife was unaware? The story you’re telling in this post is completely different.
How do cloned cards work when buying stuff isnt their small limit to which you can swipe and buy something without a PIN?
How much did you steal form him? Any idea?