Verizon fell for faux “search warrant,” gave sufferer’s telephone knowledge to stalker
Verizon Wi-fi gave a feminine sufferer’s deal with and telephone logs to an alleged stalker who pretended to be a police officer, in response to an affidavit filed by an FBI particular agent. The person, Robert Michael Glauner, was later arrested close to the sufferer’s dwelling and located to be carrying a knife on the time, in response to the affidavit submitted in courtroom yesterday.
Glauner allegedly traveled from New Mexico to Raleigh, North Carolina, after discovering out the place she lived and, earlier than arriving, despatched a threatening message that mentioned, “if I can not have you ever nobody can.” He additionally allegedly threatened to ship nude photographs of the sufferer to her relations.
Glauner was charged yesterday with stalking and fraud “in reference to acquiring confidential telephone information” in US District Court docket for the Japanese District of North Carolina. We aren’t posting or linking on to the courtroom report as a result of it appears to include the sufferer’s dwelling deal with. The incident was beforehand reported by 404 Media.
Glauner and the sufferer met in August or September 2023 on xhamster.com, a porn web site with courting options, and “had a web based romantic relationship,” the affidavit mentioned. The sufferer ended the connection, however Glauner “continued to contact or attempt to contact” her, the doc mentioned.
Glauner tricked Verizon into offering delicate info by sending an e mail and faux search warrant to vsat.cct@one.verizon.com, the e-mail deal with for the Verizon Safety Help Staff (VSAT), which handles authorized requests. Verizon did not notice the request was fraudulent though it got here from a Proton Mail deal with reasonably than from a police division or different governmental company, in response to the affidavit filed yesterday by FBI Particular Agent Michael Neylon.
Faux cop, solid choose’s signature
An e mail to Verizon from “steven1966c@proton.me” on September 26, 2023, mentioned, “Right here is the pdf file for search warrant. We’re in want if the [sic] this mobile phone knowledge as quickly as attainable to find and apprehend this suspect. We additionally want the total identify of this Verizon subscriber and the brand new telephone quantity that has been assigned to her. Thanks.”
The e-mail’s hooked up doc contained a faux affidavit written by “Detective Steven Cooper” of the Cary, North Carolina Police Division. The Cary Police Division confirmed that no officer named Steven Cooper is employed by their company, Neylon wrote.
VSAT acquired a telephone name the identical day from a person figuring out himself as Cooper, who acknowledged that he wanted info on a suspect in a murder case. “The caller acknowledged that the individual concerned modified her telephone quantity,” Neylon wrote.
The faux affidavit requested for the brand new telephone quantity in addition to “name information each outgoing and incoming” and “places and textual content messages incoming and outgoing.” The affidavit for a search warrant was supposedly permitted by Superior Court docket Choose Gale Adams.
Adams is an actual choose and she or he later confirmed to authorities “that the signature displayed on the doc was not hers,” Neylon wrote. Neylon’s affidavit additionally mentioned the “search warrant” was “not within the correct format and doesn’t have kind AOC-CR-119, as required for State of North Carolina search warrants.”
Verizon supplies deal with and telephone logs
However after reviewing the e-mail and doc despatched by “Cooper,” Verizon supplied an deal with and telephone logs. “On October 5, 2023, Verizon Wi-fi supplied Sufferer 1’s telephone information, together with deal with and telephone logs, to Glauner,” in response to Neylon’s affidavit.
Verizon’s website says that the Verizon Safety Help Staff ensures that “courtroom orders, search warrants, subpoenas and different authorized calls for served upon Verizon are processed confidentially and in compliance with all relevant legislation.”
“Verizon Safety Help Staff will solely settle for legitimate authorized calls for (subpoena, courtroom order or search warrant) for information,” the VSAT webpage says.
We contacted Verizon in regards to the incident at present and can replace this text if we get a response. A Verizon spokesperson informed 404 Media that the corporate is cooperating with legislation enforcement on this matter.