Year: 2015

As a result of a criminal investigation conducted by the Foreigners and Borders Service, (SEF) between 2010 and 2013, the DIAP of Coimbra has indicted of 20 people, based in Portugal and abroad for human trafficking and criminal association.

The twenty defendants are accused of, in total, over a hundred crimes of trafficking in persons, and also charged with aiding illegal immigration and pimping.

The group, led by a Portuguese citizen, over a period of about a decade arranged foreign women, generally originating in South America but also in Eastern Europe, placing them in Portugal and Spain to conduct prostitution.

During the investigation stage, the investigative steps were conducted by SEF, in an operation that led to the dismantling of the group, the arrest of one of the main leaders of the organization, the closure of one of the centres operated by the group and seized several vehicles used in connection with the crimes.

Women were usually recruited through press advertisements, being hired as dancers or in domestic helpers lured with monetary rewards.

They were assessed by the Group’s employees in their countries of origin, and were usually of low levels of education and socio-economic situation. They were then transported to Spain, directly to an establishment for prostitution operated by the organization in that country, where their identification and travel document were confiscated.

They were then required to pay debts that, in some cases more than ten times higher than the costs of the cost of the trip. Under duress, threats and physical assaults they were forced into prostitution.

As the debt grew as a result of being charged for housing and other expenses related to the practice of prostitution, they operated in other establishments that the organization managed in Portugal in the districts Viseu, Castelo Branco and Guarda.

In July a hacking group calling itself “The Impact Team” hacked into the notorious extramarital dating website AM and threatened to expose the identities of 37.5 million account holders. The controversial on-line dating agency carries the tagline: “Life Is Short. Have An Affair”.

Users addresses, dates of birth, email addresses, ethnicities, genders, names, passwords, payment histories, phone numbers, security questions, sexual preferences, usernames and website activity have been compromised, but not all details yet published. Over the last week or so the hackers have lived up to their threats and have begun to release personal details of account holders such as e-mail addresses and telephone records.

The extent of this is indeed global as the names of email addresses are listed in 48 countries. Globally São Paulo in Brazil topped the list with 374,542 accounts, closely followed by 268,171 in New York.

According to a Spanish IT company, who has produced a global map of the location of Ashley Madison account holders, in Portugal, 85% of users are men.

The north of the country is highest with Porto having 7399 users.  In Braga, there are 1421 users and in Aveiro 1399 users.  Further south in Caldas da Rainha 217 are recorded.  In Greater Lisbon, Amadora leads with 1743 records followed by Sintra and Cascais 1045 and 1000 respectively.

In the Algarve there are some 3500 Ashley Madison users, the main distribution shown in the following table table.

 

Faro                       1179                       Algoz                     62

Albufeira               545                       Tavira                    60

Loule                       359                       Almancil               46

Quarteira               207                       Sao Bras                31

Olhao                      194                       Vila do Bispo        25

Lagos                       193                       Aljezur                  25

Boliqueime            128                       Monchique            24

Silves                       107                       Messines              20

 

Note: in the case of Boliqueime – this includes Picota which was mentioned.

The following villages were added on 28th August. Note some of these are small and it is likely therefore that the locations given are those closest to the locations of account holders not just in the villages/towns themselves:

Quelfes                           88

Vila Nova de Cacela     52

Pedralva                         36

Laranjeiro                      26

Belmonte                        20

Alportel                           17

Armacao de Pera           15

 

Warning

Some computer security analysts have now warned that no matter how curious you are, there is a good reason not to try and download the leaked Ashley Madison database of account holders, as it is potentially dangerous to do so.

The actual 9.7 gigabytes of data posted by the hackers, was posted on the Dark Web in two chunks.

But getting to them isn’t easy for the non-technical. The Dark Web is a series of networks accessible only by running specific software and, in some cases, with specific authorization. The Dark Web is often used by criminals.

Running this software to download the databases could expose your computer to spyware, viruses and theft of your personal information.

There are some sites that have been set up who claim that by entering your email address through their site you can check for the details of AM account holders, whose details may have been compromised. Although it may be tempting to do so, this could result in serious consequences such as those outlined above

A full feature on this subject will appear on this website and in the Algarve Resident on 3rd September.

 

Ashley Madison Boss resigns – 28th August

Canadian entrepreneur    Noel Biderman, the self-proclaimed “King of Infidelity”, has stepped down as chief executive of Avid Life Media – the website’s parent company. The company will be run by the current senior management team until a new chief executive is appointed.

In a statement, the firm said: “This change is in the best interest of the company and allows us to continue to provide support to our members and dedicated employees. We are steadfast in our commitment to our customer base.

“We are actively adjusting to the attack on our business and members’ privacy by criminals. We will continue to provide access to our unique platforms for our worldwide members.“We are actively cooperating with international law enforcement in an effort to bring those responsible for the theft of proprietary member and business information to justice.”

His sudden departure comes after hackers leaked the names, addresses, phone numbers and credit card details of users on the dark web.

There is an important lesson to be learned from this “affair” and that is there is no such thing as online privacy. When you put something on line assume that it will become public!

The Judicial Police (PJ) announced on  20th August that they  had arrested a man of 40 years, suspected of having caused “at least” five forest fires in Vieira do Minho, Braga.

The suspected arsonist, with alcohol problems, set light to the forests at night and dawn close to residential areas and hard to reach places, using it matches and gasoline, said PJ said in a statement.

The PJ stressed that the suspect acted with “feelings of revenge”, the areas burned being mainly pine and eucalyptus trees amounting to around the two dozen hectares.

The fires were dealt with using different resources including air support thus preventing the fires causing greater damage, since this is an area of ​​lush vegetation and continuity of forest, with nearby houses,” he said.

The fires had caused “substantial” property damage, according to the PJ.

The alleged arsonist, held by the Criminal Investigation Department of Braga, will be brought before judicial interrogation to apply enforcement measures.

Krebs on Security are reporting that many news sites and blogs are reporting that the data stolen last month from the 37 million users of Ashley Madison.com— a site that facilitates cheating and extramarital affairs — has finally been posted online for the world to see. In the past 48 hours, several huge dumps of data claiming to be the actual Ashley Madison database have turned up online. Although there are few details, vouched sources of (Kerbs on Security) have reported finding their information and last four digits of their credit card numbers in the leaked database. A security spokesman stated “I’m sure there are millions of Ashley Madison users who wish it weren’t so, but there is every indication this dump is the real deal.”

The data has reportedly been leaked on the so called dark web, meaning it is accessible only via encrypted browsers.

However in Australia names have started to trickle out in the huge Ashley Madison data leak. Users who claim they have access to the data have posted 22 email addresses linked to the University of Western Sydney on an online message board.

In a statement, Canada-based Avid Life Media, the company behind Ashley Madison said it had “now learned that the individual or individuals responsible for this attack claim to have released more of the stolen data”.

Describing the hack as “an act of criminality”, the company said it was fully cooperating with law enforcement to find the hackers.

“The criminal, or criminals, involved in this act have appointed themselves as the moral judge, juror, and executioner, seeing fit to impose a personal notion of virtue on all of society. We will not sit idly by and allow these thieves to force their personal ideology on citizens around the world,” the statement said.

Ashley Madison says it operates in more than 50 countries and has 37 million users, around 120,000 whom live in Portugal.

The Judicial Police (PJ) announced on Monday the seizure of 327 kilograms of cocaine aboard a sail boat in international waters near the Azores and the arrest of five people related to the same case.

The Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP)  said that several house searches in areas of Aveiro and Nazareth resulted in five people being detained..

The seizure of 327 kilograms of cocaine was made ​​by the Criminal Investigation Department of Funchal PJ, “in collaboration with the National Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking, the Department of Research Criminal Ponta Delgada, the Criminal Investigation Department of Aveiro and with the participation of the Navy and Air Force Portuguese, “according to the same statement

On 11th August GNR Sintra, conducted a search operation as part of an investigation into the theft of non-precious metals in the municipality of Sintra.

In recent months the town of Terrugem – Sintra has suffered from the theft of tens of water meters from private homes and industrial areas, causing considerable material damage. As a result of the execution of  a house search warrant and a search of a vehicle the following was seized: two shotguns; an incomplete shotgun; a large knife; deburring machines for cutting metals; cutting discs;  parts and pieces of non-precious metals that make up the water meters; several documents concerning the sale of these items, as well as various tools needed to carry out the thefts.

During the investigation, an individual was identified in possession of several water meters, who had dismantled and cut them into pieces, making it difficult to identify the origin of the objects. The suspect, aged 19, has appeared in court and subject to remand at his residence pending further investigation.

On 6^th August 2015 Spanish National Police Agents arrested five people who allegedly obtained thousands of euros from the fraudulent renting of luxury villas in Marbella (Málaga). The arrested persons created a high-quality villa rental website that offered at very competitive prices, properties that really exist, but that their legitimate owners had no intention of renting.

Group members requested the clients to pay a deposit by bank transfer of 50% of the rent for the reservation and the remainder to be paid four weeks before arrival at the accommodation. However no one showed up at the appointed checking in time to hand over the keys of the house. The head of the group has been arrested as he left in a hurry to the airport.

Investigators estimate that the fraud could exceed half a million euros.

A fraudulent real estate portal with mansions

The research suggests that the detainees created a real estate portal with a high quality design using a company name with forged documents. Through this website they offered holiday rentals of luxury villas in Marbella at very competitive prices. To lend credibility to the fraud, photos and data of the properties offered were real, but their rightful owners were not aware that their villas had been advertised for rent until it was too late.

Those arrested transferred the money to one of their group, a former bank employee aged 79 years, who then withdrew the money from the bank account.

A fraud that could exceed half a million euros

The National Police opened an investigation on 16^th July, after receiving the first nine complaints with the same modus operandi. One of the victims of this plot was cheated out of 55,000 euros for reservation of two luxury villas. The victim went to the city of Marbella and saw where the houses were, but there was no reservation for rent.

The amount defrauded from the nine complainants accredited so far, all of them foreigners, is 95,000 euros. However, according to the transfers received in the bank accounts of those arrested, the investigators estimate that the organization had earned about 500,000 euros from other victims who have not yet reported. The National police investigation remains open.

Investigators have frozen bank accounts belonging to the criminal organization and have seized a luxury vehicle with a market value of 250,000 euros.

On Sunday 9th August according to the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) a total of 7,845 firefighters and emergency staff were involved in fighting 382 fires in mainland Portugal. This is the highest numbers in terms of fires and deployments so far this year.

Most of these are in the north of the country with the districts of Porto and Braga being badly hit. A total of 2,020 vehicles had been deployed 125 air missions flown.

On 10^th August there were 305 fires;, 27 are ongoing, particularly in the municipalities of Ponte da Barca, Mangualde (3), Gouveia, Póvoa do Lanhoso (2), Vila Flor, Penafiel, Vila Verde, Arouca, Vila Real, Ponte da Barca, Vila Nova de Foz Coa, Cinfães, Arcos Valdevez, Penacova, Fafe, Chaves, Tavira, Celorico de Basto, Vieira do Minho, Peso da Régua, Terra do Bouro, Fornes de Algodres, Ponte da Barca e Santarém.

Also on Monday firefighters saved housing from fires in the village of Castanheira, Sierra D’Arga, in Caminha, the local Mayor informed Lusa. According to the mayor Miguel Alves, who is on site to monitor combat operations, that housing was saved from the fire but the flames are of such intensity that there are threatening  other houses in the village of Castanheira.

Meanwhile the Municipal Emergency Plan was activated in Mangualde, Viseu, after one of the fires raging in the county threatened 150 homes, said the mayor, who is considering moving forward with an application for a public disaster declaration. One of the fires went through ” urban perimeter of the city and “threatened 150 dwellings “, which led to the evacuation of” the elderly and children, “he told Lusa

It was reported today (9th August) that a helicopter – an AS-350 B3 Ecureil – made an emergency landing after fighting a  fire in Valencia. The aircraft was en-route to Ponte da Barca, where it was based.

While flying over the Ponte de Lima municipality, it had a problem (yet to be identified) and as a result the pilot made an emergency landing at Lapa, Refoios parish of Lima.

The helicopter was carrying the pilot and five people reportedly to be GNR elements to combat fires. Two of the six occupants suffered minor injuries.

Two of the injured were assisted on site by the National Institute for Medical Emergencies (INEM).  The remaining passengers were transported overland to ULSAM of Viana do Castelo for observation.

The private aviation company Everjets responsible for the aircraft, has announced it will open “immediately” an investigation to ascertain the causes of the incident.

The accident represents an additional set back in air borne firefighting for forest fires this year. The most critical period of the fires from July to the end of September, began with three less heavy Kamov helicopters. Two have since been repaired

Following the contact with the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) held today, the 6th of August, the National Relief Operations Command (CNOS) of the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC), is as follows:

Temperature – A gradual Increase in temperature with highs in the interior of around 40 ° C on Saturday and minimum above 20 ° C.

Wind – predominantly moderate north quadrant (<35 km / h) with gusts of around 50 km / h on the west coast in the afternoon. For tomorrow, 07 August it is forecast to intensify from the north  on the coast and in the highlands, where there may be gusts of around 65 km / h. This will be from the east quadrant in the morning and at the end of Saturday in the highlands.

Relative humidity of the air – remain <20% inside and tending to worsen in the coming days.

Fire risk – to remain in the wider territory levels “high” and “very high”.

Keep track of weather forecasts in www.ipma.pt.

ANPC notifies that, in accordance with the legal provisions in force, is not allowed in all rural areas:

• Carrying out fires, or fires for recreational or pleasure, or cooking food;
• Use of burning and combustion equipment for illumination or cooking food;
• Burn cut and piled woods and any surplus of exploitation;
• The release of balloons with burning fuse or any other type of rocket;
• Smoking or naked flames of any kind in forest areas and pathways that to circle;
• The fumigation or disinfection of apiaries with fumigators that are not equipped with sparks of restraint systems.

If you make agricultural and forestry work, keep the machinery and equipment clean oils and beware of the possibility of sparks during use.

The ANPC also advices appropriate behaviour and attitudes towards forest fire danger, particularly with the adoption of the necessary preventive and precautionary measures, observing the prohibitions in force and taking special attention to the evolution of fire danger for the next days, available from the Internet sites of the ANPC and IPMA, the Forestry Technical Offices of Municipalities and Fire Stations.

Taking into account the current meteorological situation, it is also possible this may affect the most vulnerable population groups (elderly and children, homeless and sick suffering from cardiorespiratory disorders) due to the heat. It is recommended that people observe the main measures of self-protection for these situations, as published by the Health General Directorate in www.dgs.pt.

Depending on the forecast weather trends can be expected:

Dry weather and moderate wind with the permanence of favourable conditions for the eventual occurrence and spread of forest fires.