The New York Times reports on how the online email scam known as Phishing has been targeting high level executives around the United States. From the NY Times: An e-mail scam aimed squarely at the nation’s top executives is raising new alarms about the ease with which people and companies can be deceived by online criminals. Thousands of [...]

Due to the high amount of information available, personal information sold on the black market by identity thieves is losing its profitability, according to virus protection maker Symantec. From the AP: Fierce competition among identity thieves has driven the prices for stolen data down to bargain-basement levels, which has forced crooks to adopt mainstream business tactics to [...]

With a tax proposal that would make a pack of cigarette cost $9, New York officials are worried about various methods to smuggle cigarettes. From the AP: Cigarettes are sold tax free on tribal lands in New York, and the savings are eye-popping. Once lawmakers approve the state’s latest hike, crafted last week, smokers will be able to [...]

Newsweek has a special web report on Zimbabwe’s economy and how the US dollar is traded on the black market. From Newsweek: Officially, one U.S dollar is worth about 30,000 Zimbabwean dollars. As of last week the real price on the black market was about 35 million dollars, or 1,166 times the official rate. The bill for [...]

As China continues its crackdown in Tibet, authorities in China have repeatedly restricted the news and information that is available to its citizens. People in China attempting to receive news are forced to gather information on the black market due to these restrictions. An article by the International Herald Tribune mentions the various websites that [...]

Lee Myuang Bak, President of South Korea, was inaugurated into office on February 25, 2008. Less than two weeks later, Lee is involved in a corruption scandal involving electronic giant Samsung. From the IHT: A corruption scandal at Samsung spread to the government of the new South Korean president, Lee Myung Bak, on Wednesday as a group of [...]

In a contribution to the opinion page at the International Herald Tribune, Jeremy Breningstall, an English teacher in China, writes about the depth and breadth of the pirated movies available to see. From the piece “Movies for the masses”: Contrast that with what you can find within a 10-minute walk of my house, which is in an [...]

In North Korea, information and news are considered contraband products and must be obtained in the black market. As radios are manufactured to only receive the official station, CNN reports on a defector in South Korea who is attempting to combat the propaganda of Kim Jong-Il. From CNN: It broadcasts only three hours a day. Its [...]

Voice of America News reports on the smuggling situation in the Sahara Desert, as smugglers transport goods ranging from counterfeit cigarettes to cocaine. From VOA News: The Sahara desert has long been an attractive tax-free zone for entrepreneurs. But getting products through the mostly inhospitable and hostile terrain is hard. There are no auto repair stores for [...]

Up to ten countries are currently conducting investigations into banks in Liechtenstein to determine whether their citizens are evading taxes. From the IHT: Following the lead of Germany and Britain, at least eight other countries, including the United States, said Tuesday that they were investigating whether some of their citizens were using banks in Liechtenstein to evade [...]