Newspaper Page Text
Ga. Attorney General investigating
of dark web marketplace following
FBI takedown of illicit site
THURSDAY. April 13. 2023 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
Spring Fashion Show/Luncheon to
benefit Ruth House
Ruth House residents model some of the items that will be featured at the upcoming benefit fashion show
on April 29.
Ga. Attorney General office
press release
ATLANTA, GA - Attor
ney General Chris Carr last
week announced that the Of
fice of the Attorney General’s
Prosecution Division is par
ticipating in a nationwide in
vestigation into suspected
users of Genesis Market, a
dark net marketplace that is
known to traffic in the stolen
credentials of victims whose
computers have been in
fected with malware. Over
the course of their investiga
tion into the illicit online
marketplace, federal law en
forcement worked to identify
those who purchased and
used these stolen access cre
dentials to commit fraud and
other cybercrimes. This effort
resulted in hundreds of leads
being sent to law enforce
ment throughout the United
States, including the Georgia
Office of the Attorney Gen
eral.
Federal authorities also re
cently announced the seizure
of 11 domain names used to
support Genesis Market’s in
frastructure.
“As with any dark web
marketplace, Genesis only
exists because there are peo
ple out there willing to pur
chase a stolen product and
further perpetrate a fraudu
lent scheme,” said Carr. “We
are proud to work with our
federal partners to investigate
those who may be commit
ting these costly crimes here
in Georgia, so we can ensure
they are held accountable for
their actions. As we continue
with our case, we would en
courage all Georgians to re
main vigilant when
conducting business online.”
The FBI’s investigation
into Genesis Market revealed
that the illicit online market
place was hosted on the dark
web. Its operators compiled
stolen data from malware-in
fected computers around the
globe and packaged it for sale
on the market. The packages
sold on the market, referred
to as “bots,” allowed the pur
chaser to access various on
line accounts harvested from
the computers of the victims.
Some of the bots include a
“fingerprint” or unique iden
tifier used by applications or
websites to identify a com
puter or device. These finger
prints allow the application
or website to confirm that the
device is a trusted source.
Victim credentials ob
tained over the course of the
investigation have been pro
vided to the website Ffave 1
Been Pwned, which is a free
resource for people to
quickly assess whether their
access credentials have been
compromised (or “pwned”)
in a data breach or other ac
tivity. Victims can visit
FfavelBeenPwned.com to see
whether their credentials
were compromised by Gene
sis Market, so they can
change or modify passwords
and other authentication cre
dentials that may have been
compromised.
Additional Tips and
Resources
The Consumer Protection
Division also offers the fol
lowing tips to everyone who
uses technology:
• Be wary of emails and
text messages asking you to
take action. Don't click on
links, open file attachments
or provide sensitive informa
tion in response to texts,
emails or social media mes
sages, particularly if you
don't recognize the sender, as
it could download malware
onto your device or place
your sensitive information in
the hands of a scammer.
• Be especially wary if the
sender asks you to send
money. Even if the message
appears to come from a per
son or business you know.
Use strong passwords.
The longer the password, the
tougher it is to crack. Mix let
ters, numbers and special
characters.
For more information
about online scams and how to
protect yourself, visit
www.ic3.gov or the Office of
the Attorney General’s Con
sumer Protection Division at
www.consumer.ga.gov.
By Maria Peagler
Calling all fashionistas —
grab your girlfriends and
make it a girls’ day out!
Ruth Ffouse Ministries is
hosting a Spring Fashion
Show and Luncheon show
casing the latest styles from
Daisy’s Boutique in Jasper
and Society Boutique in Can
ton.
Included in the $35 ticket
price is a catered lunch, as
well as the opportunity to
shop RedemptionRags, Ruth
House’s own brand of one-
of-a-kind fashions and
unique items made by its res
idents. All proceeds go to
ward tuition for Ruth House
residents.
The ladies of Ruth House
have been hard at work with
local artists and designers
creating upcycled jean jack
ets and vests available for
purchase during the fashion
show event. Additionally,
hand-crafted macrame plant
holders will be available for
purchase.
The event date is Satur
day, April 29, 2023 from 1-
3 p.m. at GO Church, 835
Mineral Springs Road in
Ball Ground.
Purchase tickets online at
Eventbrite here:
https://bit.ly/RuthHouse-
FashionShow or scan the QR
code below:
Ruth House Ministries is a
Christ-centered, long term,
residential recovery program
for women addicted to or
abusing drugs or alcohol. Its
program provides regenera
tion of substance abusers and
their families who meet the
entrance criteria.
Organized in 2008 to
combat the ravages of drugs
and alcohol in North Georgia,
the Ruth House is blessed to
have seen tremendous
Tater Patch Players
announces auditions
Come join our happy band of actors and theater folks.
Coming up are auditions for Independence Day at Happy
Meadows, by Laura King to be performed June 16, 17, 18,
23, 24, 25, 30 and July 1, 2. This is a great comedy, with a
cast of five "older" women, one "middle aged" woman, and
one "middle aged" man. Remember, we can age you up (or
even down) with makeup, so come out, audition, have fun.
We will need a full complement of stage crew for this one,
too, as well as scenery builders and painters. If you're inter
ested in one of these positions, shoot us an email at taterpatch-
players@gmail.com and we'll connect you with the right
person.
AUDITION DATES ARE April 16, 5 - 6:30 PM and April
17, 6 - 7:30 PM. The theater is located at 95 Philadelphia
Lane in Jasper. Auditions will be by reading from the script.
The director is Phyllis Zerkle, who recently won much-de
served applause and recognition as Annelle in Steel Magno
lias.
Bryan Lawrence
Email: Bryan@faithturf.com
LANDSCAPING DESIGN & INSTALLATION
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Zoey
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Age:
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Weight
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My Info:
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current, in great health, Spayed, Chipped
Topaz
Breed:
Awaiting DNA results to determine breed
Age:
4-month old puppy
Weight/Size:
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All BCAR dogs are placed as indoor family pets. No electric fences, please.
Visit BCAR shelter pets every Saturday from 11:00 am
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