What a great website and wonderful forum! I think I will post my two cents worth here.

As this thread concerns gaining information from IP addresses, booters and other lesser or greater Internet terrorists acts, I think it should be said that IF the offenders are a fairly active on the Internet (not just chat), and post in forums etc., many of them (forums) actually POST the IP of the sender! (Egads!) You can often do a search for IP addresses and email addresses and find them there.

When someone gets too far out of hand on Yahoo (IE: Death threats, etc. ) and continues harassment for any period of time, I simply create a “special” profile and troll (nicely) for the offender in their known chat rooms. In other words, a “Social Engineering” project is started.

Once contact is made, I establish a rapport with them, there is usually a cam invite sent to me (IP Grab Opportunity) but I ask that we schedule a cam time in the future as to not reveal my IP (I use a library or Internet Cafe for those.. and if my subject is a male, and you would be surprized how many women found in those Internet Cafes, or non Internet active friends, are willing to be part of the ploy “I’m ready for my closeup Mr. Demille!” ) , I am often sent pics of the offender (IP Grab Opportunity from the email headers), phone numbers, addresses, Post Office Box numbers, snail mail, etc.

Once I have their IP address, I go looking for posts which contain either their @yahoo.com email address and or their IP. If I have no success there, I continue “social engineering” the person until they ultimately reveal themselves. (You would be surprised how much they love to BRAG, especially to a “helpless girl”) Most if not all service providers keep records of who was on, what POP and IP etc.

I have actually had a fella brag to my “female persona” just what he knew about me (my normal ID), what he was planning for my future both on and off the Internet. Sadly for him, I had given my logon name and password to a local police detective (part of a computer crimes task force). Yahoo was very forthcoming with information regarding the poor misguided fella when the officer saw threats against my person and property.

If you are harassed, let Yahoo know! If you are threatened, LOG IT! And then let EVERYONE know (cops, FBI, anyone who will listen). Also if you are given to viewing webcams there are a few nice programs out there what will record the entire webcam interaction. (So, no showing your “woo woo” out there unless you don’t plan on running for office someday!)

I heartily recommend to anyone using a highspeed Internet connection, that that buy and use a Router/Switch which shares Internet connections (some even have their own version of a netstat showing all connections in real time) with several computers (even if you ONLY have ONE computer). They add protection to you computer when configured correctly, that does not draw from your system resources like software firewalls do (I use both as well as x netstat pro and log every connection)

Anyway, good luck, and play nice.