Consumer Alert: Watch Out for Pirated Software

[Guest vinaytosh]

Even seemingly victimless crimes have victims. One conman was living the high life pirating software while a company took a hit. But the law eventually caught up with him.


"He has been perpetrating this fraud for many years," said Jan Kosta, U.S. Postal Inspector.


The man is accused of selling pirated copies of the multimedia Adobe Software on ebay.


"The suspect was selling the software at a 20-25% discount," said Kostka.


Postal inspectors began tracking the suspect after thousands of complaints came into Adobe's anti-piracy group. They went undercover to buy the bogus software and test it for authenticity. They quickly realized the suspect was making a fortune.


"He went from $0 a month to $42,000 a month and is able to provide a lavish lifestyle.


That includes luxury cars like a high-end Mercedes, BMW and Pontiac GTO.


"We seized $144,000 in cash, numerous counterfeit boxes of software and a high speed CD duplicator," said Kostka.


Lincoln police say there are ways you can ensure you're not buying a pirated version.


"Make sure you have virus software. Things like that would be able to pick up if it was a false download and also check to see if it's a secured site," said Erin Spilker, Lincoln Police Officer. "Verify that it is the actual company releasing the software and not a pirated version of it."


Postal inspectors say consumers should question something they find online that has a deep discount.


In Monday morning's consumer alert, we'll tell you how your identity is at risk at the gas pump and what you can to do to protect your credit.