This sort of thing can happen to anyone unsure of how to set up a P2P client
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/18/p2p_highwayman_jailed/A Seattle man who admitted using file-sharing programs to pinch personal information on 50 people as part of an ID theft scam has been jailed for four years.
Gregory Kopiloff, 35, pleaded guilty to mail fraud, computer hacking and aggravated identity theft offences at a hearing before the US District Court in Seattle in November. As part of a plea bargaining agreement, prosecutors dropped a second aggravated ID theft rap, an offence punishable on conviction by a mandatory two years behind bars in addition to any other sentence a convict might face.
Kopiloff used the P2P file-sharing program LimeWire to download tax and credit reports, bank statements and student financial aid applications unwisely offered up for sharing from the PCs of his victims. He also used conventional dumpster diving and mail theft techniques to build profiles of his marks.
Perhaps now would be a good time to ensure your not sharing anything that may give rise to this sort of criminal activity, although I,m sure most of you are fully aware of what is and what is not in your shared folders it never hurts to look.
