Is Someone Stealing Your Internet Connection?

Thursday, August 11, 2005

(08/11/05 -- FAYETTEVILLE) -- Someone could be stealing your Internet service right now - - and you would never know it. Thieves are using wireless technology to help themselves to your connection.

Debra Hobbs never suspected the wireless router that links her desktop and laptop computer might give someone else a free ride. We showed her how easy it would be to use her connection.

"That's scary," Hobbs said. "I think we need to do something to get rid of the wireless or protect it somehow."

People around the nation are setting up wireless networks in their homes -- and the signals are spilling over into neighbor's homes and apartments. Some are password-protected and others are not, making it easy for people to log on for free.

"If you are a typical home user, someone could set out in your front yard of your house and surf the net all day long," Shawn Shepard, who runs Shepard Computer Service.

Police say the legality of pirating your neighbor's wireless network is a murky issue.

"It's a violation of general statutes, accessing the computer without the knowledge of the other person," said Detective Steve Bates, who works with the Fayetteville Police Department's fraud unit. He says the amount of money involved in the crime determines whether it is a felony or misdemeanor.

It's hard to tell if someone is stealing your connection. You may only notice if you are experiencing a slow connection because someone is hogging all of your bandwidth. Experts say you can get software to help secure your computer. But putting passwords on your network can be a complicated chore, so you might do well to pay an expert to do it for you.

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