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Mr. 0x1
Mr. 0x1

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🎯 Dear Scammers: You Picked the Wrong Developer

The Message That Started It All

Yesterday, I received this gem:

Amazon Safety Recall Notification

Dear Amazon Customer, the product you purchased in Oct 2025 (Order Number: 112-4725343-5258772) does not meet Amazon's standards and has been included in the recall list. For your safety, please stop using the product immediately and visit the following link for more details and to request a full refund: https://cutt.ly/tr8MrjPI?VJHH=apbxOp

My first thought? "Oh honey... you have NO idea who you just texted."

My second thought? "Let me show you what happens when you target someone who has SubFinder installed."

📢 A Message to All Scammers Reading This

Welcome to 2025. This isn't 2015 anymore. You can't just register a domain, spin up nginx, get a Let's Encrypt cert, and think you're untouchable.

We have:

  • SubFinder enumerating all 40 of your subdomains in seconds
  • VirusTotal APIs analyzing your infrastructure in real-time
  • AbuseIPDB tracking your hosting reputation
  • Automated threat intelligence that works faster than you can say "exit scam"

You tried to scam someone who writes Python scripts for fun. Someone who has API keys to every major threat intel platform. Someone who knows that dig +trace exists.

You. Chose. Poorly.

⚡ How I Hunted You Down (In Real Time)

Step 1: URL Decode (5 seconds) 

curl -Ls -o /dev/null -w %{url_effective} 'https://cutt.ly/tr8MrjPI?VJHH=apbxOp'
# Output: https://important.hazard.pics/
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Cool domain bro. Let's see what else you've got.

Step 2: Subdomain Enumeration (30 seconds) 

subfinder -d hazard.pics -silent -o subdomains.txt
# Result: 40 subdomains discovered
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Wait... FORTY subdomains? You went full professional scammer mode with important., payment., national., celebrate. subdomains? Someone watched too many YouTube tutorials.

Step 3: Infrastructure Mapping (2 minutes) 

dig important.hazard.pics +short
# 172.81.133.196

whois 172.81.133.196
# Organization: DataWagon LLC, Buffalo, NY
# Abuse Contact: abuse@datawagon.com
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And just like that, I found your hosting provider. You put all 40 subdomains on ONE IP ADDRESS.

Single point of failure = Single abuse report.

Step 4: SSL Certificate Analysis (1 minute) 

openssl s_client -servername important.hazard.pics -connect 172.81.133.196:443
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Let's Encrypt certificate issued October 16, 2025. Domain registered October 16, 2025.

Your infrastructure is 13 days old. Fresh AF. No reputation. No trust. Just vibes and crime.

Step 5: Port Scanning (2 minutes) 

nmap -sV -p 80,443,8080,8443 172.81.133.196
# 80/tcp   open  http     nginx
# 443/tcp  open  ssl/http nginx
# 8080/tcp open  http-proxy
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nginx, HTTP/2, HTTP/3 support. Valid SSL cert. Professional setup.

You're not some script kiddie. You invested time in this. Which makes it even more satisfying to tear down.

🚨 The Threat Intelligence Goldmine

But wait, there's more. I wrote a Python script that queries:

  • VirusTotal (domain, IP, URL reputation)
  • AbuseIPDB (IP abuse scoring)
  • URLhaus (malicious URL database)
  • Shodan (optional, for the rich kids)

Results? Chef's kiss 👨‍🍳

Your "Clean" Infrastructure 

{
  "hazard.pics": {
    "virustotal": {
      "malicious": 0,
      "suspicious": 0,
      "undetected": 95
    }
  },
  "172.81.133.196": {
    "abuseipdb": {
      "abuse_confidence_score": 0,
      "total_reports": 0
    }
  }
}
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Zero detections. Zero abuse reports. Because you're too new.

But here's the kicker - I submitted your URLs to VirusTotal. Within 24-48 hours, 90+ security vendors will analyze your site. Every browser with Safe Browsing will flag you. Every corporate firewall will block you.

Your infrastructure has an expiration date, and it's measured in hours.

📊 The Beautiful Part: Automation

I packaged everything into a GitHub repo with:

  • Full intelligence report (8.4KB of your sins documented)
  • Automated threat intel enrichment script
  • Takedown action guide with all abuse contacts
  • Complete IoC list ready for submission 
# enrich_intel.py - One command to rule them all
python3 enrich_intel.py

# Output:
# ✓ 40 subdomains enumerated
# ✓ All IPs analyzed
# ✓ URLs submitted to VirusTotal
# ✓ Reports generated
# ✓ Your career as a scammer: REKT
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🎯 The Takedown Playbook

Priority 1: Hosting Provider

To: abuse@datawagon.com
Subject: URGENT - Phishing Infrastructure on 172.81.133.196

Dear DataWagon,

One of your IPs is hosting an Amazon impersonation scam.
Attached: Full intelligence report with 40 malicious subdomains.

Action requested: Immediate suspension.

Regards,
Someone who knows how to use nmap
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Priority 2: Domain Registrar

To: abuse@namesilo.com
Subject: Domain Suspension Request - hazard.pics

This domain (13 days old) is used for phishing.
Evidence: Attached.

Sincerely,
The wrong person to scam
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Expected timeline: Your entire operation will be offline in 24-72 hours.

🧠 What You Did Wrong (Free Consulting)

  1. Single IP for all infrastructure - One abuse report = total shutdown
  2. Fresh domain with zero reputation - Screams "scam"
  3. No geographic distribution - All eggs, one basket
  4. Targeted someone technical - The fatal mistake
  5. Left WHOIS data public - Amateur hour
  6. Used free tier hosting - DataWagon will drop you instantly
  7. Thought 2025 was still 2015 - Wake up, tools evolved

💡 The New Era of Cyber Defense

Here's what changed:

Then (2015):

  • Manual investigation
  • Slow reporting processes
  • Weeks to months for takedowns
  • Limited threat intelligence

Now (2025):

  • Automated reconnaissance (SubFinder, amass, httpx)
  • Real-time threat APIs (VirusTotal, AbuseIPDB, Shodan)
  • One-command infrastructure mapping
  • Coordinated takedowns in hours
  • Open-source intelligence tools everywhere
  • Developers with Python scripts and free time

You tried to run a 2015 playbook in 2025. That's why you lost.

🛠️ My Arsenal (All Open Source)

Here's what took you down:

# Recon
subfinder  # Subdomain enumeration
dig        # DNS queries
whois      # Domain/IP intelligence
nmap       # Port scanning
openssl    # SSL certificate analysis

# Threat Intel
VirusTotal API  # Free tier: 500/day
AbuseIPDB API   # Free tier: 1,000/day
URLhaus API     # Unlimited, no key needed

# Automation
Python + requests
python-dotenv for API keys
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Total cost: $0

Total time: 2 hours

Your infrastructure lifespan: ~48 hours

📈 The Data Shows No Mercy

Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)

  • Domain: hazard.pics
  • Subdomains: 40 active (all enumerated)
  • IP: 172.81.133.196 (DataWagon LLC)
  • SSL: Let's Encrypt (valid until Jan 2026, won't matter)
  • Status: Submitted to all major threat databases

Current Reputation

  • VirusTotal: 0 detections (too new)
  • AbuseIPDB: 0 reports (too new)
  • URLhaus: Not in database (too new)

48 Hours From Now

  • VirusTotal: 20-40+ vendor detections (predicted)
  • AbuseIPDB: Multiple abuse reports
  • URLhaus: Flagged as phishing
  • Hosting: Suspended
  • Domain: Seized or suspended

This is the lifecycle of stupid scams in 2025.

💬 A Special Message to Script Kiddies

To everyone out there running phishing kits, fake stores, and "easy money" schemes:

You're not anonymous. You're not clever. You're just lazy.

Every VPS you rent leaves a trail. Every domain you register is logged. Every certificate you issue is public. Every connection you make is monitored.

And now, every developer you target might:

  • Have API keys to threat intel platforms
  • Know how to write Python
  • Have free time and spite as motivation
  • Document your entire infrastructure
  • Submit it to every abuse database on the internet

We're not your victims. We're your worst case scenario.

🎓 For Security Researchers: Reproduce This

Want to try this yourself? Here's the methodology:

1. Set Up Your Tools 

# Install reconnaissance tools
go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/subfinder/v2/cmd/subfinder@latest

# Install Python dependencies
pip install requests python-dotenv

# Get free API keys
# VirusTotal: https://www.virustotal.com/gui/join-us
# AbuseIPDB: https://www.abuseipdb.com/register
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2. Create Your Script 

import requests
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

def check_domain(domain):
    vt_key = os.getenv('VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY')
    url = f"https://www.virustotal.com/api/v3/domains/{domain}"
    headers = {"x-apikey": vt_key}

    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    return response.json()

# Now automate everything
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3. Document Everything

  • Keep timestamped logs
  • Save all JSON responses
  • Screenshot everything
  • Create markdown reports

4. Report Responsibly

  • Contact hosting providers
  • Submit to threat databases
  • Share IoCs with the community
  • Don't doxx the scammer (leave that to law enforcement)

🏆 The Scoreboard

Scammer's Investment:

  • Domain registration: $10
  • VPS hosting: $5/month
  • SSL certificate: Free (Let's Encrypt)
  • Time to setup: ~4 hours
  • Total: $15 + 4 hours

My Investment:

  • Reconnaissance time: 2 hours
  • API costs: $0 (free tiers)
  • Satisfaction: Priceless

Scammer's Loss:

  • Hosting suspended: $5
  • Domain burned: $10
  • Infrastructure unusable: Everything
  • Reputation destroyed: Career
  • Total: Your entire operation + ego

🔮 The Future is Bright (For Us)

This is just the beginning. Coming soon:

  • AI-powered phishing detection
  • Real-time blockchain analysis for crypto scams
  • Automated OSINT pipelines
  • Community threat sharing networks
  • Browser extensions that query threat APIs in real-time

Every tool we build makes your job harder. Every API we integrate makes you more visible. Every script we share makes you more vulnerable.

⚡ The Final Word

Dear scammer who sent me that text,

Thank you. You gave me:

  • A fun technical exercise
  • Content for this article
  • Proof that stupid scams die fast in 2025
  • Motivation to write better security tools

In return, I gave you:

  • Your entire infrastructure mapped
  • Your hosting provider's abuse email
  • 90+ security vendors analyzing your site
  • This article as a warning to others

You tried to steal $50 from me. I took your entire operation.

To other scammers reading this: Choose your targets more carefully.

To developers, security researchers, and the technically inclined: We are the immune system of the internet. Let's keep hunting.

🛠️ Resources & Tools

My Arsenal:

Learn More:

My Approach:
Full investigation write-up (sanitized): [Available on request]

📝 Lessons Learned

For Defenders:

  1. Automate everything
  2. Use free threat intelligence APIs
  3. Document your findings
  4. Share IoCs with the community
  5. Report to hosting providers immediately

For Scammers:

  1. Don't
  2. Seriously, don't
  3. Get a real job
  4. Learn to code (legally)
  5. If you ignore 1-4, at least don't target developers

🌟 The Takeaway

We live in an era where:

  • A single Python script can map your entire infrastructure
  • Free API keys give anyone access to enterprise threat intelligence
  • Open-source tools rival commercial security suites
  • One pissed-off developer can dismantle your operation in an afternoon

Stupid scammers will be identified faster than ever before.

And if you target someone who codes for fun?

GG. You played yourself.

🤝 Connect & Collaborate

If you're working on similar security research or want to share threat intelligence, let's connect. The more we share, the faster scams die.

Remember: Don't be evil. Use your powers for good. And always, always check who you're trying to scam.

To the scammer: If you're reading this, I hope you learned something. Your next career should involve fewer crimes and more legitimate code.

To everyone else: Stay safe out there. And if you get a suspicious text? Maybe check if it's a learning opportunity first. 😈

Disclaimer: All techniques described are for educational and defensive purposes only. Always report cybercrime to appropriate authorities. Never engage in illegal activities.

No scammers were harmed in the making of this article. But their infrastructure was thoroughly destroyed.

#CyberSecurity #ThreatIntelligence #Python #DevLife #DontScamDevelopers #1337

Top comments (4)

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anchildress1 profile image
Ashley Childress •

I love this! I have this exact same reaction any time something similar falls in my lap. Now I have a few new ideas, so thanks for that! 🤣

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serafimsanvol profile image
Andrii •

Wow, that's awesome. This is the real feature that Gmail or Outlook should provide to customers instead of AI slop (I would even pay for that)! Can you write a similar article about phishing emails? I think it will also be a hit

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cyber8080 profile image
Cyber Safety Zone •

This hits home! 👏
I recently got a “collaboration” email from someone claiming to be Mike from Monkey Digital, offering a 35% affiliate deal if I promoted their SEO tools — but it linked to a WhatsApp chat instead of an actual platform. Huge red flag.

It’s wild how scammers keep trying to exploit developers and bloggers with fake “business” pitches. Appreciate you sharing this — the more we talk about these tactics, the harder it gets for scammers to trick people. 💪

Stay sharp, devs — always verify before clicking anything. 🛡️

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xwero profile image
david duymelinck •

I didn't know some of the tools, so thank you for pointing them out.

The sad thing is not everyone is as vigilant about scams. People still buy memecoins, while people should know by now there is no value in virtual things.
On a smaller scale we all still fall for marketing when buying name branded products instead of going for the products that offer the best value.
The fields of sociology and psychology can be used as weapons and people should be taught how to spot when that happens. How they react is up to them.