Seattle man accused of using software to hack into victim's computers

A 34-year-old Seattle man has been accused of using peer-to-peer software to hack into other people's computers and steal personal information.

Federal prosecutors today charged Frederick Eugene Wood with wire fraud, unauthorized access to a computer and aggravated identity theft. He could face more than 20 years in prison if convicted.

Wood became a suspect after he allegedly tried to scam a buyer he met on Craigslist, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle.

According a news release, Wood met the buyer and sold him what he purported to be a new Apple laptop computer in a box. After the sale, the buyer found that the box contained only a book and a glass vase.

The buyer went back to Craigslist, found the seller in another ad, set up a purchase and notified police. Wood was arrested by a Seattle police officer posing as the buyer of another computer. As before, the box contained only a book and other items, federal authorities said.

Detectives reportedly found personal information from more than 120 people on Wood's computer, according to the news release. A computer analysis revealed that Wood had used the peer-to-peer file sharing program Limewire to access the information, which Wood then used to forge checks for purchases that included high-end electronics items, according to prosecutors.

Some of those items were later sold on Craigslist, the charges allege.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the investigation showed Wood was an associate of Gregory Kopiloff, who last spring was sentenced to more than four years in prison on similar charges.

Mike Carter: 206-464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com