are there really sites to hire hackers

Introduction：

1、Why You Should Hire ❙ints Hackers✩o Book Your Next Flight

2、What's being done about 'murder-for-hire' sites on the dark web, and how dangerous are they？

Why You Should Hire ❙ints Hackers✩o Book Your Next Flight ♂

　　If you’re more of a D.I.Y. type who just wants a little guidance, consider the . Founded by established miles guru Chris Guillebeau, the collective sells hacking advice in three tiers: Economy ($12.50/month), Business ($20.83/month), and First Class ($32.50/month). A subscription grants users access to deal alerts, how-to articles, an insider newsletter, and, with the First Class subscription, assistance with travel bookings. The biggest difference with THC is that its services are designed to help members understand the complex redemption process and empower them to practice the tricks of the hacking trade on their own.

　　To get a better sense of how these companies work, I issued each of them the same real-life challenge: my partner and I are planning to fly one way from the East Coast (JFK or EWR) to Bangkok (BKK) in mid-January. Dates are flexible but we prefer one layover, max. We typically fly economy but have 200,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points to burn. Oh, and we travel with two small dogs, whom we prefer ride in-cabin.

　　The hackers’ strategies in tackling this problem were fascinating—and their findings impressive. FlightFox first turned its attention to the dogs, as there are many airline restrictions regarding carry-on versus cargo and even what breeds are permitted to fly. Next, it focused on our 200,000 UR points and how they might be used. “Chase values points at 1.25 cents, but we can extract a lot more value,” says FlightFox’s founder Todd Sullivan, whose immediate thoughts went to Singapore Airlines’ Suites Class (retail value: $15,000). He also presented alternative options, including Singapore business class and All Nippon Air. (Alas, pets are not permitted in-cabin on Singapore flights unless they are service animals.)

　　Mike of I Fly With Miles suggested transferring the UR points to United Airlines and booking a combination of United or a Star Alliance partner to get to BKK with one-stop. He wasn’t sure of the carry-on restrictions for taking a pet, however, adding that, “After I book the flight, I leave it up to the client to decide what they bring."

　　Savanti Travel and Juicy Miles, meanwhile, both zeroed in on a Korean Air option that would require 75,000 UR points, per person, for a one-way business-class ticket. With taxes, it’d come to $65.27 per traveler—a remarkable deal. Plus, Korean Air allows small pets to travel in-cabin for $200 a piece. (Morvitz also recommended alternative routing options via Virgin Atlantic and United, noting that in order to use the Korean Air redemption, the travel companions must be family members—a Korean Air rule. A very good catch, as this could be problematic for unmarried partners or people traveling with friends or colleagues.)

　　When the Travel Hacking Cartel tackled the same challenge, concierge Nico walked me through his step-by-step process, explaining how he checked the routing, examined the transfer partners and possibilities, researched the mileage cost options, searched availability, and checked each airline pet policy individually. When all was said and done, Nico arrived at the same conclusion as Savanti and Juicy Miles: Korean Air was the way to go.

　　Travelers who are new to points might balk at using so many points on a one-way flight, but every hacker I spoke with discouraged hoarding them. “In the hacking lobby, we never recommend holding on to points,” says Morvitz. “They are constantly under attack and risk being devalued.”

　　Well, what about flying economy instead, I asked? In my case, a cursory search on Google Flights turned up a few JFK-BKK one-stop tickets for under $500 a piece. Morvitz put it this way: “The options are to spend $952 to $1,748 out of pocket [for two tickets] and fly 23 to 32 hours in economy...or spend next to nothing and fly in business class with lie-flat seats, gourmet meals, enhanced entertainment, free baggage, pajamas, amenity kits, and more.” In his opinion, if you’re flying more than 12 hours, you gain very little by not redeeming the points. “The whole ‘point’ of the points game is to earn and burn.”

What's being done about 'murder-for-hire' sites on the dark web, and how dangerous are they？ ♂

　　At some point in our lives most of us have done something to upset someone.

　　That person might have responded by politely asking you not to do it again, or they may have decided life is too short and simply let it go.

　　If you're lucky they won't have responded by paying a hitman thousands of pounds to have you killed.

　　Alexis was 19 when she received a call from the police in her hometown in the United States in 2018.

　　The officer told her to come to the station immediately for a conversation that would change her life forever.

　　"They asked if I had p****d anyone off and I said 'no, I don't think so'... then they said someone had paid a couple of grand to put a hit out on me."

　　Alexis, whose surname we are not reporting to protect her identity, was understandably left wondering why somebody would want to have her killed, and on top of that - who did she know that had access to a hitman?

　　However, it turns out whoever it was didn't need to go to the effort of making contacts in the mafia or violent street gangs.

　　Finding a hitman was apparently much easier than that.

　　This person had simply fired up their laptop and accessed a dangerous online space where criminals can remain anonymous as they operate outside the law.

　　It is known as the "dark web".

　　The hidden underbelly of the internet allows people to buy and sell drugs and weapons, watch illegal pornography and even hire hackers to target individuals or businesses.

　　There is also a disturbing amount of apparent "murder-for-hire" sites offering hitman services in exchange for cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.

　　An anonymous dark web user had logged on to a site called Camorra Hitman and made a Bitcoin transaction worth $5,770 (around £4,800) to have Alexis kidnapped and murdered.

　　Camorra Hitman is no longer running but dozens of sites claiming to offer the same services are still operating on the dark web.

　　'Contract murder from $15,000'

　　Sky News contacted several of these websites to see if they would put someone forward for interview to discuss their operations.

　　None of the websites responded.

　　A couple of the sites feature images of people who appear to have been killed in knife attacks or road accidents. It's not clear if the photographs are real or genuinely linked to the services the websites claim to offer.

　　One site, which we have chosen not to name, claims to offer "contract murder" from $15,000 (£12,600) and "beatings" from $2,000 (£1,600).

　　Dark web users provide personal details of people they want killed

　　Chris Monteiro is a UK-based hacker and dark web vigilante who gains access to transactions between buyers and sellers on these sites.

　　He then passes the information on to law enforcement agencies in the UK and abroad.

　　In fact, it was Mr Monteiro who tipped off police in the United States about the hit on Alexis.

　　"Over several years I have encountered thousands of legitimate murder plots," he said.

　　"People are going to these sites and providing details of the person they want killed, such as where they work, where they live and how much they're willing to pay."

　　'I had a knife on me'

　　However, over the years Mr Monteiro discovered the websites he had been hacking into were not what they seemed to be.

　　The ones he had accessed were not real - and all investigations into "murder-for-hire" websites have found them to be fake.

　　And thankfully for Alexis, this includes the one used by her would-be perpetrator.

　　But whether the site was real or not, there was still someone out there who had used it with the intention of ending her life.

　　"I was a little scared at first... I had pepper spray on me. I had a knife on me. I had a plank of wood in my car in case someone attacked me. So life was very different."