<s>
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
(	O
commonly	O
abbreviated	O
to	O
AA419	B-Application
)	O
is	O
an	O
Internet	O
consumer	O
protection	O
group	O
dedicated	O
to	O
identifying	O
and	O
shutting	O
down	O
419	O
scam	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
site	O
was	O
set	O
up	O
in	O
October	O
2003	O
and	O
began	O
tackling	O
fraudulent	O
websites	O
in	O
an	O
artistic	O
way	O
:	O
by	O
hotlinking	O
their	O
images	O
to	O
drain	O
their	O
small	O
bandwidth	O
allowance	O
over	O
their	O
monthly	O
limit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
30	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
the	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
hosted	O
its	O
first	O
international	O
flash-mobsee	O
below	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
many	O
subsequent	O
mobbings	O
designed	O
to	O
make	O
internet	O
hosting	O
service	O
providers	O
aware	O
that	O
the	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
would	O
not	O
tolerate	O
hosters	O
knowingly	O
hosting	O
websites	O
that	O
AA419	B-Application
had	O
evidence	O
to	O
show	O
were	O
criminal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AA419	B-Application
's	O
members	O
then	O
compose	O
abuse	O
reports	O
to	O
the	O
domain	B-Application
registrar	I-Application
and/or	O
hosting	O
service	O
provider	O
with	O
the	O
evidence	O
and	O
ask	O
for	O
them	O
to	O
review/suspend	O
the	O
fraudulent	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
UK	O
Metropolitan	O
Police	O
force	O
has	O
previously	O
worked	O
with	O
AA419	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
AA419	B-Application
also	O
escalates	O
any	O
websites	O
found	O
linked	O
to	O
South	O
Africa	O
to	O
the	O
South	O
African	O
Police	O
Service	O
(	O
SAPS	O
)	O
and	O
such	O
websites	O
will	O
only	O
be	O
reported	O
after	O
giving	O
those	O
authorities	O
the	O
chance	O
to	O
investigate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AA419	B-Application
maintains	O
constant	O
relations	O
with	O
numerous	O
internet	O
registrars	O
and	O
hosting	O
companies	O
,	O
who	O
themselves	O
have	O
no	O
wish	O
to	O
host	O
criminal	O
activity	O
and	O
cooperate	O
willingly	O
by	O
suspending	O
the	O
fraudulent	O
sites	O
once	O
the	O
evidence	O
is	O
presented	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
certain	O
companies	O
fail	O
to	O
respond	O
to	O
AA419	B-Application
's	O
abuse	O
reports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AA419	B-Application
described	O
its	O
past	O
actions	O
as	O
flash-mobbing	O
,	O
but	O
in	O
actuality	O
,	O
this	O
activity	O
is	O
called	O
a	O
virtual	O
sit-in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	O
sit-ins	O
were	O
achieved	O
using	O
freeware	B-License
tools	O
such	O
as	O
Muguito	B-Application
or	O
the	O
Lad	B-Application
Vampire	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
What	O
AA419	B-Application
describes	O
as	O
flash-mobbing	O
,	O
is	O
considered	O
by	O
others	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
illegal	O
electronic	O
offensive	O
called	O
a	O
Distributed	O
Denial-of-service	O
attack	O
(	O
DDoS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Legal	O
scholars	O
like	O
Susan	O
Brenner	O
,	O
a	O
law	O
professor	O
and	O
expert	O
on	O
cybercrime	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Dayton	O
School	O
of	O
Law	O
,	O
while	O
sympathetic	O
to	O
aa419	B-Application
's	O
aims	O
and	O
supportive	O
of	O
their	O
more	O
peaceable	O
efforts	O
,	O
find	O
these	O
aggressive	O
techniques	O
akin	O
to	O
DoS	O
attacks	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
illegal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
is	O
from	O
the	O
AA419	B-Application
web	O
site	O
,	O
discussing	O
the	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
Lad	B-Application
Vampire	I-Application
and	O
other	O
software	O
from	O
their	O
site	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
regular	O
viewers	O
will	O
have	O
noticed	O
,	O
the	O
Artists	O
discontinued	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Deadly	O
Duo	O
,	O
Mugito	O
and	O
Lad	B-Application
Vampire	I-Application
on	O
September	O
14	O
,	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
have	O
shut	O
down	O
over	O
95%	O
of	O
the	O
fakes	O
in	O
our	O
database	O
by	O
letter-writing	O
and	O
establishing	O
good	O
relationships	O
with	O
hosts	O
and	O
domain	B-Application
registrars	I-Application
,	O
and	O
so	O
we	O
believe	O
that	O
it	O
's	O
time	O
to	O
move	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
so	O
many	O
reputable	O
hosting	O
companies	O
supporting	O
the	O
work	O
of	O
AA419	B-Application
,	O
we	O
no	O
longer	O
need	O
the	O
pressure	O
tactics	O
that	O
worked	O
in	O
our	O
infancy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
not	O
to	O
say	O
that	O
AA419	B-Application
has	O
lost	O
its	O
teeth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
announced	O
change	O
of	O
direction	O
,	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
developed	O
new	O
legal	O
techniques	O
and	O
have	O
acquired	O
numerous	O
new	O
members	O
who	O
find	O
fraudulent	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
also	O
has	O
a	O
long-standing	O
partnership	O
with	O
the	O
prominent	O
scambaiting	O
community	O
419eater	O
and	O
allowed	O
members	O
of	O
this	O
organisation	O
to	O
upload	O
,	O
under	O
moderation	O
,	O
websites	O
to	O
their	O
database	O
of	O
fraudulent	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AA419	B-Application
is	O
constantly	O
developing	O
and	O
building	O
relationships	O
with	O
domain	B-Application
registrars	I-Application
,	O
hosting	O
companies	O
and	O
various	O
security	O
vendors	O
and	O
groups	O
while	O
being	O
a	O
long	O
term	O
Anti	O
Phishing	O
Working	O
Group	O
member	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
this	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
more	O
and	O
more	O
fraudulent	O
sites	O
are	O
being	O
found	O
now	O
,	O
a	O
limited	O
number	O
of	O
private	O
sector	O
companies	O
have	O
been	O
supported	O
by	O
AA419	B-Application
's	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
using	O
responsive	O
tactics	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
has	O
become	O
more	O
effective	O
under	O
its	O
new	O
method	O
of	O
operating	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
relationships	O
has	O
also	O
since	O
been	O
established	O
with	O
other	O
credible	O
anti-fraud	O
source	O
groups	O
such	O
as	O
ScamSurvivors	O
,	O
Forum	O
Scambaiter-Deutschland	O
and	O
RomanceScambaiter	O
who	O
use	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
's	O
database	O
to	O
warn	O
against	O
verified	O
malicious	O
domains	O
and	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
active	O
status	O
in	O
the	O
aa419	B-Application
database	O
has	O
a	O
very	O
specific	O
definition	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
domain	O
that	O
is	O
considered	O
still	O
under	O
malicious	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
January	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
database	O
also	O
reflects	O
separate	O
scam	O
category	O
,	O
autonomous	B-Architecture
system	I-Architecture
number	I-Architecture
(	O
ASN	O
)	O
and	O
domain	B-Application
name	I-Application
registrar	I-Application
fields	O
,	O
enabling	O
ISPs	O
and	O
registrars	O
to	O
easily	O
determine	O
which	O
sites	O
under	O
their	O
responsibility	O
have	O
been	O
listed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
24	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
also	O
announced	O
the	O
Krampus	O
program	O
whereby	O
information	O
on	O
cyber	O
threats	O
captured	O
at	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
is	O
being	O
shared	O
with	O
other	O
security	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
December	O
2020	O
,	O
Artists	B-Application
Against	I-Application
419	I-Application
also	O
started	O
displaying	O
the	O
top	O
three	O
most	O
Domain	B-Application
name	I-Application
registrars	I-Application
,	O
autonomous	B-Architecture
system	I-Architecture
numbers	I-Architecture
(	O
ASN	O
)	O
and	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
(	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
)	O
on	O
their	O
database	O
page	O
with	O
more	O
detailed	O
Top	O
10	O
Areas	O
of	O
Badness	O
available	O
on	O
a	O
separate	O
page	O
in	O
a	O
chart	O
.	O
</s>
