Andrew Stephens
I know how scammers think—because I used to be one of them.
From Notorious Spammer to Fraud Hunter
In the early 2000s, I was listed on Spamhaus's ROKSO registry—the Register of Known Spam Operations—as the creator of software used by many of the world's most prolific spammers and scammers. My work was documented in Brian Krebs's New York Times bestseller Spam Nation.
In 2013, I organized the STOPhaus operation—a coalition that launched what Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince called "the attack that almost broke the Internet." We took down Spamhaus with a 300+ Gbps DDoS attack, the largest ever recorded at the time. The collateral damage knocked out Netflix, disrupted European internet infrastructure, and overwhelmed Cloudflare's Anycast system. It made the New York Times.
I'm not proud of that chapter. But I understand the mindset, the technical infrastructure, and the evasion tactics from the inside—because I helped build them.
The Turn: Notable Cases & Work
I chose to change course—turning the skills I'd developed against the people who operate the way I once did.
LizardSquad / Sony PlayStation Network
Worked on tracking the group responsible for taking down Sony's PlayStation Network in one of the most high-profile hacks of its era.
The Snowden Files / The Intercept
Helped secure the Glenn Greenwald and Edward Snowden files that launched The Intercept.
Cambridge Analytica
Contributed to the investigation into election interference operations that became a global scandal.
Richard C. Tietjens (DoJ)
Helped track a major predator within the N.A.N.A.E. community, leading to one of the largest child pornography arrests in history—15TB seized.
Terrorism Financing
Spent nearly a year tracking sophisticated stolen credit card operations involving black market Apple hardware sales funding Islamic extremists in Afghanistan.
DoD Predator Tracking
Years tracking pedophiles for the Department of Defense at the U.S. Marine base in Okinawa, Japan.
CIA Infiltration of Anonymous
Tracked down CIA agents who infiltrated Anonymous—including Christine Anne Sands and John Anthony Fairhurst—and exposed them at The Million Mask March.
Constitutional Rights Auditing
Over a decade defending constitutional rights and homeless rights, including notable cases such as Kirby v. Hillsborough County (2025).
Top 5% U.S. Intelligence Assets
Ranked in the top 5% of U.S. Intelligence assets for 2014.
Why Consumer Fraud?
Now I use that experience to help ordinary people who've been victimized by online fraud. It's not as glamorous as tracking terrorists or exposing CIA operatives—but it matters to the people who've lost their money to scammers who think they're untouchable.
Most scammers count on victims giving up. They hide behind shell companies, fake names, and state lines—betting that the complexity will discourage pursuit. But I know every trick in the book, because I helped write it. And I know how to take them apart.
My decade of constitutional rights work taught me something important: the system is designed to make accountability difficult for regular people. The same skills I use to fight for civil rights—research, documentation, persistence, knowing the law—apply directly to fighting fraud. Whether it's a county violating the Constitution or a scammer stealing your money, the approach is the same: build an airtight case, document everything, and make them answer for it.
Ready to Fight Back?
Every case begins with a conversation. Tell me what happened, and I'll tell you what's possible.
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