Security News > 2023 > September > Security researcher stopped at US border for investigating crypto scam

Security researcher Sam Curry describes a stressful situation he encountered upon his return to the U.S. when border officials and federal agents seized and searched his electronic devices.
Why, you ask? All because his IP address landed in the logs of a crypto wallet associated with a phishing scam that Curry had earlier helped investigate as a part of his job-a scam that the feds were now investigating.
This week, ethical hacker and security researcher Sam Curry shared how he ended up being investigated by the feds, ironically simply for doing his investigative job.
Curry describes he had just returned to the U.S. from Japan when he was directed towards the secondary inspection area by officials from the IRS Criminal Investigation division and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that also oversees Customs & Border Protection.
It is worth noting, that Curry is an established web app security researcher in the field who has previously discovered and responsibly reported flaws in the APIs of Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, among other automotive companies.
The researcher has earlier identified security vulnerabilities in airline rewards program systems that allowed snatching "Unlimited" air miles.
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