4 Students Arrested in Computer Scam

Sheriff’s deputies arrested four Moorpark High School students on suspicion of illegally downloading credit card numbers and using them, authorities said.

The youths, who live in Moorpark and whose ages range from 15 to 17, were arrested Thursday at their homes and taken to juvenile hall.

Two of the youths were released, deputies said.

Authorities said they were alerted to the computer scam after a substitute teacher found a student with a list of hundreds of credit card numbers.

The students obtained the numbers from the Internet and were using them to set up false America On-Line accounts, shop on the Internet for a camcorder and download pornography and pirated computer games, deputies said.

The students were using computers at home and school to conduct their illegal activities, authorities said.

Police also suspect that the students were involved in the theft of a $1,900 laptop computer used by a disabled student and a $900 CD-ROM containing yearbook photographs of all students on campus. The laptop was recovered, authorities said, but deputies are still looking for the CD-ROM.

Authorities said the students confessed to the crimes. All four are charged with computer access fraud--a felony--and two students are also charged with theft, deputies said.