AP thread 872.6 - Statement ITT

[Victor]

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el d,

it's surprising *how many* sources I have and how much completely irrelevant factoids I know about completely random Canadian Indians at this point.

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adanthar, can you just tell us whats really going on?

[El Diablo]

All,

Unfortunately, like I've said for a while, the main result here is that people here can pat themselves on the back and say "awesome, we really showed them!" while nothing actually changes at all except maybe a short-term dip in Absolute's revenues.

On the plus side, at least it resulted in the people who got cheated by this one specific account getting their money back, so it definitely wasn't for nothing and definitely had a tangible positive result.

But in terms of long-term impact, none of this really matters at all.

[gumpzilla]

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kawanahke is actually (*now*) legitimate and will remain that way from this point on.

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Does this mean that they're going to be shutting Absolute down? I'm really hoping that's how this comes to pass. If KGC decides not to do much about it, then it seems like trouble, because I'm not sure people are going to want to take a hammer to KGC since that would affect pretty much all of the sites. EDIT: Barring that, I tend to agree with El D.

[gobbomom]

seems to me that if they wanted to pursue it, the Canadians have a pretty good breach of contract suit here.

[teddyFBI]

p.s. I, too think that the compensation the aggrieved players get from Absolute should be > 100% of the lost funds, but I really think we're exerting our energies inefficiently in trying to come up with a high-brow algorithm to derive a "logical" figure. I propose that we simply each get 150% of the amounts we lost to the cheaters. Simple, easy, and a reasonable premium.

[helemaalnicks]

isn't gaming associates on the case? They seem like a nice third party...

[El Diablo]

All,

Here's what has happened here.

There has been damning, widespread evidence of systematic internal fraud by Absolute.

A few people have worked very hard to get this exposed.

And the main result of all this is "OOPS, SORRY GUYS!"

That's the beauty of unregulated offshore cash cow businesses.

[gobbomom]

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p.s. I, too think that the compensation the aggrieved players get from Absolute should be > 100% of the lost funds, but I really think we're exerting our energies inefficiently in trying to come up with a high-brow algorithm to derive a "logical" figure. I propose that we simply each get 150% of the amounts we lost to the cheaters. Simple, easy, and a reasonable premium.

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lol Teddy. What makes you think for even a nano-second that YOU get to set any terms here? I'm sorry, but you're dreaming.

[TheTruthSpeaks]

This is outrageous to say the least.

We need to use every avenue possible to bring this company down.

These criminals need to pay for their crimes, we can not let them go unpunished.


CAN ANYONE GET A COPY OF ALL ABSOLUTE'S CUSTOMERS E-MAIL ADDRESSES LEAKED TO THEM?

We have to use ANY means possible to get the word out.

[KurtSF]

I have dissected the AP statement. All bolding is done by me for emphasis.


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Dear AP Player:

I am the former Grand Chief of the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake and the owner of Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG, which holds a 100% interest in Absolute Poker.

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And a 100% interest in the KGC. And a 100% interest in MIT.

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As many of our players are aware, there has been a security breach in our system that allowed unlawful access to player information that resulted in unfair play.

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Admission that this was a criminal act.

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I am writing to you today to let you know what we know so far in order to set the record straight, and to assure you of AP’s commitment to player security. I am sure that this letter will not address all of the questions and concerns you may have, nor will it extinguish the heated discussion surrounding this issue. At this point, our intention is to let you know all we can disclose and to assure you of our continued efforts to keep you informed as best we can as the investigations continue.

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Bolded statement is clearly included to discredit any further discussion of this statement and create the impression that their story is the truth in the larger player community and in the mass media.

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We deeply regret this situation has occurred. A breach in security in online poker is serious and of great concern to players and the industry worldwide, and this particular situation has been the subject of debate within the poker player community and in the media, giving rise to the creation of several websites and hundreds and hundreds of comments, opinions, and theories of what occurred – some of which are accurate, and some that are not.

Like you, I have not been happy that during the initial stage of our investigation, AP has not been more forthcoming in providing a timely or comprehensive explanation on this matter, giving rise to anger, suspicion, and concern on the part of our valued customers. I hope that our customers can appreciate that this remains an incredibly complex and sensitive issue, and I want to give you my strongest possible assurance that we will be as forthcoming as possible on how this breach occurred and what we are doing to remedy the situation.

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Not been more forthcoming? Is that what you call repeatedly lying to customers and media over the course of months? It is fact that AP tried to cover this up. It is not "less than forthcoming". It is not incompetence. It is a coverup, a snowjob, a deliberate attempt to obfuscate the issue and those involved.

Regarding the second part, either Joe Norton is being lied to and telling us what he erroneously believes to be the truth, or this is just another blatant lie in AP arsenal of lies. Nothing AP ever says should ever be given credence again. Further, Joe Norton should be contacted directly and made aware that the information he is disseminating lies and misinformation. I can only hope that he holds some higher allegiance to his tribe and will put pressure on AP in order to save the integrity of his tribe.

[ QUOTE ]
What We Know and Actions We Have Taken

AP was notified by a customer that a possible cheating incident occurred during a recent tournament, and in response forwarded players’ hand logs. This disclosure of the hand logs prompted our customers to determine that a more serious security breach had occurred. We immediately launched an internal investigation and also requested a formal audit by Gaming Associates, an acknowledged world-wide expert in audits, interactive gaming tests, and information security.

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This statement ignores the month long investigation AP carried on into the cheating before the POTRIPPER HHs were leaked. Again, wether Joe Norton is being lied to, or he is lying himself, as this statement is outright false in that it ignores the fact that AP was notified of the cheating weeks before said tournament became the focal point.

Regarding the second point: (1) who is "we"? Is it Tokwiro Enterprises or AP? (2) There was, according to statements by AP, an open and ongoing investigation at the time. This statement is also false because AP can neither identify when an investigation began or even provide a lick of evidence that ANY "investigation" ever occurred. This continues to contradict what we know, their story keeps changing, and I expect it will continue to keep changing.

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Based upon our preliminary findings, it appears that the integrity of our poker system was compromised by a high-ranking trusted consultant employed by AP whose position gave him extraordinary access to certain security systems. As has been speculated in several online forums, this consultant devised a sophisticated scheme to manipulate internal systems to access third-party computers and accounts to view hole cards of other customers during play without their knowledge. As this consultant was aware of the details of our fraud detection process, the likelihood that the scheme would be uncovered through our normal procedures was minimized. We consider this security breach to be a horrendous and inexcusable offense.

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Occam's Razor will have a nice time shredding this story. This "consultant" is going to be ins o many countries, in so many location, in so many accounts, that it will ridiculous. On the one hand I want to see AP try to piece this together and put out the "story" so that we can prove it wrong. But on the other hand its in their best interest to hide any details, so I expect we will never get more information than is contained here. Essentially "yeah, that one guy did it all, everything you said, he did" without any corroborating details.

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We will pay for all losses suffered by the affected players as soon as our audit is finished and the amounts are determined. Although we are in the process of attempting to recover all the winnings of this consultant, any unrecovered losses of affected players will be paid by Absolute Poker so that all affected persons will be made whole.

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Good on them for making repayments to players. This is necessary.

However the bolded portion above directly contradicts their previous statements to MSNBC and ABC News. I wonder how those journalist would feel when they find out there were lied to? Because they will find out.

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Next Steps

We are still investigating whether the consultant was acting alone or in concert with others, and it appears at this time that all account holders are innocent of collusion and were unaware of any wrong-doing by the consultant, who was immediately terminated.

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Many problems here. First, none of the account holders were ever accused of collusion, so this is a meaning less statement. Can AP prove that Scott Tom and AJ Green have never logged into AP within the last 3 months? Because if they can't, then obviously the account holders were in fact aware of the wrongdoing.

And last, the consultant was terminated? Why weren't charges filed? AP itself (its owner anyway) admits these acts were unlawful. If charges are not pressed AP, Tokwiro Enterprises, and Joe Norton are complicit in allowing the cheating to go unpunished.

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We continue to investigate this matter aggressively, and all of these preliminary findings are subject to the audits currently underway. We have recently uncovered additional accounts used by the consultant that have not been publicly reported. So as to not compromise the investigation, we are not releasing the names of these additional accounts at this time, and will contact these affected customers individually.

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Good. We need a timeframe for the audits. We need transparency. And we need evidence, not just conclusions.

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The specific allegations of unlawful activity are being investigated both by AP and by the authorized authorities, including the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

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I want this to be perfectly clear. Tokwinro Enterprises is a 100% owner of Absolute Poker and is also the owner of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. They are "investigating" themselves.

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We will continue to actively cooperate with these authorities in full compliance with the Regulations Concerning Interactive Gaming. In addition to our own investigation and the audit by Gaming Associates, we have also submitted to an audit by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

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Please be assured that we have corrected the problem that allowed the system to be unfairly manipulated. We are working furiously to increase the safeguards within our systems. While we are satisfied that our systems are secured, we realize that our security systems must be continuously monitored and enhanced.

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My apologies if I'm not assured that the problem has been "corrected". These are the same people who were given the exact account names and hands that were involved in the cheating and couldn't find anything in a month long investigation. And now, virtually overnight, they solved the problem? This is laughable, and appears to be just another baseless statement in the coverup of this scandal.

And yes, you system do need to be monitored and enhanced. You must bring in outside experts. Try one of the big consulting firms. This will go a long way to restoring confidence.

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Without question, this incident has been unfortunate for all concerned, and we will emerge as a stronger company. I realize it will take some time and much more information for AP to re-earn the trust and confidence of our customers who are in doubt of our commitment to the highest levels of security, privacy and integrity. As we move to address and correct this situation, our valued customers have played a vital role in uncovering this scheme through various online forums and have become an active part of the solution.

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This statement is filled with lies and only continues the cover up, and does nothing to restore consumer confidence and trust.

More transparency. More openness. More audits. More independent observers. You can come out of this, but furthering the snowjob is not the way.

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With my full sincerity, I thank you, and I promise to keep you updated as we bring this situation to a close.

Sincerely,

Joe Norton

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With my full sincerity, I tell you Joe Norton you are being lied to if you believe the things in your statement. We want safe games, the same as you. Please help us.