information - rikky.net's founder and background

Richard [3rd], (born October '84), otherwise known by a closely knit crew of once social-engineering clan and selective friends in the real world as 'rikky', he is a well known and somewhat long-in-the-tooth art, graphics and computer guru, former internet fraudster and cracker, and has more recently in life built a positive reputation for his automotive side of things.

Born in Stockport (UK) in the early 80's, 'rikky' grew up knowing art and computers would be his lifelong ambition and career in life, but didn't realise quite the extraordinary amounts of trouble or drama it could land him in.

Although focused on computers and the art side of things in school, it was not long before 'rikky' was banned indefinitely from his IT and business classes for network tampering and "being a threat to the school's LAN". His alter-ego at night, whereby he lived life as a nocturnal website defacer, social engineering star and wirefraud master, was starting to get in the way of his education which in turn would be the spiralling downfall of him.

After regularly skipping school to play on games consoles and dig deeper into this obsession, it wasn't long before 'rikky' had dropped out of the idea of college to pursue his full time sleep-days-work-nights second life as a ringmaster of this shady scene - being dragged deeper and deeper into a dark world of systematic fraud, domain abuse, account theft, then turning his focus to coding computer viruses and third party software for tampering with security and account systems at various big name ISP's, as well as exploiting websites and message boards 'for kicks'.

Back then, huddled over a makeshift Linux system, a retro Mac OS machine, a pair of Windows 2000 raid boxes and Dell laptop in his 'hideaway', it seemed his lifestyle was untouchable - running marathon all night hacking sessions and sleeping during the day. Years later, with relatively little to show for what had been achieved - other than scattered text files of information and screenshots across computers - news of Visa, assorted agencies and security departments being onto him and his friends emerged. Hearing of one friends' run-in with a similar security department and throwing all of his computer equipment in the local Canal, it was time to call it quits and do something positive.

Eight years later, and though free from any negative spotlight, 'rikky' is still in close contact with his former 'buddies' but for all the right reasons. Diverting his attention more to the car-sides of things, 'rikky' now runs what seems to be a 'chop shop' and backstreet vehicle tuning and motorsport-prep garage in the suburbs of Manchester as a night-job, coupled with making a living [legally] with graphics and continuing to modify and alter his own rikky.net website.

* Note: 'rikky' of rikky.net is not to be confused with the owner of rikky.com, who refused to use his own domain and proceeded to let a domain-whoring company snap it up and attempt numerous times per year to try to get rikky.net to buy it.

'rikky' is contactable via email at rikky [at] rikky.net.

you what?

"If you're not living life at the edge, then you're wasting too much space."

links/sites


CG Talk Digital


Damon's site


Firebox.com


The Smoking Gun


The Register


Zug.com

To discuss having your site
here, please contact me.
rikky [at] rikky.net