Latest's News with:
Internet / Identity Theft / Credit Cards Fraud
January 19, 2008 - IRS Warns of Scams To Steal Data
With Offer of Tax Rebate
Source: WashingtonPost News:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/30/AR2008013002413.html
March 25, 2007 - An Identity Theft Nightmare
Victim Still Battling His Creditors Four Years LaterAlmost 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft last year. And the recent revelation of a major security breach at the private data broker ChoicePoint has focused even more attention on the growing problem
Source: CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/25/eveningnews/consumer/main676597.shtml
March 17, 2007 - CID warns of identity theft by keylogging
Soldiers with Thrift Savings Plan accounts could be in danger of having their
personal account information stolen from their home computers, according to
an Army Criminal Investigation Command press release.
TSP — a popular savings plan used by all branches of the U.S. military — recently issued an alert warning its customers to guard against becoming victims of “keylogging,” a tactic cyber-criminals are using to capture a computer user’s TSP personal identification number or other personal information such as a Social Security number, the release said.
Keylogging is a diagnostic tool used in software development that captures a user’s keystrokes, but in the wrong hands, it enables criminals to record all the typing on a keyboard without the user’s knowledge, the release said.
Source: Marine corps times http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/03/atCID070315/
March 6, 2007 - Study: Identity theft keeps climbing
The rate of identity theft-related fraud has risen sharply since 2003, a report from research firm Gartner suggests.
Gartner's study, released Tuesday, shows that from mid-2005 until mid-2006, about 15 million Americans were victims of fraud that stemmed from identity theft, an increase of more than 50 percent from the estimated 9.9 million in 2003.
...
"Hackers are exploiting Internet auctions, non-regulated money transmittal systems, the ability to impersonate lottery and sweepstake contests, and other types of imaginative scams," Gartner analyst Avivah Litan said in a statement.
Source: CNET News.com http://news.com.com/Study+Identity+theft+keeps+climbing/2100-1029_3-6164765.html
February 8, 2007 - 6
charged in identity theft involving Bellevue firms
An identity-theft ring that had insiders at a Bellevue mortgage company and a Bellevue escrow company provide stolen customer information resulted in more than $335,000 in losses, according to federal-court filings disclosed Wednesday in Seattle.
Six people were indicted and charged with 13 counts of violating federal laws, including conspiracy to commit identity theft, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Financial information was stolen from dozens of individuals, and the conspirators were able to withdraw money from bank accounts and open charge accounts at stores, according to the indictment.
Two of the defendants, who were arrested Wednesday morning, made initial appearances in the afternoon in U.S. District Court.
An identity-theft ring that had insiders at a Bellevue mortgage company and a Bellevue escrow company provide stolen customer information resulted in more than $335,000 in losses, according to federal-court filings disclosed Wednesday in Seattle.
Six people were indicted and charged with 13 counts of violating federal laws, including conspiracy to commit identity theft, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Financial information was stolen from dozens of individuals, and the conspirators were able to withdraw money from bank accounts and open charge accounts at stores, according to the indictment.
Two of the defendants, who were arrested Wednesday morning, made initial appearances in the afternoon in U.S. District Court.
An identity-theft ring that had insiders at a Bellevue mortgage company and a Bellevue escrow company provide stolen customer information resulted in more than $335,000 in losses, according to federal-court filings disclosed Wednesday in Seattle.
Six people were indicted and charged with 13 counts of violating federal laws, including conspiracy to commit identity theft, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Financial information was stolen from dozens of individuals, and the conspirators were able to withdraw money from bank accounts and open charge accounts at stores, according to the indictment.
Two of the defendants, who were arrested Wednesday morning, made initial appearances in the afternoon in U.S. District Court.
February 1, 2007 - Wireless connections in Public places
Be aware of free Wi-Fi wireless connections in public places such as Airport,
Internet Cafe, Hotel, Restaurants.
Criminals may set up free wireless networks that act as a trap for travelers.
They are not real hotspots but ad hoc peer-to-peer networks set up by an individual
with a laptop nearby. They have the same name as a legitimate hotspot at the
airport or something similar, such as "Free Airport Wi-Fi". You're
able access the Internet when you connect to one of these networks because the
attacker has set up his computer to let you browse the Internet via his connection.
But because you're using his connection, all your traffic goes through their
laptop and they can see everything you do online, including Credit Cards numbers,
all your usernames and passwords when you're not using a Virtual Private Network
(VPN) or a secure web site (the Web Site's URL will start with https://).
Tuesday, 23 January 2007- Increases in Mobile Fraud and ID Theft Could Hamper Mobile Payment / Banking Initiatives
When it comes to fraud and identity theft, one rule remains constant - fraudsters will follow the money. As mobile devices are ramping up incidents of mobile virus and mobile malware are likewise on the upswing.
New research from TowerGroup finds that 2007 will be the year that new banking and payment initiatives in the mobile channel will be increasingly targeted by those engaged in fraud and identity theft, with the goal of infecting or otherwise compromising mobile devices. These targets will include deployments where a mobile device acts as a credit or debit card.
Like malicious software (or "malware") in the wired world, mobile viruses are small programs that infect a host device. While most mobile phones are potential targets, smart phones and wireless PDAs as particularly attractive to fraudsters given their advanced capabilities to support PC-like applications including Web browsing and instant messaging. TowerGroup believes that current mobile commerce initiatives emerging from the financial services industry lack a reasonable and justifiable focus on mobile malware.
January 23, 2007-New Ark. Attorney General to Target
Identity Theft
Newly elected Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced a proposal aimed at preventing identity theft will be presented as part of his legislative package for the 2007 legislative session.
"Essentially what you'll see is a package of bills that fall under the categories of consumer protection and/or law enforcement," McDaniel said.
The "Security Freeze Act" will allow victims of identity theft to lock down access to their financial information to prevent the information from being used repeatedly in further acts of fraud.
"Because somebody has access to your ID and access to your confidential financial information, they can victimize you by opening a credit card this month, a bank account the following month, and opening a mortgage the month after that," McDaniel said. "Locking down access to the victims confidential information, prevents them from being re-victimized."
Increased penalties for identity theft are also being considered. Financial identity fraud is now a Class C felony, punishable by three to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. If the offense were enhanced to a Class B felony, it would be punishable by five to 20 years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine.
January 16, 2007 -U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) have a simple solution to put a stop to identity theft
U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) have a simple solution to put a stop to identity theft: ban phone companies from selling personal information, bar Internet sites from selling the records and prohibit the sale or display of Social Security numbers without an individual's consent.
In the first week of the 110th Congress, Stevens and Feinstein rolled out legislation to accomplish just that.
Stevens introduced the Protecting Consumer Phone Records Act, which would require telephone companies to have a customer's written consent before selling personal information to others. The proposed law would apply to wireline, wireless and VoIP (define) carriers.
Some telephone companies sell customers' personal information to marketers, requiring individuals to opt out of the arrangement. Under Stevens' bill, all telephone companies would be banned from selling the information except under narrow exemptions.
A Stevens spokesman said the bill would effectively eliminate the Internet cottage industry of selling personal phone records since the very act of selling the information would be illegal. The bill also increases penalties for pretexters who attempt to dupe telephone companies into revealing personal information about a customer.
Feinstein's Social Security Number Misuse Prevention Act would not only bar the sale or display Social Security numbers without an owner's consent, but also prohibit federal, state and local government agencies from displaying Social Security numbers on public records posted on the Internet.
The bill would also prevent government agencies from displaying Social Security numbers in information issued to the general public on CD-ROMs or other electronic media and prohibit the government from printing them on government checks.
According to a Feinstein spokesman, the legislation would also impose some limitations when a business can ask a customer for a Social Security number. In addition, the bill would prevent the employment of inmates for tasks that would give them access to the Social Security numbers of others.
Violations of the proposed law would include both criminal and civil penalties.
" IF a person's Social Security number is compromised, the path to identity theft is a short one," Feinstein said in a statement. "Thieves can obtain Social Security numbers through public records -- marriage licenses, professional licenses, and countless other public documents -- many of which are available online."
"We must ensure that government agencies and businesses take responsibility and protect Americans' Social Security numbers."
Source: Internet News http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3654101
January 8, 2007- Diagnosis:
medical Identity Theft
For $60, a thief can buy your health records—and use them to get costly
care. Guess who gets the bill
When Lind Weaver opened her mailbox one day in early 2004, she was surprised to find a bill from a local hospital for the amputation of her right foot. Surprised because the 57-year-old owner of a horse farm in Palm Coast, Fla., had never had worse than an ingrown toenail. After weeks of wrangling with the hospital's billing reps, Weaver finally stormed into the facility and kicked her heels up on the desk of the chief administrator. "Obviously, I have both of my feet," she told him.
December 6, 2006: Medical Identity Theft: Providence Health's Serious Pain
Identity Theft: Providence Health's Serious Pain
By Deborah Gage and Kim S. Nash
Providence Health & Services lost information on 365,000 patients—after
10 backup tapes and disks were stolen from the back of an employee's minivan.
Now, 12 months and $7 million later, the health-care provider remains mired
in the aftermath. Here's why.
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