July 2010 News Archive

July 30, 2010

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FTC Alleges $10 Million Fraud Scheme

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says it has stopped a $10 million international scheme that was siphoning off small amounts from more than 1 million credit and debit card holders. ...read full article

Seven Ways for College Students to Fight Identity Theft

College students have enough to juggle when it comes to school, work and their social life and fighting fraud often doesn’t make the list of priorities. Because college students are so susceptible to identity theft, Better Business Bureau recommends that they take seven simple steps to protect themselves on campus. ...read full article

Tax collector may have used confidential files for business leads

VANCOUVER — A tax collector in B.C. used the Canada Revenue Agency's computers to look up the private tax files of hundreds of high-income individuals, apparently in the hopes of hitting them up for a business she ran on the side, according to internal government documents. ...read full article

Tesco Bank fraud risk after data lost in post

Tesco Bank has lost the personal details of dozens of customers, leaving them exposed to the risk of fraud, after staff sent unprotected personal data in the post. ...read full article

Ex-owner of Smithfield store admits to $1.7M fraud

A Smithfield woman pleaded guilty Thursday to three federal charges, admitting she stole the identities of customers from her farm equipment store to obtain more than 80 loans worth $1.7 million. ...read full article

Lax document disposal leaves privacy in shreds

Imagine the anxiety of discovering that the information you divulged to one of the city's leading bankruptcy firms was not kept confidential. ...read full article

Hotel guests still most at risk for identity theft

Computer hackers continue to steal hotel guests' credit-card data more than any other industry - and there's little consumers can do to protect themselves, Nicholas Percoco, an Internet expert who investigates corporate data breaches, tells Hotel Check-In. ...read full article

Three charged with credit card fraud/ID theft ring at local stores

Three New Yorkers were arrested Thursday as they left a local store and charged with orchestrating a credit card fraud and identity theft ring that struck a series of Westport merchants. ...read full article

Hackers probe the edges of secure Internet traffic to craft attacks

Researchers have uncovered new ways that criminals can spy on Internet users even if they're using secure connections to banks, online retailers or other sensitive Web sites. ...read full article

Gulfport man accused of identity theft

GULFPORT, Miss. -- Gulfport police say a 29-year-old man has been accused of stealing his girlfriend's identity by obtaining a credit card in her name while she was deployed. ...read full article

Computer with patient data stolen from Jefferson

A laptop computer with health and personal information on 21,000 patients was stolen from an office at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia in June. ...read full article

Two Charged in Conspiracy to Steal GM Trade Secrets

A federal Indictment was unsealed today in Detroit charging two individuals with conspiracy to possess trade secrets without authorization, unauthorized possession of trade secrets, and wire fraud. ...read full article

July 29, 2010

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Hospital: Stolen laptop contains info for 21K patients

A day after a missing thumb drive created a possible security breach at Cooper University Hospital, Action News has learned another hospital is facing a breach of their own. ...read full article

Is The New Facebook Hack of 100 Million Users Really a Big Deal?

Whenever any of the major online sites get hacked it makes news headlines. But when the site hacked is Facebook, one of the biggest social media sites in the world with over 500 million users, people really do stop and take notice. ...read full article

Most Breaches Caused by Crime Gangs

Organized crime was responsible for 85 percent of all stolen data in 2009. And stolen credentials were the most common way to gain unauthorized access into organizations. ...read full article

Your child's identity being stolen? It's possible

When getting your kids enrolled in school or sports, you may not think twice before handing over their birth certificate or social security card. ...read full article

Hackers add new twist to check counterfeiting

A security firm uncovers a scam in which $9 million in fake checks were issued using data stolen online.

...read full article

Botnet mastermind who infected 12m PCs nabbed : FBI

International authorities have arrested a computer hacker believed responsible for creating the malicious computer code that infected as many as 12 million computers, invading major banks and corporations around the world, FBI officials said. ...read full article

Cable guy guilty of ID theft

A Time Warner Cable (“TWC”) technician, who illegally installed a spyware program on three of his employers’ computers to enable him to gain unauthorized access to TWC’s customer database and billing system, was convicted on all eight counts against him. ...read full article

Private information lands in dumpster near Interstate 10

Imagine your most private information falling into the wrong hands. That’s what some people dealt with after nearly 75 legal files were found in a dumpster off Interstate 10 near Boerne. ...read full article

Fast food customers' identities stolen by worker, say police

Three people are charged in an alleged identity theft ring, skimming credit and debit card information from fast food customers at a Tukwila Wendy's restaurant. ...read full article

Man who stole credit cards, electronics at UVa avoids prison

A 27-year-old man who stole credit cards and electronics at the University of Virginia will avoid prison time and instead be enrolled in a diversion program in Harrisonburg. ...read full article

Edmonton bank the target of fraud

A skimming device has been found at a TD Canada Trust branch on Whyte Avenue late Tuesday afternoon. ...read full article

Undercover Feds Able to Easily Obtain Fraudulent Passports

A decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks brought to light the dangers of fake IDs, federal undercover agents are still able to easily obtain genuine U.S. e-Passports using clearly fraudulent information that should have raised red flags at the State Department. ...read full article

Police: Tampa a top target for 'Felony Lane' ID theft scheme

The identity theft scheme started with a loosely knit gang of criminals and prostitutes from South Florida and then spread across the country. ...read full article

Don't Bite at Phish Bait -- Keep Your Data Secure

Whether you're tech savvy or not, simple precautions can protect your data and save you from malware, hacking or identity theft. Avoid spyware by making it a policy not to click on pop-ups or attachments. Don't fall for phishing, and keep security software up to date. Avoid easy-to-guess passwords both on your computer and on the web. ...read full article

Your phone app is watching you

Your smart phone applications are watching you - much more closely than you might like. ...read full article

Details of 100 million Facebook users published online

The personal details of 100 million Facebook users have been collected and published online in a downloadable file, meaning they will now be unable to make their publicly available information private. ...read full article

Cops Fear Missing Ky. Teen Being Held by Sex Offender

Authorities in Kentucky are searching for Brittney Kustes, a 19-year-old Bullitt County woman who they allege is being held against her will by a registered sex offender with a previous kidnapping conviction. ...read full article

July 28, 2010

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Convicted sex offenders not always registering as required

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Sex offenders are supposed to notify local police if they move-even if it's only next door, or to an upstairs or downstairs apartment - but they don't always obey that law. ...read full article

Rite Aid Agrees to Pay $1 Million to Settle HIPAA Privacy Case

Rite Aid Corporation and its 40 affiliated entities (RAC) have agreed to pay $1 million to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today. In a coordinated action, RAC also signed a consent order with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to settle potential violations of the FTC Act. ...read full article

Estranged from family, doctor snoops in records

Dr. Mark Schleiss, a prominent University of Minnesota researcher, was not disciplined by the state Board of Medical Practice despite a dozen violations. ...read full article

South Shore Hospital records lost for months

WEYMOUTH — A Pennsylvania company hired by South Shore Hospital to dispose of patient records outsourced the work to a second company, contributing to delays announcing the disappearance of 800,000 patients’ files. ...read full article

N.Y. Federal Court to Hear Negligence Suit Against Domain Name Service

A provider of internet traffic routing services can be sued for gross negligence for enabling a hacker to gain access to the account of one of its clients, a federal judge has ruled. ...read full article

AT&T won't stop Black Hat demo of cell phone eavesdropping

The operator denies rumors it will try to block a hacker's demonstration of cell phone call interception at the Black Hat conference ...read full article

Three arrested in connection with Mariposa botnet

IDG News Service - Slovenian police will hold a press conference on Friday to discuss the arrest of three men in connection the massive Mariposa botnet that was disabled late last year. ...read full article

Black Hat: Most browsers can be made to give up personal data

Network World - All the most commonly used Internet browsers are vulnerable to exploits that can force them to cough up users' personal information that can be used to hack into bank accounts or set them up for other attacks, the Black Hat 2010 conference will be told this week. ...read full article

US Secret Service shows business how to fight cyberthreats

Business needs to be more proactive in its approach to security in the face of increased insider threats and customised malware, says Verizon Business. ...read full article

Privacy Advocate Can Post SS Numbers Online

(CN) - A Virginia woman has the right to publish government officials' Social Security numbers online to make the point that those numbers should not be made available to the public, the 4th Circuit ruled Tuesday. ...read full article

Massive check-fraud botnet operation tied to Russia

Network World - Check fraud is an old-fashioned kind of crime, but a criminal ring with ties to Russia is using modern cybercrime techniques, including botnets, online databases of financial information and check imaging archives, to run a highly automated, multi-million-dollar counterfeit-check operation. ...read full article

Online scams target lonely hearts with troops' photos

Jasonville, Indiana (CNN) -- Last Christmas, Stacey Chapman hung a stocking, anxiously awaiting the homecoming of the all-American soldier she had met online and planned to marry. ...read full article

July 27, 2010

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Cloud-based phishing kit hacks the hackers

Security firm Imperva has uncovered a new, automated, cloud-based phishing kit. ...read full article

Identity fraud increases 14%

The number of identity fraud victims jumped in the first six months of 2010 as a consequence of the recession, according to a Cifas report. ...read full article

Federal investigation ties troops to child porn

WASHINGTON — A major federal investigation has found that dozens of military officials and defense contractors, including some with top-level security clearances, allegedly bought and downloaded child pornography on private or government computers. ...read full article

Ex-Walter Reed CSM accused of faking his record

A former command sergeant major at Walter Reed Army Medical Center fired for allegedly faking his record and wearing unauthorized awards and decorations faces military discipline for a series of bold deceptions that span several years and multiple commands, according to the charges against him. ...read full article

iPhone jailbreaking not illegal, says US government

The US government has given iPhone users the go-ahead to bypass electronic protection on Apple's iPhones to enable them to use any wireless service provider, not just Apple partners. ...read full article

Iran was prime target of SCADA worm

IDG News Service - Computers in Iran have been hardest hit by a dangerous computer worm that tries to steal information from industrial control systems. ...read full article

Private Information Found Near Public Street in Bryan

Mattresses, tires and bags of trash are often some of the first images that come to mind when you think of illegal dumping. But what about hundreds of pieces of private information? One Bryan resident says he came home to that and much more, to remnants of days gone by. ...read full article

Citi confirms critical bug in iPhone mobile banking app

Saved access codes, other info to hidden file on smartphone and synced computers

Computerworld - Citigroup has urged customers conducting mobile banking from their iPhones to immediately upgrade because a security flaw in the older app secreted account information on the smartphone. ...read full article

Cyber crime costs businesses each $3.8 million per year

Study also finds that cyber crime -- including Web attacks, malicious code, and rogue insiders -- results in about one successful attack each week ...read full article

Massachusetts hospital may have lost backup files affecting 800,000 people

A third-party firm contracted out by a Massachusetts hospital to destroy sensitive computer files cannot confirm that it wiped them clean, leaving hundreds of thousands of patients at risk for identity theft, SearchSecurity.com reports. The names, addresses, Social Security numbers, diagnosis and treatment codes and, in some cases, credit card data, of up to 800,000 people may have been lost, according Weymouth, Mass.-based South Shore Hospital. ...read full article

PC Virus Endangers OSU Employee Information

Oregon State University (US) is informing some 34,000 existing and erstwhile staff members that a PC virus has recently infected one of its computers containing their private data. ...read full article

Thomaston watching for ID theft after mistake

THOMASTON -- The town accidentally released old records containing the Social Security numbers of volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers two months ago, but so far no cases of identity theft have been reported. ...read full article

Deceptive Marketers Banned from Selling Mortgage Relief Services; One Defendant Ordered to Pay $11.5 Million

Eight marketers are banned from selling mortgage modification or foreclosure relief services under settlements with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC alleged that the marketers charged homeowners up-front fees and falsely claimed they could get their mortgage loans modified or prevent foreclosure on their homes. ...read full article

‘Stranded Traveller’ scammers attack online

Debbie Laramie wasn’t robbed in England. She was hacked in Michigan -- a victim of the "Stranded Traveller" scam that is sweeping cyberspace. ...read full article

In the future, everyone may be a cybersecurity professional

The Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency has published its findings on the “Human Capital Crisis in Cybersecurity” and, as earlier reports suggested, it could be the spark for a wholesale change in the way the entire government IT work force is trained and certified. ...read full article

WikiLeaks case highlights digital security challenge

The massive release of secret Pentagon documents by WikiLeaks highlights the security challenges of the digital age, when gigabytes of sensitive data can be exposed with a single click, analysts said. ...read full article

How hackers snoop on private web browsing

LONDON: Experts have identified how their web browser's 'private mode' setting is also vulnerable to hackers. ...read full article

Personal Web Sites Are New Hacker Target

Personal web sites are increasingly vulnerable to hackers, experts say, and the number of vulnerable sites is growing with the popularity of companies that offer -- often at low prices -- to host pages with simple directions and only basic technical support. Low-tech customers often lack the know-how to sufficiently protect their web sites. ...read full article

Vengeful online sex ads take growing toll

With help from Craigslist, Pam -- whose identity msnbc.com has agreed to protect -- was able to get additional details about the ad, including the poster’s IP address. ...read full article

July 26, 2010

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Schools risk theft of SS numbers of children

Schools are putting children at risk of identity fraud by obtaining their Social Security numbers when it is not required by law and often unnecessary, the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General has concluded. ...read full article

More credit card skimmers found at Gainesville gas pumps

More credit card skimming devices were found Friday at a Gainesville gas station near Interstate 75, leading authorities to warn residents against paying at the pump at any area stations. ...read full article

Georgia Court: Personal medical records are fair game for government snooping

In a decision with frightening ramifications for the protection of a person’s most intimate medical records, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that a person’s medical records are no longer considered “private papers” and thus are not protected from government search warrants. ...read full article

Three police constables make off with ATM, caught on camera

Four men, including three police constables, stole an ATM of Corporation Bank in Shahjahanpur on Saturday night, but within hours the police recovered the machine and arrested two of them with the help of CCTV footage. ...read full article

The Coalition for a Secure Driver's License presents Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles with Homeland Security Award

The Coalition for a Secure Driver's License (CSDL), a Washington D.C. based non-profit, presented its Homeland Security Award to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) at the Government Center Auditorium in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 26, 2010. The awards ceremony was streamed live to all 140 license branches to recognize the hardworking motor vehicle personnel across the state. ...read full article

Teacher confesses: I stole my students' identities

MIAMI — A former Broward County teacher will spend six months on house arrest for stealing the identities of students. ...read full article

July 24, 2010

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Fingerprint mutilation on the rise, but it's practically pointless

(CNN) -- In crime labs across the country, law enforcement officials say more and more suspects are attempting to conceal their identity through fingerprint mutilation -- defacing the skin of their fingertips. ...read full article

She is as Dangerous as She Looks

Robin Sage had the look. On her Facebook and Linkedin profile photo, she cast a piercing glance sideways from her dark brown eyes. An enticing smile lingered on her pink lips. And, she had the chops: out of MIT for just three years, she boasted of being in “the computer hacking scene for over ten years” and already had a position in Naval Network Warfare Command. ...read full article

July 23, 2010

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Three Colombian Nationals Extradited to the United States to Face Alien Smuggling and Visa Fraud Charges

WASHINGTON – Three Colombian nationals have been extradited from Colombia to the United States on charges of conspiracy to smuggle aliens for profit, alien smuggling for profit, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud in connection with their alleged roles in an extensive and sophisticated visa fraud scheme through which they fraudulently procured visas from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. The extraditions were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. of the District of Columbia; Eric J. Boswell, Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director of the Office of Foreign Missions, U.S. State Department; and Director John Morton of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ...read full article

Identity theft - the 21st century crime

One of the most insidious crimes of today's information age is identity theft. More and more Americans have fallen victim to the illicit use of their personal information for fraudulent purposes. ...read full article

Healthcare Breaches Spin Out Of Control

If the past week is any indication (and I'm afraid it is), health care companies are doing an abysmal job at protecting personal health care data. ...read full article

Baidu lawsuit against domain register approved

Chinese search engine Baidu can proceed with negligence claims against its domain register following a hacking attack, a US judge has ruled. ...read full article

Grand jury indicts five in identity theft scheme

A federal grand jury has returned a four-count indictment against five people charging them with conspiracy to commit bank fraud in a credit card identity theft scheme, U. S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. said Thursday. ...read full article

Card-skimming devices found at H&M stores

Several H&M stores in Sweden have discovered so-called skimming devices on their card readers in Linköping, Täby, Löddeköpinge and Malmö. ...read full article

Richmond tax preparer sentenced to 3 years, 3 months for ID theft, fraud

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A former employee of a Richmond tax preparation company is going to prison for using clients' personal identifying information to open credit accounts. ...read full article

Theft compromises Iowa Ag Department program

The Iowa Department of Agriculture has notified the public that a computer stolen from a locked state car a week ago may compromise personal information of more than 3,400 Iowans who are participating in the department’s horse and dog breeding program. ...read full article

Former credit union employee arrested for identity theft

Mesa police arrested a former credit union employee who they said used a customer's identity and her own address to apply for credit cards, court records state. ...read full article

Financial info leaks online from area credit card transactions

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - A WTVM viewer tipped us off to a website that had personal data, including credit card information, about him, and 50 other people. ...read full article

MoD loses a staggering 340 laptop computers in TWO YEARS...and most of them were not encrypted

The Ministry of Defence has lost or had stolen 340 laptops worth more than £600,000 in the last two years, figures reveal today. ...read full article

Sex offender faces ID theft charge in Hinds

The arrest of a suspected fraudster in Hinds County led to the discovery that the same man is wanted in a neighboring county for failure to register as a sex offender. ...read full article

Phoenix man arrested in $1M credit spree

A Phoenix man has pleaded guilty to credit card fraud totaling $1 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix said Thursday. ...read full article

FBI busts Palm Beach County identity theft ring

An identity theft ring based in Palm Beach County took information gathered by computer hackers and used it to print fake driver licenses, birth certificates and social security cards in real people's names, federal agents said. ...read full article

July 22, 2010

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Corporate ID theft hits Georgia businesses

Days after Colorado warns of scam, a Georgia official reports the same problem

Computerworld - Just days after Colorado officials warned businesses about scammers who are forging corporate identities to commit financial fraud, an official in Georgia said the same has been happening in that state as well. ...read full article

Circuit Won't Reopen Intercepted Email Case

(CN) - The 4th Circuit declined to reopen the case of a former colonel in the North Carolina Army National Guard, who accused his colleagues of intercepting, reading and forwarding his emails while he was deployed in Iraq. ...read full article

Defcon social engineering contest stirs concerns

Challenge that requires contests to target companies and obtain information is making some organizations uneasy

A capture-the-flag-style competition slated to take place at Defcon later this month has raised eyebrows at a number of companies who are concerned they will be embarrassed or negatively impacted in some way. CSO first reported the CTF challenge earlier this month in Defcon contest to spotlight social engineering. The challenge asks contestants to collect information about a "target" company, which they are assigned to by contest coordinators at the web site social-engineer.org. ...read full article

Trader Stole $2M from Friends, FTC Says

CHICAGO (CN) - The manager of Dawson Trading stole $2.1 million from his family and friends while sending them bogus account statements for an alleged commodity pool, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission claims in Federal Court. ...read full article

Memphis cops use predictive analytics to fight crime

IDG News Service - It can sometimes be hard to pinpoint the return on investment in a particular technology, but police officials in Memphis say they are getting major results from using predictive analytics technology to fight crime. ...read full article

Fake femme fatale shows social network risks

Researcher Thomas Ryan says fictitious Robin Sage character fooled many holding security, military and intelligence posts

Computerworld - Hundreds of people in the information security, military and intelligence fields recently found themselves with egg on their faces after sharing personal information with a fictitious Navy cyberthreat analyst named "Robin Sage," whose profile on prominent social networking sites was created by a security researcher to illustrate the risks of social networking. ...read full article

Half a billion people sign up to Facebook despite privacy risk

Despite the privacy concerns raised by civil rights groups around the world, almost one in 12 people on the planet is signed up to social networking site Facebook. ...read full article

Dell admits malware on motherboard replacements

Computer maker Dell has admitted that some replacement motherboards installed in four of its server lines were infected with malicious software. ...read full article

Ministry of Defence loses 1,200 pieces of data storage equipment

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has lost or had stolen more than 1,200 pieces of IT equipment capable of storing potentially sensitive data in the past two years - of which only 274 were encrypted. ...read full article

Funny Stuff Alleged at Sheriff's Office

HOUSTON (CN) - A former computer chief for Harris County claims the county fired for him telling the FBI that the Sheriff's Office planned to illegally hack into the county's computer network to perform a "security audit" - for as long as 2 years - an operation that should take no longer than a month. ...read full article

FTC Warns Websites That Offer 'Free' Credit Reports: Disclose Federally Mandated Free Reports or Face Prosecution

The Federal Trade Commission is warning 18 Internet websites offering free credit reports that they must clearly disclose that a free report is available under federal law. The FTC’s recently amended Free Credit Reports Rule, which took effect April 2, 2010, requires certain disclosures to help consumers distinguish between ads for free credit reports that often require them to buy credit monitoring or other services, and the federally mandated no-strings-attached credit reports available at AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228. ...read full article

July 21, 2010

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Siemens confirms German customer hit by Stuxnet espionage worm

Security vendor Symantec is now logging about 9,000 infection attempts per day

Siemens has confirmed that one of its customers has been hit by a new worm designed to steal secrets from industrial control systems. ...read full article

FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges That U-Haul Invited Its Main Competitor to Fix Truck Rental Prices

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that U-Haul and its parent company invited its main competitor to fix prices on truck rentals. The settlement order against U-Haul and its parent company AMERCO bars them from colluding or inviting collusion. ...read full article

HHS reveals three more breaches

HHS/OCR’s web site reveals three more breaches that were never reported in mainstream media ...read full article

Thousands of personal record files dumped in recycling bin

LAND O’ LAKES - On Sunday morning, Karen and Scott Keith made their monthly stop at the Land O' Lakes Recycling center to drop off household recycling items. ...read full article

Obama says he can't intervene in British hacker case

IDG News Service - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that he can't intervene in the long-running case of a British hacker charged with breaking into U.S. military computers. ...read full article

July 15, 2010

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Even lawyers fall for spam scams

Toronto lawyer Gene Colman, who has handled divorce and child-custody cases for 30 years, was immediately intrigued by the e-mail he received out of the blue. ...read full article

Man arrested at Gordon faces 7 indictments

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted a former guardsman on charges that he impersonated a soldier and convinced military officials to hand him high-tech equipment. ...read full article

Cybercriminals combine Java and Flash to thwart security

The latest report from M86 Security, a company specialising in real-time web and e-mail threat protection, has found hackers are using multiple attacks to get around IT security. ...read full article

Mozilla yanks password-stealing Firefox add-on

Computerworld - Mozilla on Tuesday warned users that a password-stealing add-on slipped into Firefox's extension gallery more than a month ago had been downloaded nearly 2,000 times before it was detected. ...read full article

Senators try again on identity theft bill

Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Bob Bennett (R-Utah) re-introduced a bill Wednesday that would require companies to notify consumers when their personal information has been stolen. ...read full article

The Only Kind of Identity Theft That Could Kill

When it comes to identity theft, one of the fastest-growing concerns is the improper use of medical information, according to a recent Ponemon Institute study. Costs for victims can be particularly high, and the crime can take especially long to recognize, the study said. ...read full article

Ex-MI6 man admits to Official Secrets breach

Daniel Houghton, an IT graduate who worked for MI6 between 2007 and 2009, was accused of downloading a list of MI6 staff and operatives and attempting to sell the information to a foreign power. ...read full article

Missing girl found after almost 7 years

A California girl who had been missing for almost seven years was found Wednesday by police in Phoenix, Arizona, authorities said. ...read full article

List of 1,300 Alleged Illegal Immigrants Released in Utah

When discussing immigration and citizenship status in the United States, it’s easy to descend into hyperbole and start invoking metaphors to Hitler, McCarthyism, or some other horrible moment in world history. But a leaked list of 1,300 alleged illegal immigrants that is rife with information ranging from Social Security numbers, addresses, workplaces and phone numbers to expected due dates of pregnant women? That might be worth a doomsday metaphor or two. ...read full article

OSU notifying individuals of data security breach ‘out of an abundance of caution’

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University is notifying 34,000 current and former employees that a computer containing some of their personal information was recently infected by a virus, even though the university’s computer experts say it is “highly unlikely” that the virus put any of that information in the hands of unauthorized users, OSU officials say. ...read full article

Conn. AG wants teachers board to explain lost data

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says the state Teachers' Retirement Board owes its members identity theft protection and an explanation after waiting six months to inform them of a lost flash drive containing retirement data. ...read full article

Thousands stolen in I.D. theft

HYDE PARK -- Cincinnati police say they are investigating a case of identity theft. ...read full article

July 14, 2010

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Thousands of sex offenders receive U.S. passports

(CNN) -- Thousands of registered sex offenders have received U.S. passports, including at least 30 federal employees, according to a Government Accountability Office report obtained by CNN. ...read full article

Mother faked ID to 'disappear' child from school waiting list

Gmail fake ruse comes unstuck

A devious mother posed as another parent in an attempt to remove a rival child's name from a school waiting list. ...read full article

'World's No. 1 hacker' tome rocks security world

Plagiarism, racism, and fake Mitnickism alleged

A recently published e-book penned by the self-proclaimed “world's No. 1 hacker” is rocking the security community with back-and-forth allegations of plagiarism, racism, and even threats against a security podcaster and his family. ...read full article

Class Claims Internet Firms Use 'Fake News'

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CN) - An Internet marketer uses "fake news articles and fake blogs" to direct browsers to its page, then bills people's credits cards without permission, a class action claims in Jackson County Court. The class claims that Pacific Web Works is preying upon people hurt by the recession by promising them work-at-home jobs. ...read full article

Researchers find privacy flaws in Chatroulette

IDG News Service - Perhaps there is finally something to deter Chatroulette.com users from their more offensive behavior: University researchers say that users of the popular video-chat site may not be as anonymous, or as private, as they think. ...read full article

Cockeyed 'Knob Face' confusion masks real malware threat

Wrong-headed warnings about a worm spreading across Facebook are causing confusion about a real threat. ...read full article

Medical privacy at risk in Georgia

Doctor-patient confidentiality is something we all rely on. The problem is, it’s not the law in Georgia. ...read full article

Patient Says Doctor Let Newspaper Peep on Medical Marijuana Exam

REDDING, Calif. (CN) - A patient claims her doctor allowed a newspaper reporter to surreptitiously videotape her while she discussed with the doctor the medical use of marijuana for chronic pain. The patient claims Dr. Cristal Speller and Natural Care for Wellness violated medical privacy and wiretapping laws, and that publication of the story in the Redding Record Searchlight, along with a Web link to video and audio tape, caused her "great embarrassment, obloquy, shame and ridicule." ...read full article

Federal Agencies Release Annual Report to Congress on Scholarship Fraud

The Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Education have issued their annual report to Congress pursuant to the College Scholarship Fraud Prevention Act, describing their continued efforts to combat scholarship and financial aid fraud. Each year, millions of students seek help in financing their college education, and some fall prey to scholarship and financial aid scams that “guarantee” money for college in exchange for a fee. ...read full article

4 reasons why executives are the easiest social engineering targets

Social engineers know your company's executive team has access to the most important information about the firm, and they also know they are some of the least secure employees ...read full article

Quick action by Boca Raton bank teller leads police to fraud arrests

BOCA RATON — Police say a bank teller helped them save a Chase Bank customer several thousand dollars by stopping a man and a woman who stole the customer's identity and were trying to withdraw thousands from a bank account. ...read full article

America's Money: Parents Stealing Kids' Identities in Alarming Trend

Most of us know someone who has been a victim of identity theft. Most often, the perpetrators are strangers. ...read full article

Delray Beach man charged with 'skimming' accounts off ATMs, stealing thousands

A police report lists Mihai Arnautu's occupation as "thief." Authorities say it's been a lucrative one. According to reports, he attached scanners to ATMs across South Florida to compromise scores of accounts and make off with tens of thousands of dollars. ...read full article

Private Practices Revealed On Patient Breach Website

The names of "private practices" reporting breaches of unsecured protected health information (PHI) affecting 500 or more individuals have been revealed. ...read full article

Car Buyer Scams Spreading on Internet

Online car buyers are becoming big targets for rip-off artists. The Better Business Bureau is out with a warning about fraudulent websites that are tricking consumers into buying used cars at great prices. ...read full article

US Extends Spam Lead

Received a spam e-mail lately? No matter where you are in the world, statistically speaking, a report finds that it's most likely to have come from the United States. ...read full article

HIPAA Security, Privacy Updates Unveiled

Federal regulators have unveiled major proposed revisions to the HIPAA privacy, security and enforcement rules that were due more than four months ago. ...read full article

15,000 victims of fraud in first half of 2010

A report by Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting center, has revealed more than 15,000 people have been the victims of fraud during the first six months of the year. ...read full article

Pay-At-The-Pump Skimming on the Rise

At a Shell station in Alachua, FL, last week, a service technician found a skimming device on a pay-at-the-pump terminal when he opened the machine for a routine maintenance check. ...read full article

July 13, 2010

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AMR Breach Puts 79,000 Employees at Risk

In one of the largest data breaches in recent months, AMR, the parent company of American Airlines, said it's in the process of notifying more than 79,000 current, former and retired employees that a hard drive containing their most sensitive personal information was stolen from its corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The Associated Press reported the breach earlier this month. ...read full article

Missing computer drive contains teacher retirement data

Teachers around the state received a letter last week warning them that a computer flash drive containing retirement fund data is missing. ...read full article

Akron man could face 40 years in prison after stealing credit card info from mother's business

A 46-year-old Akron man faces a maximum of 40 years in prison after pleading guilty Friday in Summit County Common Pleas Court for stealing credit card information from customers at his mother's dry cleaning business and writing bad checks to the state. ...read full article

State accidentally exposes personal data of disabled

Personal and sensitive medical information on 200 developmentally disabled Ohioans was accidentally posted twice on a state computer network in the past 10 days. ...read full article

UN - Beware of Fraudsters Using United Nations Name, Emblem to Solicit Cash, Personal Information, Public Warned

The United Nations is concerned that fraudulent correspondence using the Organization’s name and emblem is circulating worldwide via websites, e-mails, fax messages and phone calls. ...read full article

Facebook for hackers shut down in Pakistan

Five alleged hackers have been arrested by the Pakistani authorities in raids that led to the closure the Pakbugs hacking and carding forum. ...read full article

Insurance agency treasurer linked to Renzi embezzled $796,000

The man who took over an insurance agency previously owned by former Arizona Rep. Richard Renzi was found guilty in federal court of embezzling $796,000 in insurance premiums, which he funneled to the former congressman’s account. ...read full article

Va. GEICO agent loses Md. license for altering her policy

A former agent of the Government Employees Insurance Co. (GEICO) had her insurance license revoked for providing inaccurate information on her insurance application to obtain more favorable rates, according to the Maryland Insurance Administration. ...read full article

July 12, 2010

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Sex Offender Sweep Nets 152 Arrests

Denver, CO - On June 30th, U.S. Marshals and 84 state, local and federal law enforcement agencies wrapped up a month-long sex offender sweep called Operation Shepherd 2010, conducting unannounced sex offender compliance checks and searching for fugitive sex offenders throughout the state of Colorado, resulting in 152 arrests and 2,840 compliance checks. ...read full article

Operation SAFETY NET" Conducted in 33 Counties

U.S. Marshals Join Forces with State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies to Ensure Compliance of Registered Sex Offenders

Harrisburg, PA – The U.S. Marshals Service led an operation throughout June to ensure more than a thousand convicted and registered sex offenders who live, work, or attend school within the 33 counties comprising the Middle District of Pennsylvania (M/PA) were in compliance with the law. ...read full article

Hacker accesses details of four million Pirate Bay users

Three hackers claim to have accessed the database containing the details of more than four million users of the controversial Pirate Bay website. ...read full article

College VPs Say Prez Fired Them for Balking at Financial Aid to 'Phantom Students'

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (CN) - Two former vice presidents claim Washburn University fired them for cooperating with an investigation of questionable practices by the university's president - including "skewing enrollment and credit hour calculations by including 'phantom' students." ...read full article

iTunes hack could affect thousands, say experts

The 400 iTunes accounts Apple admitted were hacked by a rogue developer to boost his ratings may be just the tip of the iceberg, say experts. ...read full article

New phishing attack disguised as a PDF reader update

Malicious e-mail attacks that look like PDF reader updates have been increasing in volume since the middle of June, says Symantec Hosted Services. ...read full article

Several Banks Have Their Websites Defaced

The websites of at least four Wisconsin banks were defaced this weekend. The hackers claim they were compromised after gaining superuser privileges on the hosting server. ...read full article

Ukrainian brought to NYC to face cybercrime charge

A Ukrainian man has been brought to New York to face charges of selling stolen credit-card numbers as part of an international cybercrime ring. ...read full article

Black Market Travel Agents

38 defendants indicted in multi-million dollar fraud; Local investigation exposes nationwide network that used stolen identities, credit cards to purchase airline tickets ...read full article

S.A. has its largest ID-theft case ever

Credit-card numbers from 17,000 guests at the Emily Morgan Hotel were stolen and used in a three-state shopping spree to buy farm and ranch equipment, tires, machinery, all-terrain vehicles and other goods, federal officials say. ...read full article

Village of Big Bend Employees Have Payroll Info Stolen

Employees of a Waukesha County village are worried about identity theft, after their payroll information was stolen. ...read full article

Travel offers extraordinary chances for financial fraud

It can happen to anyone. Last month, Lindsey Voet was traveling in Morocco with college classmates when she lost her passport. Or maybe it was stolen. ...read full article

Smaller bogus bills trickle in to Brevard

Counterfeit cash is appearing in smaller denominations, but despite the down economy, it still remains scarce in Brevard County. ...read full article

N.Y. Firm Sued for Advising Clients to Invest in Ponzi Scheme

A Tarrytown, N.Y., law firm has been sued for fraud and breach of contract by a New Jersey woman who claims the firm advised her to place substantial funds with a money manager who was operating a Ponzi scheme that collapsed last year. ...read full article

Alameda Food Bank hit by mail theft

The Alameda Food Bank has mailed a letter to 8,000 identified and potential donors informing them of an apparent mail theft that has cost the nonprofit organization an unknown amount in contributions and left officials concerned about identity fraud. ...read full article

Charges: ID thieves bilked mom with Alzheimer's, 16 others

In a widening of an investigation into a Bellevue-based burglary and identity-theft ring, charges have been filed against a pair accused of bilking an Alzheimer's disease-stricken woman and stealing the identities of at least 16 people. ...read full article

Court upholds confinement for Ashwaubenon cheerleader mom Wendy Brown

MADISON — An appeals court has upheld three years of confinement in a mental health facility for a 33-year-old woman who enrolled at Ashwaubenon High School and tried out for cheerleading. ...read full article

July 9, 2010

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HHS proposes new privacy, security rules

WASHINGTON – Department of Health and Human Services Secretary KathleenSebelius announced Thursday new proposed privacy and security rules and resources. She said they would strengthen the privacy of health information and help all Americans understand their rights and the resources available to safeguard their personal health data. ...read full article

Researcher cracks 'secret' code in U.S. Cyber Command logo

MD5 cryptographic hash translates into cyber defense command's mission statement

A security researcher said on Thursday he was the first to crack the code embedded in the seal of the U.S. Cyber Command (Cybercom), the group responsible for protecting the country's military networks from attack. ...read full article

iPhone app scam likely fueled by phishing, says security expert

iTunes' permissive downloading rights may have played a part, F-Secure researchers says

Computerworld - It's unlikely that consumers' iTunes accounts were hacked by a Vietnamese iPhone developer, a security researcher said today. ...read full article

University Databases In the Bull's Eye

Recent wave of university hacks nationwide exposes vestiges of former practice of using social security number as identifiers ...read full article

Advice For Travelers To Avoid Identity Theft When Traveling For Business Or Pleasure

Intersections and ITAC recommend the following safety tips for travelers

CHANTILLY, Va., July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Intersections Inc. (Nasdaq: INTX), a leading provider of consumer and corporate identity theft risk management services, and ITAC, the Identity Theft Assistance Center, a national advocate for recognized identity theft prevention and recovery, advises leisure and business travelers to be aware of their increased exposure on the road and to learn how to protect themselves from becoming the next victim of identity theft. According to the U.S. Travel Association, 2.3 percent more vacation travel is expected this year than in 2009. ...read full article

July 8, 2010

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GAO slams White House for failing to lead on cyber security

The lack of a cyber security R&D agenda puts the nation at risk, report says

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has so far failed to live up to its responsibility to coordinate a national cyber security R&D agenda, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report released this week. ...read full article

Updates to HHS/OCR Site reveal seven more new breaches

HHS has added some more breach reports to its site. Most of them had not been reported in the mainstream media ...read full article

State’s error unveiled Social Security numbers

Data sent on 139,000 investment advisers

The Massachusetts secretary of state’s office, which is charged with enforcing financial rules for investment companies, accidentally released confidential personal information earlier this year on 139,000 investment advisers registered with the state. ...read full article

Facebook scam remotely executes actions on your account

You're on Facebook. You notice that one (or several) of your friends "liked" a page named "99% of people can’t watch this video for more than 25 seconds". You're interest is piqued. ...read full article

12 months in prison for hacking

A former senior database administrator for GEXA Energy in Houston was sentenced to 12 months in prison for hacking into his former employer's computer network. ...read full article

Man Arrested for Failing to Register Change of Address as Sex Offender

Mark Shannon, 44, of Savannah, has been arrested for failing to register his change of address as a sex offender. ...read full article

July 7, 2010

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Apple Bans Developer Who Hacked Hundreds of iTunes Accounts

Apple Inc. has booted a developer and his apps from its applications store after hundreds of hijacked user accounts were used to push his titles to best sellers over the weekend. ...read full article

53,000 People at Risk of Identity Theft After University of Hawaii Computer Breach

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Honolulu Police Department are investigating a computer breach of the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s (UH) parking office database for records dating between 1998 and 2009. ...read full article

Tabnapping Attack On The Increase

This is an interesting new attack, I saw a live demo of it a while back here: Tabnabbing: A New Type of Phishing Attack. All you need to do is let the page load, then browse to another tab for 5 seconds or more and you’ll see the favicon change to Gmail and the page will load a Gmail image. ...read full article

Botnet malware targets Symbian smartphones

New botnet malware is attacking Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson smartphones running Symbian operating systems, mobile security firm NetQin has warned. ...read full article

Cash machine fraudsters strike again

Sophisticated fraudsters who have already taken more than £10,000 from customers’ accounts across the north-east have struck again in Aberdeen. ...read full article

Database Admin Sentenced for Hacking Employer's Network

A former senior database administrator at a Houston electricity provider was sentenced Tuesday to one year in prison for hacking into his former employer's computer network, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

...read full article

Atlanta Has Dubious Honor of Highest Malware Infection Rate

New York and Los Angeles are major metropolitan areas with exponentially larger populations than most other US cities, so they lead the way for total volume of malware infections. If you break the infection rate down per capita based on population, though, Atlanta comes out on top (or is it on the bottom?) of the heap with the highest malware infection rate. ...read full article

Malware Attack Targets Defense Exporters

A multi-step attack targeting defense exporters was recently reported on Symantec’s security blog. This ploy first invaded one defense contractor’s network where it set up a directory on the system for fake press releases. ...read full article

Your biometric passport can be hacked

I'd heard of stories selectively leaked to the media. But I never thought I'd be gifted with one. ...read full article

Don't buy fake health insurance

Massive unemployment and a changing health care system is creating a breeding ground for con artists. One of the fastest growing scams is fake health care coverage. ...read full article

HSBC Helping Out Mail Thieves By Sending Out Pre-Activated Debit Cards

Legitimate businessmen aren't the only ones who need stimulus packages to get their games rolling again. Dudes who dig through peoples' mail and steal debit cards can also use a little loving. HSBC understands this fact and is helping out by sending out pre-activated debit cards, Knowzy reports. ...read full article

25,000 sign up for state credit protection after data lost

More than 25,000 anxious public employees and retirees have signed up for credit protection services after a state contractor last year lost personal data on 77,000 current and former state, municipal and school employees, state officials say. ...read full article

July 6, 2010

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FTC Warns of Gulf Oil Spill Job Scams

Publication Provides Resources to Find Legitimate Opportunities

Scammers who prey on people eager for work have turned their attention to the Gulf oil spill. Bogus ads for oil spill clean-up jobs in the Gulf are appearing in newspapers, online, and in e-mail inboxes. Con artists may try to get up-front payment from job seekers, or gain access to their sensitive personal or financial information. Fake job promoters also may claim they have been authorized by BP to hire clean-up crews. ...read full article

Many Americans Snared by International Frauds; FTC Publication Tells Consumers How to Steer Clear

Americans report losses of more than a billion dollars a year to international scam artists, according to the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency. Con artists can reach out across the globe to victimize people using the phone, email, postal mail, and the Internet, tricking them into sending their cash or revealing their personal information. ...read full article

Google confirms attack on YouTube

Hackers exploit vulnerability to target pages devoted to Justin Bieber, Google says

IDG News Service - Malicious hackers attacked Google's YouTube on Sunday, exploiting a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability on the ultra-popular video sharing site, hitting primarily sections where users post comments. ...read full article

Angry researchers disclose Windows zero-day bug

Anonymous group claims Microsoft has hostile attitude, backs Google researcher

Computerworld - An anonymous group of security researchers last week published information about an unpatched Windows bug, saying that they were disclosing the vulnerability because of the way Microsoft treated a colleague. ...read full article

Pricewaterhouse Accused of Bad 'Blessing'

TULSA, Okla. (CN) - Pricewaterhouse Coopers "blessed" bogus financial statements that helped hide the CEO's raiding of the company's coffers for "self-dealing and speculative trading" that ultimately sunk SemGroup, the bankrupt Oklahoma energy firm's court-appointed trustee claims in Tulsa County Court. ...read full article

DefCon contest to spotlight social engineering

This year's Defcon event will feature a contest that asks social engineers to infiltrate target companies. But the challenge is only one part of a large mission to get people thinking about social engineering. ...read full article

Risk of cyber threats seriously underestimated

A new study by the Ponemon Institute demonstrates that a vast majority of enterprises of all sizes regularly fall victim to advanced cyber threats, at the same time, more than half of these organizations recognize their defensive technologies, personnel and budget as "inadequate." ...read full article

ATM vendors threaten researcher, stop his presentation on ATM flaws

In an unexpected turn of events, a presentation about "The Underground Economy" by Italian white hat hacker and security expert Raoul Chiesa at the Hack In The Box conference held last week in Amsterdam, was replaced at the last minute with a presentation on "Side Channel Analysis on Embedded Systems" by Job de Haas. ...read full article

Most cyber attacks target the U.S.

SecureWorks announced the findings of a research study that analyzed where the greatest number of attempted cyber attacks were launching from across the globe at its 2,800 clients. ...read full article

Attacking the App Store

Shady App developers are doing their best to mine Apple's App Store, hitting unsuspecting consumers right in the pocketbook. Blogs and some tech sites began reporting the schemes over the holiday weekend and while the number of people being hacked is relatively small when considering overall purchases, the spike of fraud is troubling and could be a sign of more to come. ...read full article

FedEx loses 138,000 patient records

New York City Lincoln Hospital has suspended sending CDs via courier after a package containing seven containing detailed patient data was lost en route from its bill processing supplier Siemens Medical Solutions to the hospital. ...read full article

Aussies lose US$1.3bn to online identity fraud

Australian internet users have lost almost US$1.3 billion to online identity fraud during the past year, a new survey has found. About US$200 million of that total has yet to be recovered by the victims. ...read full article

UF officials notify patients of privacy breach

University of Florida officials have notified 2,047 people that their Social Security or Medicaid identification numbers were included on address labels affixed to letters inviting them to participate in a research study. ...read full article

18 arrested as credit card cloning gang broken up in Madrid

A group of 18 men and women from seven countries have been arrested in Madrid by the National Police in connection with a credit card cloning scam. ...read full article

State’s error unveiled Social Security numbers

The Massachusetts secretary of state’s office, which is charged with enforcing financial rules for investment companies, accidentally released confidential personal information earlier this year on 139,000 investment advisers registered with the state. ...read full article

Mail for Citizens insurance fraudulently diverted

Florida's public insurance carrier says someone fraudulently changed its address through the U.S. Postal Service. ...read full article

Maryland pharmacist sentenced for healthcare fraud

A Maryland pharmacist has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison in a case that caused the Food and Drug Administration to issue an alert about suspicious drugs in 2008. Pamela Arrey pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to misbrand pharmaceuticals, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. ...read full article

July 2, 2010

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FBI Investigating Possible DSHS Hacker

The FBI is investigating whether a hacker broke into the state’s confidential cancer registry, possibly holding personal information and medical records hostage. ...read full article

Blumenthal Investigating Wellpoint Security Breach Of 500,000 Customers

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating a massive security breach that allegedly compromised private financial and health information on nearly a half million WellPoint consumers, including thousands in Connecticut. ...read full article

Facebook credentials phishing scheme

Trying to trick users into giving up their Facebook usernames (i.e. emails) and passwords by making them believe they have won a prize is a well-known tactic employed by online criminals. ...read full article

Microsoft: 10,000 PCs hit with new XP zero-day attack

The bug in Windows XP's Help and Support Center was disclosed on June 10 by a Google researcher

Nearly a month after a Google engineer released details of a new Windows XP flaw, criminals have dramatically ramped up online attacks that leverage the bug. ...read full article

Hoosiers Can Claim Dumped Medical Records

Hoosiers Can Claim Old Files

INDIANAPOLIS -- Patients in Indiana now have a new way to retrieve sensitive information in medical records that have been dumped illegally. ...read full article

Phishing under the name of Wikipedia

A large number of spam emails are currently prompting their recipients to verify an alleged Wikipedia account by clicking on a link that appears to point to the official Wikipedia site. The emails contain such texts as "Someone from the IP address 112.135.3.205 has registered the account 'iamjustsendingthisleter' with this e-mail address on the English Wikipedia", where the IP address corresponds to that of the spamming computer (bot), and the alleged Wikipedia account is the spam recipient's email account. ...read full article

July 1, 2010

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Wellpoint security glitch exposes applicant data

WellPoint Inc (WLP.N) has warned some 470,000 people who applied for its health insurance that a website security glitch may have exposed their Social Security numbers and other sensitive data to the public. ...read full article

Patients' privacy put under threat

THE private details of Queensland Health patients are at risk of being lost or stolen and there are inadequate plans to deal with a major security breach.

...read full article

Aetna recovers personal information of N.J. policy holders thought to have been discarded

Aetna is alerting nearly 5,000 policy holders in New Jersey and Pennsylvania it has recovered a discarded filing cabinet containing Social Security numbers and other personal information. ...read full article

Jeffrey Jones Busted: 'Ferris Bueller' Actor Faces Felony Charge For Sex Offense

"Ferris Bueller" actor Jeffrey Jones was charged Wednesday with failing to update his sex offender registration status, authorities said. ...read full article

FBI hackers fail to crack TrueCrypt

The FBI has admitted defeat in attempts to break the open source encryption used to secure hard drives seized by Brazilian police during a 2008 investigation. ...read full article

Legislative website being repaired after hack

Legislative staffers reloaded data into a state website Wednesday after discovering the site was infected by a virus. ...read full article

GR man sentenced for ATM fraud scheme

A Grand Rapids man has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for a high-tech scheme that netted him close to $40,000 from ATMs. ...read full article

Card skimming device found

Shoppers are being urged to check their bank accounts after a cashpoint skimming device was found. ...read full article

FBI: Russian spies hid codes in online photos

The alleged Russian spies recently arrested by the FBI are accused of encoding messages into otherwise innocuous pictures, marking the first confirmed use of this high-tech form of data concealment in real life, experts say. ...read full article

Trojan attacks now almost solely from legitimate websites

According to reports, many online users are almost always attacked from the hacked websites of legitimate providers. Previously a majority of surfers used to assume that malware was only found on sex sites and other shady websites, but these days all you need to do is visit your favourite newspaper to come under attack. ...read full article

Visa Revokes PCI Approval From Ingenico PIN Pads Following Breach

In a move that seems to reflect a very different PCI approach coming from Visa, the world’s largest card brand has ripped the PCI approval from two Ingenico PIN entry devices (PEDs) after a data breach. ...read full article

Another theft of data from Kentuckiana hospital causing concern

There has been another data breach at a Louisville hospital owned by Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's Healthcare. ...read full article

Cuban man sentenced for mail fraud, ID theft

A Cuban man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for posing as an attorney to represent detainees in immigration court in San Pedro. ...read full article

Man Pleads Guilty to Scam Using Dewey & LeBoeuf Name

A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Tuesday to defrauding an investor out of up to $1 million in part by creating fake correspondence from Dewey & LeBoeuf. Vlade Stojchevski, 40, pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in New Jersey in connection with the scheme. As part of the scam, he opened a bank account in Dewey's name and created false documents from the law firm to induce further funds from the victim. ...read full article

Recidivist Runs $16M Ponzi, SEC Says

PHILADELPHIA (CN) - Robert Stinson Jr., a "felon and securities fraud recidivist" is running a Ponzi scam that has taken $16 million through his "purported hedge funds" including three "Life's Good" funds, the SEC says. "Stinson has been stealing money for his own personal use," often prying it out of victims' "self-directed IRAs," according to the federal complaint. ...read full article

Russian spy ring needed some serious IT help

A 27-word password is left on a piece of paper

Network World - The Russian ring charged this week with spying on the United States faced some of the common security problems that plague many companies -- misconfigured wireless networks, users writing passwords on slips of paper and laptop help desk issues that take months to resolve. ...read full article

UK online bank customers under attack

UK users of online banking services are under attack as criminals use malware that is undetected by most anti-virus software. ...read full article

Feds Seize Domain Names of Movie Piracy Websites

(CN) - Federal officials on Wednesday said they have seized nine domain names of websites that store or distribute pirated movies and TV programs. "If your business model is movie piracy," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, "your story will not have a happy ending." ...read full article

Students Say School Took Them for $1.5M

LOS ANGELES (CN) - The husband and wife who run Montecito Fine Arts schools targeted Chinese-Americans to defraud students of $1.5 million for classes and services they never received, dozens of students claim in Superior Court. Students who enrolled in two colleges and a high school run by Montecito Fine Arts sued Arts Edgar Kuckelkorn and his wife, Trisha Ying Zi Zhang. ...read full article

Ashes To Ashes star Keeley Hawes falls victim to ID theft

Life has sadly imitated art with the news that Spooks and Ashes To Ashes star Keeley Hawes was a victim of identity fraud while filming the new ITV drama Identity, which follows an elite police unit formed to combat the explosion of identity-related crime. ...read full article

Florida seniors a growing target for scam artists

If your parents are 60 or older and live near here, chances are they've been scammed. ...read full article

Bobby McLeod, James Larson of Green Bay to stand trial for using dead soldiers' identities to pass bad checks

Two Green Bay area men accused of using dead Wisconsin soldiers’ identities to pass bad checks in Woodruff will stand trial in Oneida County, according to broadcast reports. ...read full article

Facebook moves to limit application's access to data

Facebook has begun to roll out changes to the site in its efforts to appease critics of its privacy practices. ...read full article

California Assembly approves $20 million for Jaycee Dugard

The California Assembly on Thursday passed a bill appropriating $20 million to kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard to settle her claims against the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to the chief clerk's office. ...read full article