July 2011 News Archive

July 29, 2011

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Malcolm X's daughter handed probation for identity theft

Malikah Shabazz was accused of defrauding the 70-year-old widow of one of her late father's bodyguards to make more than $55,000 (£34,375) in illegal credit card purchases. ...read full article

Manchester travel agent faces fraud, identity theft charges

MANCHESTER — A local travel agent is facing charges of larceny, credit card fraud and identity theft after a number of customers went to Manchester Police to say they had been hit with fraudulent charges on their credit cards. ...read full article

Ex-inmate admits behind-bars identity-theft scheme

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) -- A former Missouri prison inmate may be returning to life behind bars, now that he's admitted running an identity-theft scheme while in the lockup. ...read full article

Man wanted for alleged forgery, identity theft

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Police are looking for a man accused of forgery and identity theft. ...read full article

New ID theft charges for tenant

The San Mateo renter already accused of stealing a former tenant’s mail is charged in a new felony identity theft case which allegedly occurred two months after he began pilfering the earlier victim’s personal information to access financial accounts. ...read full article

Head of phishing ring gets 12 years in prison for scamming 38K victims

That Tien Truong Nguyen, age 34, was sentenced today for his role in designing websites to mock financial institutions and using those sites to scam over 38,000 victims. He worked with Romanian scammers to help drive people to the sites through email phishing. ...read full article

Pemberton Township woman admits to $1.7 million student loan scam

PEMBERTOWN TOWNSHIP — A Burlington County woman admitted she obtained almost $200,000 after applying for more than $1.7 million in fake student loans ...read full article

Florida Supreme Court Limits Information in Court Files

In an effort to protect individuals from identity theft, the state court adopted rules on what should be included in court records.

...read full article

Data stolen from 35 million South Korean social networking users

Hackers have broken into the popular South Korean websites Nate and Cyworld earlier this week, and stolen information about 35 million social networking users. ...read full article

Hard drive with students' addresses, grades vanishes

An external hard drive containing personal information on as many as 1,234 Prince William County elementary school students has disappeared, prompting investigations by the school system and the police department. ...read full article

Police details stolen from officer's Oldham home

A memory stick containing sensitive information about police operations has been stolen from a Greater Manchester Police officer's home ...read full article

Without proper laws governing public disclosure of data security hacks, Canadians remain at risk.

Another day, another hack. Apple, Sony, Citigroup, and Lockheed Martin are just some of the big-name companies afflicted by recent cyber-security breaches. Canada has not been spared. ...read full article

July 28, 2011

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Man accused of installing debit card skimming devices charged with identity theft

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A San Diego man accused of placing a debit card skimming device on a bank security door and ATM machines so he could steal the PIN numbers of thousands of customers pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 45 charges, including identity theft and burglary. ...read full article

Teen hoops imposter pleads guilty, gets 3 years

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- A former star athlete who posed as a teenager to play high school basketball in West Texas was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after reaching a plea deal, a prosecutor said. ...read full article

Man charged with fraudulent chiropractor billing

Tahib Smith Ali had the patients and delivered at least some health-care services, but he wasn't the chiropractor he claimed to be, according to a federal indictment. ...read full article

Why an arrest record didn’t deny identity theft suspect a work card

When Arthur Jones, aka Joseph Sandelli, was arrested in Las Vegas last week after living under a false identity for 32 years, many where shocked to learn he had been working as a sports book writer at the Rampart Casino in Summerlin, a job that some think requires a rigorous background check. And it does. ...read full article

All Tennessee BlueCross stored data now secure

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee says it has secured all its stored electronic records and there is no indication any customer information on computer hard drives stolen in October 2009 has been misused. ...read full article

Zambia: Local Resident in U.S. Urged to Respect Laws

ZAMBIAN Ambassador to the United States (US) Sheila Siwela has warned all Zambians resident there to respect that country's laws as a way of maintaining the good name Zambia is renowned for. And a 35-year-old Zambian based in the US has pleaded guilty to identity theft. ...read full article

Warnings made of polymorphic malware, as variants increase and tactics evolve

July has seen a significant increase in aggressive polymorphic malware. ...read full article

Nearly everyone in SOUTH KOREA HACKED IN ONE GO

Personal information on as many as 35 million users of a South Korean social network site may have been exposed as the result of what has been described as the country's biggest ever hack attack. ...read full article

LulzSec spokesperson in custody, say UK police

One of the key members and spokesperson of LulzSec, which is allied with the Anonymous group of hackers, was arrested Wednesday. ...read full article

Florida woman charged with ID theft, endangering safety

A Florida woman who led Elm Grove police on a high-speed chase after trying to cash a stolen check faces five felony charges in Waukesha County Circuit Court. ...read full article

Financial theft hits 100,000 Britons in 2011

More Britons are becoming victims of financial and identity theft. In the first six months of this year, more than 50,000 had their identities stolen and 100,000 were hit by financial fraud - up 10% on the last six months of 2010. ...read full article

Five Tax Scams to Avoid This Summer

Hiding income offshore, identity theft and return preparer fraud topped the IRS’s list of tax scams in 2011. The Internal Revenue Service issues an annual list of the top 12 tax scams, known as the “Dirty Dozen.” These scams are illegal and can lead to significant penalties and interest and possible criminal prosecution. ...read full article

July 27, 2011

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Patients at risk of identity theft

Starting today, 6,500 patients — including many from Mississauga — will be officially notified that their personal information has been compromised. ...read full article

Tualatin police arrest man, 24, on theft and fraud-related charges

A 24-year-old man was arrested Monday on charges stemming from two separate theft and fraud-related incidents, including his stealing a blank prescription pad from a Tualatin doctor's office and writing fraudulent prescriptions in an effort to obtain pain medication, the Tualatin Police Department reported. ...read full article

Police: ID Theft Ring Started In Beauty Salon

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- A man police call a key player in an identity theft ring appeared before a judge on Tuesday, accused of orchestrating an operation that stole thousands of checks. ...read full article

Employee data missing at Nyack Hospital; computer hard drive stolen during flood

NYACK — Former and current Nyack Hospital employees, as well as their spouses and children, are at risk of identity theft because a computer hard drive containing personal information is missing from the hospital, officials said. ...read full article

Man with many aliases facing theft charges

TUALATIN, OR (KPTV) - Police say a man who stole a cell phone and obtained fraudulent prescriptions identifies himself as a Gypsy and has at least five different aliases. ...read full article

Missing packages put health info of 12,000 at risk

Beginning Wednesday, 6,500 patients including many in the GTA, are being officially notified that their personal information may have been compromised. ...read full article

UNLV reports possible information security breach from 2008

Nearly 2,000 current and former UNLV employees are being notified by the university that their private information, including Social Security numbers, might have been accessed illegally in 2008. ...read full article

Fingerprint scans learn to spot chopped-off fingers

What do Gummi Bears and amputated fingers have in common? They’ve both been demonstrated as techniques for defeating fingerprint scanners. Now, a German company called Dermalog Identification Systems is using the way skin changes colour under pressure to block both the soft sweet and the dead hand of the zombie from accessing systems protected by fingerprint scans. ...read full article

'Directory traversal' attack becomes premier hack tool

A lesser-known attack called directory traversal is the single most commonly used technique in real-world web application attacks. ...read full article

User details stolen from Tas Govt

Hackers claim to have made off with 1800 usernames, email addresses and hashed passwords held by the Tasmanian Government. ...read full article

ORF hack attack worse than feared

Hackers nicked significantly more data from a subsidiary of Austrian broadcaster ORF than officials initially admitted, it has emerged. ...read full article

Confidential files found in street

An inquiry has been launched after a confidential police file containing the personal details of a teenage rape victim was found in the street. ...read full article

July 26, 2011

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Cyberbullying critic target of murder hoax

A security advocate and a local SWAT team fall victim to an elaborate prank by hackers

...read full article

Low-tech Internet scams harvest billions of dollars

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- For decades, Internet scams have been as numerous as they've been easy to spot -- but fraudsters' tools and tricks are now becoming more sophisticated. ...read full article

Identity Theft Tied To Illegal Immigration

The two crimes are tried together and it may affect people without a victim being aware of it.

...read full article

Prison Term For 2 New Jersey Men Convicted In Tax Fraud Case

TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Two New Jersey men have been sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to file thousands of fraudulent federal income tax returns that caused the Internal Revenue Service to issue more than $3 million in refund checks. ...read full article

Cellphones, fraudsters' next big target

With the growing trend of mobile banking and mobile commerce globally, fraudsters are targeting mobile-based attacks based on user behavior profiling, according to RSA expert ...read full article

Woman arrested for reportedly tapping into Lynnwood ATM

The woman attached a device, known as a skimmer, to a Lynnwood ATM to steal account information, police say.

...read full article

Berks couple charged with bilking even more elderly

BOYERTOWN — Already facing several felony theft charges tied to unauthorized credit card use in Montgomery County, a Reading couple stands accused of doing the same in Boyertown, after police discovered they allegedly stole an elderly woman's credit card and used it to go shopping. ...read full article

Canadian casinos, banks, police use facial-recognition technology

While the debate rages over how social media companies such as Facebook should use facial detection and recognition tools, the technology has quietly crept into institutional life across Canada, for functions ranging from gambling control to bank fraud and police investigations. ...read full article

Cyber criminals exploit tragic stories

CYBER-CRIMINALS are exploiting tragedies like the attacks in Norway and the death of Amy Winehouse to infect computers and spread spam. ...read full article

Hacking scandal starts to spread beyond News Corp

Trinity Mirror Group Plc – owner of the Daily Mirror, Daily Record and The People, is opening an internal investigation into ethics and editorial procedures. ...read full article

Phishers go after your Google AdWords account

Cybercrooks have launched a "Google AdWords" phishing campaign in an attempt to trick marks into handing over sensitive login credentials to a bogus, newly registered, website. ...read full article

Hackers Steal Data From Austria TV Fee Collector

The Austrian authority that collects state television fees from customers says hackers have stolen 214,000 data files from its server, including 96,000 containing sensitive bank account information. ...read full article

July 25, 2011

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Chicago Man Missing for 32 Years Found in Las Vegas

Arthur Gerald Jones, also known as Joseph Richard Sandelli, missing from his Chicago home for more than 32 years, turned up alive and well and in plain sight in Las Vegas on Friday. The Las Vegas Review Journal reports Jones, a Chicago commodities trader disappeared from his Chicago neighborhood in 1979. ...read full article

Identity theft plagues consumers

It might seem impossible to size up the damage inflicted on consumers by identity thieves and other fraudsters, but the Federal Trade Commission has been attempting to do just that for more than a decade. ...read full article

Caregiver charged with stealing from 101-year-old Greeley woman

A Greeley woman admitted using her 101-year-old patient’s credit card for thefts totaling more than $4,000, saying she used it to buy gas for her friends, clothing for herself and some illegal drugs. ...read full article

Malware is a Disease; Let's Treat it that Way

Analysis: Were these a human virus, the CDC would be subjecting it to observation and protocols, while someone was racing to invent vaccinations for the world to use. ...read full article

Ring of fraud

Saheli Mitra checks out the plethora of scam messages hitting the inboxes of mobile phone subscribers and tells you how to avoid being duped ...read full article

Old-fashioned scams find place in high-tech world

If you know the treachery you might confront, you’ll be a lot less likely to become a victim. ...read full article

Social Security number theft leads to 15-year headache

For more than 15 years, Clifton Goodenough had to repeatedly convince the Internal Revenue Service that he worked in a veteran’s hospital in Phoenix — not as a bookie in Las Vegas. ...read full article

Amy Winehouse death video scams hit Facebook

As soon as the news that singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London home hit the Internet, the usual reactions began flooding in. There were plenty of touching tributes, a handful of cruel jokes, and a wave of emotional tweets. And now there's the almost obligatory series of Facebook scams which seems to follow a well-publicized death. ...read full article

Careless Errors Put Consumers at Risk for Credit Fraud and Identity Theft

Many people assume that they are safe from credit fraud if they shred their old bank statements and credit card statements. What they may not realize is that the careless errors of others may put them at risk for credit fraud and identity theft. Companies and organizations have reported numerous data breaches resulting not from malicious hackers, but simple human error. ...read full article

IDENTITY THEFT THREAT TO MILLIONS

PLANS to move sensitive Government computer work offshore could leave millions of Britons open to fraud and identity theft. ...read full article

NYU hospital scans palms to track patients without IDs

Forgot your insurance card? Don't worry, your palm will do. ...read full article

July 22, 2011

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Identity theft experts:"ATM Skimming" new crime in MT

MISSOULA - Experts say identity theft topped the list of consumer complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission for the last 11 years. ...read full article

Your picture, but not your Facebook profile

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) – It's a form of identity theft: someone using your picture, to create someone else's Facebook page. This scary situation could have devastating consequences and could happen to anyone. ...read full article

Sony insurer sues to deny data breach coverage

NEW YORK/TOKYO - One of Sony Corp's insurers has asked a court to declare that it does not have to pay to defend the media and electronics conglomerate from mounting legal claims related to a massive data breach earlier this year. ...read full article

Judiciary Committee Ok's Goodlatte Bills on Immigration, Identity Theft

Two bills introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte were passed by the Judiciary Committee today.

...read full article

China-Based Spies Said to Be Behind Hacking of IMF in Investigators’ View

Investigators probing the recent ransacking of International Monetary Fund computers have concluded the attack was carried out by cyber spies connected to China, according to two people close to the investigation. ...read full article

2 charged with credit card theft from Frederick Mennonite Home resident

UPPER FREDERICK — A Reading couple has been charged with allegedly stealing the credit card of an elderly Frederick Mennonite Home resident and making 69 unauthorized purchases in the amount of more than $9,000. ...read full article

6 people sentenced in Wax House mortgage fraud case

1 defendant gets 11 years, the longest sentence yet in Charlotte-area Operation Wax House investigation.

...read full article

Pfizer's Facebook page jacked by script kiddies

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's Facebook page has been defaced by mischief makers. ...read full article

Japanese judge jails serial malware author

VXer riddled P2P with 'squid-octopus' download zapper

...read full article

Phishers target frequent flyer schemes in Brazil

Phly-phishing phreebooters pillage air miles

...read full article

Stolen credit and debit details emailed across the world

MORE than 1500 credit and debit card details stolen in Britain were emailed to Australia to be placed on blank Crown and Coles Myer cards and used to fleece major banks, a court has heard. ...read full article

Hackers reveal personal data of Colombian police officials

Hackers announced Wednesday they had sent spam bombs to some 250 officials of Colombia's national Police and revealed personal data of employees of the National Police inviting the public to harass the officials. ...read full article

Sheriff’s detectives find major source of ATM/credit card fraud

The rampant hacking of credit cards and ATM accounts that has hit Amador County is partly the result of “malicious software” installed at a Martell business, according to investigators from the Amador County Sheriff’s Office. ...read full article

July 21, 2011

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Hackers claim to breach NATO security

Group posted PDF file on its Twitter page showing what appeared to be a document headed 'NATO Restricted'

...read full article

Hacking scandal exposes UK's sleazy private eye underworld

In some cases line between private investigation, organized crime nonexistent, police say

...read full article

Phone-hacking probe appears to expand beyond Murdoch papers

London (CNN) -- A British police investigation into illegal phone hacking by journalists appears to have expanded beyond Rupert Murdoch's disgraced News of the World tabloid to many other newspapers. ...read full article

Google notifies users of malware infections

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Google said Wednesday that it has begun to display a malware warning in its search results to a group of users with infected computers. ...read full article

DELAWARE: Missing mother found, charged

DOVER — A woman who went missing with her four children has been found and charged with identity theft, the Delaware State Police said today. ...read full article

Milton police charge man with identity theft

MILTON — A Seaford man has been charged with identity theft after police linked him to alleged Walmart purchases using a stolen credit card, police said. ...read full article

Texas Credit Card Fraud and Theft Crimes Increase Due to New Technology; Houston Defense Lawyer Analyzes Texas Criminal Penalties

Identity theft has steadily increased over recent years due in large part to radio frequency identification, also known as RFID. This new technology gives thieves access to credit card information through devices that can be purchased online. ...read full article

Waterloo cross-dresser held for bouncing checks

Waterloo, Ia. — Authorities have arrested a Waterloo man who they say dressed as a woman to carry out his scheme to pass checks that later bounced. ...read full article

Former Georgia credit union worker indicted

MACON, Ga. (AP) - A former Robins Federal Credit Union employee has been indicted on charges that she stole identities to apply for loans and credit cards. ...read full article

Grand jury indicts Pipkin

Long-time banker indicted for identity theft, stealing

...read full article

House panel approves data breach notification bill

A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee has voted to approve a bill that would require companies to notify affected customers about data breaches and would require businesses holding personal information to establish data security programs ...read full article

Local lawyer charged with identity theft

WILTON -- A lawyer from Wilton was charged with three felonies last week in connection with identity theft, police records show. ...read full article

July 20, 2011

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'Anonymous' arrests tied to PayPal DDoS attacks, FBI says

Fourteen arrested for PayPal attacks, two others for 'related' cybercrimes

Computerworld - The FBI said this afternoon that it had arrested a total of fourteen individuals thought to belong to the Anonymous hacking group for their alleged participation in a series of distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) against PayPal last year. ...read full article

Indictment Names Reddit Luminary In Theft of Data from MIT

A 24 year-old entrepreneur and star programmer has been indicted by the federal authorities in Boston following and accused of hacking into the network of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and making off with millions of pages of copyrighted documents. ...read full article

STUDENTS EXPOSED in university IT blunder

The Information Commissioner's Office has reprimanded the University of York for stuffing up its IT systems so that student records were accessible to anyone. ...read full article

NBA star Wade goes after alleged Texas hackers

IDG News Service - His Miami Heat team lost the NBA finals to the Dallas Mavericks last month and now Dwyane Wade is headed back to a Texas court, but not to play basketball. ...read full article

Malicious PDF Attack Baiting Defense Industry Victims

Defense industry PDFThere has been a spate of spear-phishing attacks against a number of high-profile targets in the last few months, including RSA and others, and that trend is continuing unabated. Researchers have come across a fresh attack using the familiar malicious PDF attachment that appears to be targeting users in the defense industry. ...read full article

Missing Harrington woman wanted for identity theft

HARRINGTON — The Harrington Police Department are searching for a 40-year-old woman, who is also wanted for alleged identity theft, state police said. ...read full article

Jailed Biddeford man faces federal cyber-stalk charges

PORTLAND — A Biddeford man who is serving a 22-month jail sentence for violating a protection-from-abuse order faces as much as five years in federal prison on new charges of stalking and stealing the identity of his ex-girlfriend. ...read full article

Scam bilks $2,200 from job-seeker, BBB says

The Better Business Bureau of Northern Indiana is warning that scammers are lying in wait for people looking for jobs. ...read full article

UK premier accused of 'catastrophic error' amid phone-hacking scandal

LONDON — The leader of the U.K.'s opposition party accused prime minister David Cameron of a "deliberate attempt to hide from the facts" about an aide arrested over phone-hacking in a stormy debate in the parliament Wednesday. ...read full article

Identity theft may have been Israelis' goal - analyst

New Zealand passports are "extremely valuable" and it is most likely four Israelis in Christchurch at the time of the February 22 quake were on an identity-theft mission, a political risk consultant says. ...read full article

Bill Aims to Limit Identity Theft Using Medicare Cards

Proposed legislation in Congress seeks to reduce identity theft by eliminating distribution of Social Security numbers. Not on the computer, but on a small piece of paper carried by millions of people: the Medicare card. ...read full article

Once-Celebrated Recklessness Leads to Dykstra’s Financial Fall

LOS ANGELES — Before promoting a single stock or venturing into the perilous world of magazine publishing, Lenny Dykstra lived the good life, essentially risk-free. He signed autographs, shook hands and banked the profits from his car-wash business. ...read full article

Taking Action Investigation: A Stolen Life - The Tamara Greenhill Story

The recent arrest of Ana Maria Anastacio, 24, has brought closure for one Franklin County woman. Anastacio was recently arrested in Champaign, Illinois on federal charges linking her to the identity theft of 34-year-old Tamara Greenhill. FBI agents say Anastacio was in the country illegally. ...read full article

Authorities look for missing Del. woman, 4 kids

HARRINGTON, Del. (AP) - Authorities are looking for a Harrington woman and 4 of her children who have been missing since early July after Division of Family Services officials went to take custody of her kids. ...read full article

Russia Amends Federal Data Protection Law; Privacy Enforcement on the Rise

Last week, the upper house of Russia's federal legislature approved amendments to the country's federal data protection law. ...read full article

Yet Another Bank Sued By A Small Business For Fraudulent Hacker Transfers

A new court case brought to bear against Professional Business Bank by Village View Escrow Inc. continued the battle waged over who's to blame for hacking attacks that leave small business accounts drained following online password theft. ...read full article

Taliban Denies Reports That Leader Mullah Omar Is Dead

KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban in Afghanistan insisted Wednesday that their leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was alive, saying a text message and Internet posting announcing his death were fake. ...read full article

July 19, 2011

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Anonymous Hacks Murdoch's Sun Web Site

Ever attuned to the headlines, the hacker collective Anonymous have inserted themselves into the ongoing scandal over hacking by Rupert Murdoch's News of the World Tabloid, hacking the Web site of The Sun, another Murdoch publication, and redirecting traffic to that paper's home page to a phony story announcing the media mogul's death. ...read full article

Report: FBI raids homes of alleged Anonymous members

The Federal Bureau of Investigation this morning searched three homes of reported Anonymous members, Fox News is reporting. ...read full article

Gillibrand pushes bill to remove Social Security numbers from medicare cards

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Monday pushed legislation to remove social security numbers from Medicare cards. ...read full article

Federal agents arrest woman in identity theft

A Buffalo woman who allegedly used information from prospective tenants to steal their identities and open online bank accounts was arrested by federal agents from the U. S. Secret Service, U. S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. reported Monday. ...read full article

Meet the ‘Keyzer Soze’ of Global Phone-Tracking

Chances are you’ve never heard of TruePosition. If you’re an AT&T or T-Mobile customer, though, TruePosition may have heard of you. When you’re in danger, the company can tell the cops where you are, all without you knowing. And now, it’s starting to let governments around the world in on the search. ...read full article

Docs filed with FEMA turn up in Mich. storage unit

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - Two men say the contents of an abandoned self-storage unit they bought in northern Michigan included claims filed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Texas following 2005's Hurricane Rita, a laptop registered to FEMA and car loan applications. ...read full article

New York woman charged with identity theft in Braintree

BRAINTREE — A New York woman was charged with using another person’s identity in an attempt to buy more than $1,000 in merchandise, police said. ...read full article

Woman on probation for stealing from elderly client arrested again

LONGMONT -- A 36-year-old woman on felony probation for stealing from an at-risk adult for whom she worked as a caretaker has been arrested again on suspicion of felony theft and identity theft from another of her charges. ...read full article

Dumpster Diving To Prevent Identity Theft

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, especially if that man is looking to steal personal information. ...read full article

New Credit Report Legislation Under Fire

The national trade group that represents credit reporting agencies is taking its fight against a 2010 New Mexico law to a federal appeals court, claiming the legislation will let consumers load their credit reports with inaccurate information. ...read full article

UK operators say voicemail weaknesses fixed

As the phone hacking saga continues to grip the U.K., mobile operators contend that spying on someone's voicemail messages wouldn't be possible today as several weaknesses in the systems have been eliminated. ...read full article

Hospital Patients Warned Of Potential Data Breach

Israel Deaconess Medical Center that stored medical record numbers and personal medical information of more than 2,000 patients may have been compromised. ...read full article

Popstar hackers snaffle Lady GaGa fans' email addresses

Hackers claim to have broken into the UK fansite of Lady GaGa before extracting the names and email addresses of thousands of her fans. ...read full article

July 18, 2011

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Massive botnet 'indestructible,' say researchers

Computerworld - A new and improved botnet that has infected 4.5 million Windows PCs is "practically indestructible," security researchers say. ...read full article

Hotmail puts a block on flimsy passwords

Hotmail is banning passwords such as "password", "123456", "ilovecats", and "gogiants", in an attempt to make it harder for spammers to hijack users' e-mail accounts. ...read full article

More Allegations Link Murdoch's Media Empire to "Ethical Hackers"

The 'drip drip drip' of reports that link Rupert Murdoch's media empire to incidents of malicious computer programs continues this week, with news of an investigation into News of the World's the use of so-called "ethical hackers" to obtain information from computers owned by targeted individuals. ...read full article

US, Romanian authorities target Internet fraud scheme

IDG News Service - Romanian law enforcement officials on Thursday executed 117 searches targeting more than 100 people in an ongoing effort with the U.S. Department of Justice to break up a large Internet auction fraud scheme, the DOJ said. ...read full article

After vows, Michigan bride arrested on felony warrant

Jackson — Police say a Michigan bride — still in her wedding dress — was arrested on a felony warrant and briefly jailed after exchanging vows at a Jackson-area church. ...read full article

Paternity and drug test details leak online in privacy breach

Update 2:45pm: Medvet says it has now removed all private order information from Google's cached search results. Medvet has clarified that it first became aware of the issue on Friday, not in April as some reports have claimed. ...read full article

Wi-Fi hijackers cause download of trouble

THOUSANDS of Sydney households are placing their personal information at risk and inadvertently protecting fraudsters and users of child pornography by not securing their home Wi-Fi networks, a Fairfax investigation has shown. ...read full article

New app raises identity theft concerns

NEW YORK - Starbucks has a new iPhone app that has some experts worried about identity theft. ...read full article

Coralville man accused of identity theft

Credit cards and loans were applied for online

...read full article

Landlords urged to protect themselves from fraud

Landlord Assist is urging landlords to check that their properties are correctly registered with the Land Registry to help protect them from registration fraud and identity theft. ...read full article

Three accused in loan-fraud conspiracy face arraignment

LOS ANGELES - Two brothers and a third defendant are due in court today on charges they conned lenders out of more than $5 million by pledging properties they did not own and fabricating paperwork to support their claims. ...read full article

Phishers now invading mobile phones

As technologies in cell phones advance day after day, phishers are also seeking various means to exploit vulnerable cell phone users, according to Internet security firm Symantec. ...read full article

Ameren warns of increase in scam activity

After scammers hit customers, Ameren Illinois issues a warning: Don’t give out personal information over the phone or to someone at your doorstep. ...read full article

Woman arrested for crimes that occurred all over

A Prairieville woman was booked into a Mississippi jail after she was arrested for committing burglaries and thefts in various Louisiana and Mississippi communities, including several car burglaries in St. Tammany Parish. ...read full article

Whittier woman accused of defrauding seniors in real estate scam

WHITTIER - A Whittier woman allegedly stole money from five seniors between 2006 and 2009 using her contacts and her knowledge of real estate. ...read full article

Tosh admits customer accounts pillaged

Toshiba says that unidentified hackers have stolen customer records belonging to 7,500 of its customers. ...read full article

'Unfortunate situation' at Kitchen Place auction

Credit card numbers, personal information found in items sold at auction

...read full article

New ACH Fraud Suit Filed

A March 2010 incident of corporate account takeover has led to yet another legal dispute between a commercial customer and its former bank. ...read full article

July 14, 2011

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In Kindergarten and in Debt: The Problem of Child Identity Theft

Those of us in the criminal justice community know technology can be a double-edged sword. Even as technological advances create new ways to tackle familiar problems in our communities, they also create new opportunities for crime – increasing our concern for privacy and data security. This is clearly the case with child identity theft – where, more frequently, criminals are using children’s identities to fraudulently take out loans, apply for employment, and open credit card accounts. ...read full article

Sega forums still closed a month after mystery hack

Sega's forum remains offline almost a month after its forums and other sites were hit by hacktivists. ...read full article

New Report Finds U.S. Hosting Providers Infested With Malware, Botnets

The United States used to be the leading industrial nation in the world, producing the best cars, TVs, clothes and deep-fried Twinkies. Those days are gone, but the U.S. can still claim primacy in one important area: the most malware-infested, phishing-friendly hosting provider. ...read full article

Monsanto confirms Anonymous hacking attack

Agricultural biotech giant Monsanto confirmed today that it had been victimized by a hacking attack that the online activist collective Anonymous had announced on Tuesday. ...read full article

New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty to Computer Intrusion into Former Employer’s Computer Systems

WASHINGTON - Lawrence R. Marino, a 41-year-old from Goffstown, N.H., pleaded guilty today in federal court to computer intrusion, stemming from his repeated hacks into his former employer’s computer systems, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gunnison for the District of New Hampshire. ...read full article

Police tapping iPhone for facial recognition

Some law-enforcement agencies are preparing to deploy a mobile facial-recognition tool, The Wall Street Journal reported today. ...read full article

Ala. woman pleads guilty to federal fraud charges

GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) - Federal officials say an Etowah County woman has pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft charges in a scheme through which she stole more than $900,000 from her former employer. ...read full article

July 13, 2011

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Booz Allen confirms its systems were hacked

IDG News Service - Booz Allen Hamilton on Tuesday confirmed that its network was hacked but suggested the break-in was more limited than attackers have described. ...read full article

Zeus Banking Trojan Comes to Android Phones

The Zeus banking Trojan has jumped the bridge to the large and growing ecosystem of mobile devices powered by Google's Android operating system, according to security researchers at Fortinet. ...read full article

Most SMBs fail to educate staff on security and social networking risks

A quarter of small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) have educated their staff about the risks posed by social networking sites and best practice in avoiding malware. ...read full article

New hacktivism group appears, but is met with criticism following its tactics of impacting innocent users

A new online organisation naming itself LulzStorm appeared this week, with its first action to upload a torrent containing the personal information of thousands of Italian university students. ...read full article

DHS warns of malware on imported electronic devices

The Homeland Security Department says there is a constant threat of malware on imported electronic devices sold in the U.S, Information Week reports. ...read full article

NW Woman Editor Charged With Identity Theft, Cyberstalking

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The editor of Northwest Woman Magazine, published in Spokane, is wrapped up in an identity theft case. The Spokane County Prosecutor's Office is charging Charity Doyl with identity theft, theft and cyberstalking. ...read full article

Fake Doctor Pleads to Fraud and Identity Theft Related to Eldercare

According to federal prosecutors, Patrick Lynch, 54, of Toms River, New Jersey, established Visiting Doctors of New Jersey in order to provide medical care for elderly home-bound patients in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. ...read full article

NH woman sentenced on ID theft again

HAMPTON, N.H.—A New Hampshire woman who served time for using her nanny's identity to run up $61,000 in charges has been found guilty of committing identity theft again while on federal probation for the previous conviction. ...read full article

July 12, 2011

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Hacker Group Says It Stole U.S. Military Email Addresses, Passwords

MCLEAN, Va. – The AntiSec online hacking movement said Monday it had broken into a server run by a U.S. military contractor and pilfered 90,000 military email addresses and passwords, the latest in a string of attacks on corporate and government targets. ...read full article

Gordon Brown Says Newspaper Hired ‘Known Criminals’

LONDON — Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown brought new and alarming charges on Tuesday to the broadening scandal enveloping Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in Britain, accusing one of the most prestigious newspapers in the group of employing “known criminals” to gather personal information on his bank account, legal files and tax affairs. ...read full article

Grandmother likely victim of identity theft

A jobless 71-year-old woman in Phetchaburi province was more than surprised recently to receive a notice from the Revenue Department ordering her to pay Bt1.7 million tax or face legal action. ...read full article

Man sentenced to fed prison in identity-theft case

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) - A St. Louis man has been ordered to serve four years and nine months in federal prison for an identity-theft operation authorities say was helped by a worker at a southwestern Illinois restaurant. ...read full article

Former Hilltown man sentenced to 12 years in prostitution, identity theft case

Roger Sedlak, 47, formerly of Hilltown, was sentenced July 7 to more than 12 years in jail and a $5,000 fine, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said. ...read full article

Ex-SMU student pleads sentenced for passport fraud

DALLAS (AP) — A federal judge has given a 22-month prison sentence to a Dallas man who was an international fugitive for nearly a decade before British officials returned him to face charges. ...read full article

Nurse Accused Of Illegally Accessing Thousands Of Medical Records

A nurse who worked for Memorial Hospital is accused of accessing 2,500 medical records for personal use. Investigators say Lori Niell was accessing these records without a medical, billing, or operational reason. ...read full article

UK court dishes out 13 years' porridge to e-fraudsters

Three fraudsters have been jailed for a combined total of 13 years and six months over their involvement in a sophisticated phishing fraud against UK and international banks. ...read full article

'Being cyber-stalked is as bad as being raped, or in a war'

A new survey into the phenomenon of cyber-stalking has made the remarkable claim that many victims of online or other electronic harassment suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in very much the same way as soldiers who have been in combat or people who have been raped. ...read full article

German police hacked, suspect tracking data stolen

Usernames, passwords, and coordinates stolen in data haul.

...read full article

Lumberton ISD employee's laptop computer stolen

A stolen laptop in Hardin County is causing some concern. ...read full article

LCC Customers At Risk After Security Breach

Possible security breach affects participants and family members who were on LCC's dental and vision plan.

...read full article

Man gets five years in Alton ID theft case

EAST ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis man has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for his role in a credit card skimming and ID theft scam at an Alton restaurant. ...read full article

July 11, 2011

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Zabasearch.com Warns Taxpayers of Bogus IRS Email Scam

Zabasearch.com, a leading online provider of public records and people search services, urges taxpayers to be aware of a new email scheme, where imposters are sending official looking emails claiming to be from the IRS. ...read full article

Kenya: Are You Exposed to Phone Hacking?

Nairobi — The world is awash with the news of one of the world's most popular tabloids in Britain shutting down in the wake of a privacy violation scandal. ...read full article

Identity Theft Suspect Caught

A woman who is accused of identity theft according to authorities is now behind bars. ...read full article

Denison man charged with identity theft, forgery

HARLAN -- A 25-year-old Denison man faces felony identity theft and forgery charges in Shelby County District Court. ...read full article

Identity Theft Victim Fights Back

It’s called the “invisible crime.” But an Omaha woman sued the person who stole her identity to open credit cards. ...read full article

MS security centre search poisoned with infectious smut

Microsoft has disabled the search results on its Security Centre after malware-spreaders abused the function to promote shady pornographic websites serving Trojans as well as cheap thrills. ...read full article

2 held over Baidu personal info leak

SHANGHAI police said yesterday that two suspects have been caught for allegedly revealing online the personal information of more than 1,700 local apartment owners in a residential complex in the Pudong New Area. ...read full article

BBB advises consumers on handling debt collectors

Consumers who owe money or are behind on their bills may be legitimately contacted by debt collectors to pay off debts. The BBB warns consumers, however, that phony debt collectors are lurking and even some legitimate debt collectors have been known to employ abusive and illegal tactics. ...read full article

Woman arrested for unemployment fraud

GOWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Troopers arrested 44yr old Tammy Williams of Jamestown St in Gowanda after a month long investigation ...read full article

Kiplinger Confirms Hacking of its Networks in June

Kiplinger Washington Editors Inc. has confirmed that its computer networks were hacked last month by the hackers, reported Bloomberg. Kiplinger, which publishes Kiplinger Personal Finance, has cautioned its customers about the possible stealing of their account data by the hackers. ...read full article

July 8, 2011

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Former Cameron aide arrested in phone hacking scandal

London (CNN) -- Andy Coulson, the prime minister's former press secretary, was arrested Friday in connection with allegations of phone hacking and corruption in a case that promises to be a growing political liability for David Cameron. ...read full article

UCLA Medical Center agrees to settle HIPAA violation charges for $865K

Computerworld - After years of being accused of doing little to enforce Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's security and privacy rules, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services appears to be finally getting serious about cracking down on offenders. ...read full article

Washington Post Hacked, 1.27M IDs and E-mail Addresses Stolen

Over a million user IDs and e-mail addresses of job applicants were taken from the Washington Post’s Web site after being hacked late last week, according to a statement posted on the Post's Web site. ...read full article

Feds cuff programmer in alleged trading-ware theft

Chunlai Yang, a 49-year old Chinese-born American, has been charged with stealing proprietary software code. ...read full article

Arpaio's office to pay $200,000 in profiling case

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office will pay $200,000 to settle a claim brought by two Hispanic men who accused sheriff's deputies of racial profiling. ...read full article

AT&T-iPad hacker indicted, report says

A man accused of hacking into AT&T's servers and stealing the personal information of more than 120,000 iPad customers was reportedly indicted today. ...read full article

Defendant to appear in court on charges of defrauding Richmond City

The last of three defendants in a bank fraud scheme involving checks stolen from Richmond City Hall is due in federal court. ...read full article

Identity theft leaves AF man searching for answers

When Don Molenda received an inheritance in early 2010 he did what he thought was smart and took it right to the bank. He placed all the money into a secure savings account, was told he'd get a statement quarterly, and he walked away. ...read full article

Ga. student pleads guilty to identity theft

A Georgia college student, identified by authorities as the mastermind of a multistate identity theft operation, on Thursday admitted guilt to a federal judge. ...read full article

July 6, 2011

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Hewlett Packard’s Laptop Lock Takes Only Seconds To Crack

If you leave your notebook computer in an unsecured environment such as a coffee shop, conference center, library, or even your work area at the office, then you may need to protect it and keep it from being easily stolen or removed. ...read full article

Mailbox break-ins prompt fears of identity theft

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno neighborhood is concerned about identity theft after thieves broke into several mail boxes over the holiday weekend, potentially exposing personal information belonging to dozens of residents. ...read full article

Savings Group Reports Possible Identity Theft

A group that oversees College Savings Iowa says a worker stole some very personal information. ...read full article

Rash of local ID thefts reported

HUNTSVILLE — A rash of reports of identity theft in Huntsville has prompted local authorities to call in the FBI and Secret Service to help track down the thieves. ...read full article

Ind. AG: WellPoint to pay $100K over data breach

Indianapolis (AP) -- Health insurer WellPoint Inc. will pay $100,000 fine and take other steps after admitting it waited months to notify 32,000 Indiana customers that their Social Security numbers, health records and other personal information might have been exposed online, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said Tuesday. ...read full article

Man charged with using Idaho man's identity for employment in Johnson City

Johnson City police arrested an East Watauga Avenue resident Tuesday on a charge that he used an Idaho man's identity to obtain employment and falsify tax returns. ...read full article

Social Security No-Match Letters: They’re Back

Time to get ready, once again, to deal with no-match letters. Back in 2007, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) threatened to team up with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in an effort to resolve information on wage reports submitted by employers that didn’t match: The employee’s name was wrong, or it didn’t show that same Social Security number that SSA had on file. ...read full article

Personal data stolen from hospital

Troy Regional Medical Center is notifying 880 of its former patients that some of their personal information was illegally accessed and removed from the hospital’s records earlier this year. ...read full article

Skimming Devices On Houston ATM Machines Prompt 4 Arrests

HOUSTON -- Federal fraud charges have been lodged against four Houston men accused of attaching skimming devices to ATM machines all over town, Local 2 Investigates reported Tuesday. ...read full article

Online Only: Experts, Security Firms Find Gaps in New FFIEC Guidelines

Security experts from credit unions, research firms and technology providers have been quick to point out the shortcomings of the new Internet banking security guidelines issued on June 28 by the Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council. ...read full article

Twitter hacker flings poo at PayPal

An angry user hacked into PayPal UK's Twitter account on Tuesday night and changed the e-commerce company's avatar photo to a heap of steaming crap. ...read full article

Connexion Email Account Dump Includes Military and Government Accounts

16,959 e-mail accounts have been dumped to MediaFire recently, ZeroPaid has learned. The 1.18MB text file was uploaded by Connexion Hack Team. The file contains government and military e-mail accounts and passwords. ZeroPaid has also learned that many popular e-mail providers are also seen in the list of accounts compromised. ...read full article

July 5, 2011

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Mass. data breaches strike 5 million

Reports of computer data breaches in Massachusetts are as common as ants at a picnic. Nearly every day a company notifies the state that it lost sensitive personal data, often through a mishap by an employee or, worse, a malicious attack by a hacker. ...read full article

Hotel manager in court for passport fraud

A SOUTH African hotel manager who fraudulently applied for a British passport was entitled to one anyway ...read full article

Master conman with 128 IDENTITIES fleeced banks out of £650,000

A master conman thought to be one of Britain's most prolific identity fraudsters is facing jail after admitting an eight-year scam which netted him at least £650,000. ...read full article

3 Philly-area men charged with using stolen ID to get loan

LOWER POTTSGROVE — Three men were recently arrested for allegedly conspiring to steal the identity of a New Jersey man to fraudulently obtain a $9,500 loan from a Montgomery County credit union. ...read full article

Notorious Bulgarian Crime Boss Sentenced in Las Vegas

Dimitar Dimitrov, the reputed leader of a Bulgarian organized crime ring in Las Vegas has pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from bank ATMs around the valley. ...read full article

New credit cards vulnerable to electronic pickpockets

Contactless credit cards have radio frequency chips that let you make a purchase just by waving your card at a terminal. They may be more convenient, but the cards can also give electronic pickpockets easy access to your credit card information. ...read full article

NotW accused of hacking Milly Dowler's voicemail

Pressure on the News of the World over phone-hacking allegations intensified still further on Tuesday after allegations surfaced that journalists at the paper intercepted the voicemail messages of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. ...read full article

Clark College issues alert after potential security breach

VANCOUVER, Wash. - An alert has been issued because of a potential database security breach at Clark College in Vancouver. ...read full article

Hackers hit NSG website

NEW DELHI: In a major security breach, the website of the National Security Guards (NSG) was hacked on Friday by anonymous programmers. ...read full article

July 1, 2011

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Cyberattackers grab more info on Arizona agency employees

(CNN) -- A second hacking attack has yielded personal information belonging to nearly a dozen of its employees, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said Wednesday. ...read full article