July 2012 News Archive

July 31, 2012

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Man Gets 30 Months In Identity Theft Case

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 57-year-old Deer Creek man was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison last Thursday in Minneapolis Federal Court in connection with a case where he tried to use another man’s identity for a passport. ...read full article

Osceola man sentenced for stealing mail, ID's

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an Osceola, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy, as well as wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. ...read full article

Good Samaritan allegedly falls victim to identity theft

(WMC-TV) - Police say a Good Samaritan's kindness gave an identity thief the chance to rack up nearly $850 of fraudulent charges on her credit cards last week. ...read full article

Two Southern California Men Arrested for Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

Defendants Impersonated New Orleans City Officials to Defraud Bay Area and Chinese Companies

SAN FRANCISCO—A federal grand jury in San Francisco indicted Ngoc Duong, a/k/a Danny Duong, of Fountain Valley, California, and Hong Lee Wong, a/k/a William Wong, of Torrance, California, on July 19, 2012, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced. ...read full article

Identity theft: McGraw-Hill's security phone number stolen

An apparent identity thief is using the caller ID of a major company headquartered in New York City to target victims, including at least one Dutchess County resident. ...read full article

Gerald Colon Arrested For Identity Theft In Lockport

LOCKPORT, NY (New York State Police Press Release) - On July 25, 2012 the New York State Police arrested Gerald Colon, 29, of Bronx, NY for Identity Theft in the third degree, a class "A" misdemeanor. ...read full article

ID Thief Gets 5 Years for Stealing Identities of More Than 50 People

In California, an identity thief was recently sentenced to five years in prison for committing what appears to be classic new account fraud. The thief reportedly used a victim’s identity to open a mailbox at a shipping store in Modesto, which he often used to have fraudulently issued credit cards and other financial and identity information mailed. ...read full article

Sarasota Memorial Worker Charged With ID Theft

Police say a Sarasota Memorial Hospital employee admitted to using a patient's identity and credit cards to make purchases just hours after the patient died.

A Sarasota Memorial Hospital emergency room employee is facing seven counts of credit card fraud after police say she stole a deceased patient's identity. ...read full article

Why identity thieves love loyalty cards

Loyalty cards are 'puzzles' that hackers can solve to gain access to online content associated with the card that could lead to more serious identity theft. ...read full article

Norwalk Man Charged With Identity Theft In Darien

DARIEN, Conn. — A Norwalk man was arrested for allegedly posing as his brother while trying to open a bank account in Darien. Eric Christian, 28, was charged with identity theft and second-degree forgery, according to Darien police. ...read full article

Ruskin man admits identity theft in fake pharmacist case

A 49-year-old man has pleaded guilty to fraudulently working as a pharmacist for several years, the Department of Justice said in a release. ...read full article

Concord Woman Convicted of Identity Theft

Generose Yambao was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading no contest to 15 criminal counts ...read full article

State mistake puts thousands at risk of identity theft

Madison - The state Department of Revenue acknowledged Tuesday posting online by mistake the tax numbers of tens of thousands of businesses and consumers - at least the fourth time in six years the state has released confidential information and raised the fear of identity fraud. ...read full article

More Victims Reported In Identity Theft Scam

Former Wave House Athletic Club Employee Christopher Polley Accused Of Stealing Clients' Identities

SAN DIEGO -- Police say at least four more victims have been identified in a large identity theft scam by a former Wave House Athletic Club employee, bringing the total number to at least 24. ...read full article

Indictment Charges 11 People in Multi-Million Dollar Tax Fraud and Identity Theft Conspiracy

(Source: FBI) - ANCHORAGE—U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler and Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced that 11 defendants were charged in a 90-count superseding indictment returned today in connection with their alleged roles in a scheme to use stolen Puerto Rican identities to file tax returns and obtain fraudulent income tax refunds. This second superseding indictment adds tax fraud, identity theft, and other financial counts to previous charges, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, cocaine distribution, and international money laundering. ...read full article

Former Radio Shack employee gets 6.5 years for ID theft

FORT WORTH -- A former Radio Shack customer service representative was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison Monday for stealing personal information from customers that she used to file fake income tax returns to claim refunds. ...read full article

Ziegler sentenced to prison for latest identity thefts

A serial identity thief has entered no-contest pleas to two charges of identity theft and one charge of second-degree theft and has been sentenced to more than three years in prison. ...read full article

Deer Creek man sent to federal prison for identity theft

A 57-year-old Deer Creek man has been sentenced for using the identity of another person when applying for a passport.

A 57-year-old Deer Creek man has been sentenced for using the identity of another person when applying for a passport. ...read full article

Identity theft warning after Hereford woman is left with debt

A HEREFORD woman returned home from the other side of the world to find that her identity had been stolen. ...read full article

Prison Inmate's Identity Stolen

COLUMBUS -- Federal charges have been lodged against an east Columbus man, accused of stealing the identities of state prison inmates to pocket state unemployment benefits in their names. ...read full article

July 30, 2012

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Cybercriminals exploit Olympic Games to attack computer users

On July 25 various cybercrime experts including the security firm ThreatMetrix are issuing warnings to the public in an effort to protect computer users from cybercriminals that are exploiting the Olympics. It is estimated that more than a billion people worldwide will be watching the games or searching for scores on PCs or mobile devices. ...read full article

ID theft suspects busted in credit card-skimming case

SACRAMENTO, CA - It continues to happen. Three individuals were arrested Thursday on suspicion of identity theft and burglary after a month-long investigation in which detectives with the Sacramento County sheriff's hi tech crimes unit uncovered credit/debit card skimming devices, thousands of credit card numbers, hundreds of bogus California identification cards and numerous counterfeit credit cards. ...read full article

Defendants in large-scale identity-theft ring plead guilty, are sentenced

NEWARK — Two individuals — including a Linden resident — pleaded guilty and three others were sentenced this week in Newark federal court in connection with their roles in a large scale and sophisticated identity theft scheme, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. ...read full article

Fort Lee Man Gets Five Years in Prison For Role in Identity Theft Ring

Hyo-Il Song, who authorities say was part of a large-scale identity theft and bank fraud ring that netted millions, was sentenced to 65 months in jail and ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution. ...read full article

Oakdale Man Heads to Prison for Stealing Mail, Bank Fraud, Identity Theft

Ricky W. Mariano, 41, of Oakdale, was sentenced in federal court in St. Paul on July 25 for mail theft, bank fraud and identity theft.

An Oakdale man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday (July 25) for stealing mail and using the victims' identities to create bank accounts and obtain cash. ...read full article

Identity theft 'superstore' sentence for man Bergen authorities caught in triple murder

UPDATE: A man whose arrest by local investigators in a triple homicide put federal authorities on the trail of a Bergen County-based "crime superstore" that stole identities from people in Asia to get credit cards and bank loans that were used to buy fancy cars, fine whiskey and designer shoes was given another prison term today, as the dominos in the massive identity fraud case continued falling in federal court. ...read full article

Cell Phone Financial Identity Theft

ScienceDaily (July 26, 2012) — While the cell phone is an amazingly useful device, using it for banking -- and consumers are increasingly using mobile phones as banking tools -- can lead to identity theft and other financial crimes, if reasonable precautions aren't taken. ...read full article

Derry woman avoids jail for identity theft

BRENTWOOD — A Derry woman avoided possibly spending years in prison after pleading guilty to felony theft and identity fraud charges. ...read full article

Sex Offenders Resort To ID Theft To Skirt Laws, Study Says

OKLAHOMA CITY - Across the country convicted sex offenders are going to extremes to stay under the radar and the founder of a metro sex offender compound says the laws are giving offenders no other choice. ...read full article

Police Reports: A Case of Mistaken Identities

Among the week's collection of criminal activity and intrigue, one man displays multiple personalities.

At 5:11 p.m. Monday, a 21-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for identity theft after a Wauwatosa police officer approached to help in what appeared to be a situation of a stranded motorist being helped already by others. ...read full article

2 charged in fraud, identity theft scheme

DOVER, Del. — A federal judge in Wilmington has issued arrest warrants for two people accused of running a fraud and identity theft scheme in Delaware and New York City. ...read full article

Socal men sentenced for ID theft and bank card fraud

OAKLAND — Two Southern California men have been sentenced in federal court in Oakland to five years in prison for conspiring to defraud banks by using nearly 1,000 phony bank cards created with stolen information. ...read full article

Oakdale man sentenced to prison for role in 10-person ID theft ring

A federal judge in St. Paul has sentenced an Oakdale man to more than five years in prison for stealing mail and identities to create bank accounts and get cash. ...read full article

Man serving prison sentence for homicides in Tenafly pleads guilty to fraud charges

A confessed killer who is serving life in prison for a grisly triple homicide in Tenafly four years ago pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to charges relating to his use of stolen and fraudulently obtained credit cards. ...read full article

Florida Hospital Employee Went on Spending Spree With Dead Patient's Credit Card, Police Say

A Florida hospital employee used a dead patient's credit card information to purchase plane tickets, buy shoes and pay off her phone bill, police said. ...read full article

Pr. George’s man sentenced in ID scam

A Prince George’s County man was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison as part of an identity-theft scheme involving at least $200,000 and 50 victims. ...read full article

July 24, 2012

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Florida Tax Preparer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Ernst Pierre, a Port St. Lucie, Fla., tax preparer, was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced. Pierre was charged with a scheme to file false federal income tax returns using stolen identity information. Pierre was also ordered to pay over $266,000 in restitution to the IRS. ...read full article

Ex-RadioShack worker gets prison for ID theft

FORT WORTH, Texas — A former RadioShack Corp. call center worker has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for identity theft. ...read full article

2 accused in ID theft involving elderly patients

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — A worker at a southern Illinois hospital and a second woman face federal charges that they plotted to steal identities of elderly patients. ...read full article

ID theft getting ironed out for victim living in public housing

CROSSVILLE (WATE) - A retired school teacher called 6 On Your Side after a former student ran into a road block trying to restore his identity. ...read full article

UK: PM's Ex-Aide Charged in Hacking Scandal

British authorities on Tuesday charged an ex-aide to the British prime minister, a former protege of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and six others in the ever-widening phone hacking scandal, accusing them of key roles in a lengthy campaign of illegal espionage that victimized hundreds including top celebrities Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. ...read full article

Global to Provide New Breach Details

Processor to Offer Investigation Update July 26

Global Payments Inc., the Atlanta-based payments processor that on April 2 revealed its systems had been breached, this week will provide an update about its investigation and the hack that exposed details about more than 1.5 million credit and debit cards. ...read full article

McKinnon extradition decision date set for mid-October

Summary: Self-confessed NASA hacker Gary McKinnon will hear within three months whether he will be sent to the US to face charges, the high court in London has heard ...read full article

Anonymous hits Australia

State government web sites defaced and taken down over data retention policy

People operating under the name “Anonymous” claim to have defaced several websites in the Australian state of Queensland, in protest against draft Australian policies on data retention. ...read full article

July 23, 2012

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Russian Hacker Arrested for DDoS Attacks on Amazon

Dmitry Olegovich Zubakha, a Russian man accused of launching distributed-denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks on Amazon.com, has been arrested this week by authorities in Cyprus based on an international warrant, the Department of Justice revealed. ...read full article

Dropbox says no evidence of hack in investigation of spam

The investigation into potentially leaked email addresses is ongoing

IDG News Service - Dropbox's ongoing investigation into a possible security breach has not produced any evidence that its systems have been infiltrated, according to an update Friday to the company's user forum. ...read full article

Gift-card scammers rounded up by authorities face charges of ID theft, forgery

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Five Columbus residents face criminal charges after a raid of a car, two homes and a business turned up piles of gift cards that law enforcement officers believe are encoded with stolen credit card numbers. ...read full article

Thieves stealing Social Security numbers to file false tax returns

The IRS rejected the federal return of Sue and Everett Lane, a retired Billings couple, when they tried to file electronically last April. ...read full article

Montebello police jail man on suspicion of ID, auto theft

MONTEBELLO - Police jailed a man on suspicion of identity theft, auto theft and possession of stolen property after responding to a report he was using a fraudulent credit card to stay at a hotel. ...read full article

I-Team: Red tape restricts state's ability to chase suspected identity thieves

Lawmakers seek change to federal laws

LINCOLN, Neb. - At least two lawmakers wonder if federal laws governing the use of social security numbers should change. ...read full article

Bogus AICPA “Income Tax Refund Infringement” Email Serves Trojan

Internauts are advised to be on the lookout for a fake email that purports to come from the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). The phony notifications are part of a scheme designed to lure unsuspecting users to a hijacked website that serves a piece of malware. ...read full article

Australians dial 000 over hitman scam

Summary: Australians, scared that they may be an assassination target, have called police for help after receiving SMS death threats, but it is just an old hoax. ...read full article

Norwalk man charged with identity theft, posts $50K bond

Eric Christian, 28, of 2 Amber Drive, Norwalk, was charged with identity theft and second-degree forgery after receiving a warrant for his arrest Saturday, July 21. ...read full article

July 20, 2012

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A Goldmine for Hackers: Your Smartphone

A piece of technology is truly innovative if you can’t imagine life without it, and the smartphone certainly fits that criterion. With hundreds of thousands of apps seconds away from download, you can entertain yourself for hours or take care of your day’s errands in minutes. It’s an indispensable tool for those who value efficiency and convenience. ...read full article

11 face ID theft, other charges in tax fraud case

NCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Eleven people have been indicted in an identity theft conspiracy, accused of stealing more than 2,600 identifications of Puerto Rico residents and trying to obtain about $19 million in false U.S. tax return claims, federal officials said Thursday. ...read full article

Identity theft and vital records: What to do about a lost or stolen social security card

Have you lost your wallet or purse, or worse, had it stolen? If so, read this article to learn how to protect yourself from identity theft immediately. ...read full article

Local author wanted for fraud, ID theft

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) - Newport News Police say a local woman forged checks, obtained property by false pretenses and engaged in aggravated identity theft leaving behind scores of victims. ...read full article

Buy a dead person's identity from Social Security for $10

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- For $10, identity thieves can access the full name, Social Security number and other personal information of a dead person through a list of millions of deceased Americans, known as the Death Master File. ...read full article

$19 Million Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy Charged in Alaska

A grand jury sitting in Anchorage, Ala., returned a 90-count superseding indictment yesterday against 11 defendants, the Justice Department announced. The superseding indictment included a conspiracy charge to defraud the United States involving a scheme to use stolen Puerto Rican identities to file tax returns and obtain fraudulent income tax refunds. A number of the defendants had previously been charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, cocaine distribution and international money laundering. ...read full article

Two Foreign Nationals Plead Guilty to Trafficking the Identities of Puerto Rican U.S. Citizens

The guilty pleas were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Rosa E. Rodríguez-Vélez for the District of Puerto Rico; Director John Morton of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Scott P. Bultrowicz, Director of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Chief Richard Weber. ...read full article

3 Lessons from PATCO Fraud Ruling

Attorney Highlights Takeaways from Appellate Court's Reversal

The PATCO Construction Inc. case, recently reversed by a U.S. appeals court, is seen as a victory for fraud victims. But what are the key takeaways for banking institutions? Attorney Joe Burton offers insight. ...read full article

Pinterest Starts Locking Accounts of Hacked Users

Starting with July 10, Pinterest representatives have been busy publishing Account Security notices. The decision comes after a number of accounts have been hacked and abused by cybercriminals. ...read full article

Phishing websites reach all-time high

New detection technnology accounts in part for the rise, which shows how cybercriminals are still hard at work

IDG News Service - The number of phishing websites detected reached an all-time high earlier this year, a sign that making fake websites spoofing real ones is still a lucrative trade for cybercriminals. ...read full article

July 19, 2012

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Online identity theft is up 300% on 2010, warns Experian

Fraudsters exchanged 12 million pieces of personal information online in the first quarter of 2012, an increase of 300% since 2010, according to credit-checking firm Experian. ...read full article

1,200 Usernames, Passwords Leaked from Yale University

The newly founded hacker collective NullCrew has been very busy in the past few days. After they hacked the systems of ASUS and the ones of a South African ISP directory, they turned their attention to Yale University. ...read full article

Bulgaria Official: Blast Suspect Had Fake Michigan Driver's License

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov today said the explosion on a bus full of Israeli tourists was likely carried out by a suicide bomber who had a fake Michigan driver's license. ...read full article

Hacker gets 7 years in thefts of more than 240,000 credit card numbers

Washington (CNN) -- An Estonian man was sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday for his role in stealing more than 240,000 credit card numbers. ...read full article

$6 (€5): The Price of 500 Compromised Facebook Accounts

Have you ever wondered how much your email or social media account is worth? If you ask cybercriminals, they would say that it’s not much, not much at all. ...read full article

Nike hacker steals over $80,000

Summary: Brad Stephenson went on a five-month shopping spree after he found a loophole in one of Nike's website. When the Secret Service caught up with him, he had stolen $81,419.58 in Nike merchandise. ...read full article

Scams Surround London Olympics

In 2009, I alerted our readers about malicious campaigns exploiting the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Important sport events continue to attract spammers and scammers, so you can guess which big event is now on their radar. The Olympic Games in London have inspired emails such as ...read full article

Massive identity theft spree linked to single Salt Lake couple on the run

SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of stolen ID's and stolen items have been found, all linked to a single couple who managed to escape custody. ...read full article

Bankers in ID theft ring sentenced

Two former bankers who were part of a large identity theft ring that stole more than $50 million were sentenced Wednesday for their crimes. ...read full article

2.4 million Ontario voter records missing

TORONTO (AP) — A privacy breach involving as many as 2.4 million voters after memory sticks containing their personal information vanished from an elections warehouse is "deeply disturbing" and could lead to identity theft on a massive scale, Ontario's privacy commissioner said Wednesday. ...read full article

POLICE: Identity theft suspect foiled by Papa John's pizza order

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police say a woman who trafficked in stolen identities made a big mistake when she tried to use one of her stolen credit cards at a Papa John's pizzeria. ...read full article

July 18, 2012

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ID Thief Faces up to 30 Years in the Big House

HOUSTON (CN) - A Chinese national who pleaded guilty in an identify theft scam that stole $980,000 from a victim's accounts faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. ...read full article

Ex-Syracuse star pleads guilty to ID theft, stealing government money

Two men – including former Syracuse star Louis Gachelin – have pleaded guilty to their roles in fraudulently cashing income tax refunds, federal court records show. ...read full article

Police: Oregon identity-theft suspect runs into victim while trying to cash fraudulent check

MEDFORD, Ore. — Police say an Oregon man tried to cash a check from another man's account, only to run into his victim at the bank. ...read full article

Manchester Resident Falls Victim to Identity Theft Bank Account Scam

Manchester detectives are investigating after a man received a letter from a bank telling him that his account was overdrawn.

The following information was supplied by the Manchester Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction where an arrest was made. According to the Manchester Police Department, a resident from the 2800 block Carman Woods Drive reported the apparent scam on July 2. ...read full article

No ground gained in data theft war

There have been more than 200 cases of lost or stolen personal data affecting 8.5 million Americans during the first half of this year, according to a San Diego research group, as a new wave of political and amateur hackers commit data breaches such as last week’s theft of 450,000 e-mail passwords from the Internet content company Yahoo Inc. ...read full article

Identity theft hits prison service

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has tasked its accountants to dig deeper into its books after discovering that the identities of some employees had been stolen. ...read full article

I.D. thief accused of stealing more than $100K from bank customers

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An identity thief is on the run and Wells Fargo customers are his target, WFTV learned on Friday. ...read full article

Medical identity theft growing

Brandon senior citizen Cullie Hanna avoided being a victim of medical identity theft, a growing trend across the country. ...read full article

SF man held, accused of identity theft

A man in Michigan has a "huge criminal record" in California - including years served in state prison - even though he's never set foot in the state, San Francisco police said. ...read full article

Marion Man Sentenced on Charge of Aggravated Identity Theft

Kenneth Batton, 38, of Marion was sentenced to 46 months in prison, 3 years supervised release, and ordered to pay $11,959 in restitution after being convicted on wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in federal court. ...read full article

Clovis police seek ID theft suspect

Clovis police are looking for a 40-year-old transient who is a suspect in making counterfeit money, burglaries and identity theft that could involve as many as 100 victims. ...read full article

Calif. lobbyist believes his attempt to buy sports team sparked identity theft scheme

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California power broker Darius Anderson made a splashy, public attempt to buy the Sacramento Kings last year — and wound up a victim of identity theft. ...read full article

Authorities should help clear identity theft victim's name

Donae Antoinette Richmond is not Antoinette Yvonne Jackson, who authorities said has an extensive rap sheet of criminal history. ...read full article

Wilton Police arrest third suspect in identity theft ring

WILTON — Wilton Police have made a third arrest in connection with an October 2011 investigation, where more than $1,400 was stolen from a Wilton woman’s bank account. ...read full article

IT Wall Street Hacked, 50,000 Accounts Leaked

One of the members of the Team GhostShell hacker collective claims to have breached the systems of IT Wall Street – a website dedicated for those in search of an IT job in the financial services industry – to show his support for Occupy Wall Street. ...read full article

Malware Tied to Blackhole Exploit Kit Appears as Facebook Tag Alert

If you find some random person says they've tagged a Facebook photo with you, think twice before you investigate further. SophosLabs has discovered malware infecting machines by getting users to open a malicious link in a fake Facebook e-mail notification. ...read full article

July 17, 2012

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Online ID OD: Illegal Web Trade in Personal Information Soars

LONDON, July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Experian CreditExpert's identity web monitoring service reveals more than 12 million pieces of personal information traded online globally between January and April 2012 ...read full article

Skype glitch sends messages to the wrong contacts

The company says the problem will be fixed in an imminent update

IDG News Service - Skype, a division of Microsoft, confirmed on Monday that a glitch in its software has led to instant messages being shared with unintended parties. ...read full article

Rapper Arrested for Card Fraud

Alleged Fraudster Linked to POS Hacking Scheme

A California rap artist has been arrested for his alleged connection to an international carding fraud and point-of-sale hacking scheme that involved thousands of debit and credit accounts. ...read full article

Flaw in Artema Hybrid Terminals Allows Hackers to Collect Payment Card Details

VeriFone’s Artema Hybrid point of sale (POS) devices – which are highly popular in Germany – have been found to contain a buffer overflow vulnerability that allows an attacker to execute malicious code and steal payment card details, including their PINs. ...read full article

Dutch Authorities Knock Out Grum Botnet C&C Servers

Dutch authorities have knocked out two of the command-and-control servers for one of the top spam-producing botnets, known as Grum. The action was not a complete knockout though, as there are still two other C&C servers at work, but researchers are optimistic that the volume of spam will drop as a result. ...read full article

FACT: One in five Microsoft logins controlled by hackers

About 20 percent of Microsoft Account logins are found on lists of compromised credentials in the wake of hack attacks on other service providers, Eric Doerr, Group Program Manager for Microsoft's Account system said. ...read full article

Religious-themed Madi malware hitting select targets in Iran, Israel

Summary: The ongoing operation has a specific mission: monitor communications on infected machines, hijack documents and upload sensitive files to remote servers controlled by the attackers. ...read full article

Data Breach Reports Remain Spotty, Study Finds

In a twist on Tolstoy's famous observation that "all happy families are alike," the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) is warning that the public is being told that 'all data breaches are alike,' as corporations paint a worryingly bland portrait of breaches and other data loss incidents affecting their customers. ...read full article

Mitigating Online Fraud

FS-ISAC: New Tech Investments Cutting Losses

Financial losses linked to incidents of corporate account takeover are down. But Bill Nelson, president and CEO of the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, says more work is needed. ...read full article

“Security Update” Phishing Scam Targets O2 Customers

Customers of British telecoms company O2 are advised to be on the lookout for poorly written emails that urge them to perform a security update. ...read full article

Nvidia investigates claims that its online stores were hacked

Nvidia investigates whether a successful hacker attack against several of its websites also affected its online stores

IDG News Service - Graphics chip manufacturer Nvidia is investigating claims that hackers have compromised its online stores as part of a larger attack that affected several of its websites. ...read full article

HSBC allowed money laundering, Senate says

But bank’s Hong Kong-listed shares rise anyway

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — HSBC Holdings PLC allowed drug traffickers, terrorists and rogue states to launder several billions of dollars because of poor controls, the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations said in a statement late Monday. ...read full article

July 13, 2012

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NSTIC’s $2.5 million grant for oversight chief goes to SI

Summary: NIST names system integrator Trusted Federal Systems to oversee the Steering Group that will build policies and guidelines for the National Strategies for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace initiative ...read full article

Thousands Fall Victim to Utility Payment Scam

As much as President Barack Obama wants your vote, he's not actually offering to pay your monthly bills. ...read full article

Yahoo breach: Swiped passwords by the numbers

CNET breaks down the most commonly used passwords, from 123456 to startrek, exposed in the recent Yahoo hacking.

If there's one thing to learn from the recent security breach at Yahoo, it's that we need to be more creative with our passwords. ...read full article

Scheme is identity theft scam

Attempt to offer aid paying utility bills

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Authorities and consumer advocates are warning about a new identity theft scam that attempts to gather sensitive information by offering federal aid on utility bills. ...read full article

Sacramento man indicted for identity theft, fraud

A 28-year-old Sacramento man was indicted today by a federal grand jury for aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, bank fraud and access device fraud. ...read full article

Friend of Oakland A’s outfielder found guilty of fraud, ID theft for using Crisp’s credit card

LOS ANGELES — A longtime friend of Coco Crisp was convicted Thursday of 14 counts of fraud and identity theft for running up about $30,000 on the Oakland Athletics outfielder’s credit card without his permission. ...read full article

ID theft risk low in Eugene school data breach, police say

Officials say student files were posted on a private online site for only about an hour

The 16-year-old who police suspect of illegally accessing private student information on the Eugene School District’s computers didn’t “hack” the system but accessed it using an employee’s user name and password, police said. ...read full article

Met Police arrest man in Tuleta hacking investigation

Summary: A man has been arrested at his home in Cardiff by officers from Operation Tuleta, which is looking at computer hacking in relation to the UK phone-hacking scandal

A 55 year-old man has been arrested in Cardiff in connection with Operation Tuleta, the investigation into computer hacking in relation to the UK phone-hacking scandal. ...read full article

FBI Arrests 3 More Individuals Accused of Carding Crimes

Last month, UK authorities apprehended a number of 24 individuals suspected of being involved in payment card information trafficking. As a continuation of the operation, the FBI announced the arrests of three more suspects, bringing the number of defendants to 27. ...read full article

Targeted Attacks on Small Businesses Increase in 2012

In the first six months of 2012, 36 percent of targeted attacks focused on small businesses of fewer than 250 employees, and there were an average of 58 attacks per day, according to a new research report. At the end of 2011, small businesses were on the receiving end of only 18 percent of such attacks. ...read full article

New 'Warp' Trojan Poses As A Network Router

Attack uses ARP-spoofing to intercept traffic, propagate throughout the network

Researchers have found a new Trojan out of China that mimics a router in order to intercept traffic and spread throughout the network. ...read full article

Online Android forum hacked, user data accessed

Users have been advised to change their passwords since Tuesday

IDG News Service - Android Forums, an online forum for Android users, was the target of a hacker attack that could have led to user information including passwords getting compromised, its operator Phandroid.com said on Thursday. ...read full article

California couple arrested for ID thefts

PLYMOUTH, Minn. -- Authorities in a Twin Cities suburb say a California couple charged with stealing credit card identities from gas stations in Minnesota may be part of a more wide-spread criminal operation. ...read full article

Bangor woman gets 3 ½ years for identity theft

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A Bangor woman has been sentenced to 3 ½ years in federal prison for stealing checks and credit cards from other people's mail boxes and using them to fuel her gambling and drug habits. ...read full article

July 12, 2012

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Chinese man pleads guilty in nearly $1M ID theft

HOUSTON (AP) — A Chinese man who faked being someone else to steal nearly $1 million from accounts at a Houston bank has pleaded guilty. ...read full article

450K Yahoo Voice passwords posted online

The affected accounts appeared to belong to Yahoo's VOIP service

A previously unknown hacker group has posted online the details of 450,000 user accounts and passwords it claims to have taken from a Yahoo server. ...read full article

'Friend' enters guilty plea for ID theft from woman, 87

A 33-year-old homeless woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to identity theft and burglary charges after she befriended an 87-year-old woman and used the woman's credit card. ...read full article

Protect your identity: theft of smart phones are an epidemic

DENVER — AT&T is setting up a new system to make sure your stolen smart phone doesn’t make its way on to the black market. ...read full article

Stolen Credit Card Linked to Identity Theft Ring

(Press Release) The Madera County Sheriff’s office believes a stolen credit card used to rent a room in Oakhurst may be connected to an identity theft ring operating in Central California. ...read full article

Dark Comet RAT Tailored For Attacks On Gamers, Governments

Researchers analyzing the Dark Comet remote access Trojan (RAT) program say that data from more than 400 campaigns suggests the malicious program is being used for a wide range of jobs, from attacks on online gamers, to hacks of air force bases and government Web sites. ...read full article

Group protests committee interest in SOPA provision

A draft bill would expand an intellectual-property attache program, but Public Knowledge questions the legislative process

IDG News Service - The House Judiciary Committee is moving toward passage of a small portion of the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, raising concerns among SOPA opponents. ...read full article

Unidentified Trojan Served Via Fake USPS Postal Notification

Failed delivery notifications purporting to come from “USPS Mail Service” are making the rounds once again, carrying nasty pieces of malware.

MX Lab researchers have discovered a series of emails, apparently coming from mail.service@birmingham.com, which warn recipients that their parcels haven’t been delivered because the “fee isn’t paid.” ...read full article

Stealing Documents Through Social Media Image-Sharing

Innocent-looking vacation pictures on Facebook could conceivably traffic exfiltrated documents, Black Hat researchers warn

Security researchers will unveil at Black Hat USA a new method of hiding sensitive information in the encoding of seemingly safe images shared on social media sites to avoid security mechanisms. The method employed by a new tool they developed called SNScat can not only be used to exfiltrate data off networks without detection , but to also run covert botnets through the type of social media network traffic allowed by most businesses today. ...read full article

Bank Sues Customer Over ACH/Wire Fraud

Counterclaim Alleges Business is to Blame for $440K Loss

In another legal wrangling over liability linked to ACH and wire fraud, a bank is taking action against a former commercial customer, claiming the customer, not the bank, is liable for losses and damages, as well as legal costs. ...read full article

Japanese IT glitch leaves foreigners' ID cards incomplete

Issued without signature

A computer error has been blamed after countless foreign residents in Japan received new ID cards this week without the key addition of an electronic signature designed to prevent counterfeiting. ...read full article

Federal Jury Indicts 32 Individuals for Participation in International Loan Fraud Scheme

After an investigation of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a federal grand jury in Buffalo has indicted a number of 32 individuals. They’re all accused of participating in an international loan fraud scheme that earned them around $2.7 million (2.1 million EUR). ...read full article

July 11, 2012

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Cross-dressing transient jailed for ID theft

Man stole south county woman’s identity and racked up more than $100,000 worth of medical care over a 13-year period, authorities say.

SANTA ANA – A transient male cross-dresser has been sentenced to one year in jail for stealing a south county woman's identity and using it to get more than $100,000 worth of medical care at emergency rooms over a 13-year period. ...read full article

Woodbury Facebook hacker sentenced on 13 identity theft counts

A case that prosecutors said is emblematic of the hazards of sharing information online has led to jail time and thousands in fines for a Woodbury man.

A case that prosecutors said is emblematic of the hazards of sharing information online has led to jail time and thousands in fines for a Woodbury man. ...read full article

Java-based Web attack installs backdoors on Windows, Linux, Mac computers

Security researchers identify Web-based malware attack that targets Windows, Linux and Mac OS X users alike

IDG News Service - A new Web-based social engineering attack that relies on malicious Java applets attempts to install backdoors on Windows, Linux and Mac computers, according to security researchers from antivirus vendors F-Secure and Kaspersky Lab. ...read full article

U.S. Medical ID Theft Cost Jumps To $41 Billion

New Ponemon study finds that half of medical identity theft victims know the person who stole their IDs, and victims end up footing the bill in many cases

If you are the victim of medical identity theft, then chances are you will foot the bill for the fraudulent charges, a new survey finds. ...read full article

Wilton Police arrest Bridgeport woman for identity theft

WILTON?--?A?35-year-old Bridgeport woman is facing identity theft charges for allegedly using a Wilton woman's personal information to pay her bills. ...read full article

Belleville man sentenced to 5 years for role in identity theft ring

Former Belleville resident Dayron Rendon was sentenced last week to five years in state prison for his role in a credit card information theft ring. ...read full article

Palm Springs doctor admits to identity theft, forgery again

Dr. Lisa Barden convicted first time in 2010

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - A former doctor with a laundry list of convictions for identity theft and forgery connected to a years-long addiction to painkillers pleaded guilty Tuesday to committing the same type of crime again. ...read full article

Wife of alleged ID-theft leader gets 2nd chance

Saying "the really bad guys are gone," the judge gave her probation. Two others weren't as lucky.

Three Nigerian immigrants were sentenced Tuesday for their parts in a sophisticated Twin Cities-based identity theft ring with connections to their homeland and Ukraine. ...read full article

Sentencing postponed in identity theft case

Child abuse trial for former teacher also moved back

MARTINSBURG -Sentencing for a former Spring Mills Middle School teacher who pleaded guilty to stealing her daughter's identity was postponed Monday after a judge ordered that she undergo a 60-day psychological evaluation. ...read full article

State warns of identity theft scam

President Barack Obama is NOT going to pay the utility bills of Delaware residents who have been solicited, state officials warn. It’s just a scam to obtain personal information. ...read full article

Privacy groups hail Google, FTC settlement over Apple Safari tracking

Likely $22.5M settlement largest ever levied by FTC on single company

Computerworld - Privacy advocates today welcomed news of a possible Google proposal to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges related to its surreptitious tracking of Apple Safari users. ...read full article

#OpPedoChat - Alleged Child Porn Sites : Anonymous Hackers New Target

The hacktivist group Anonymous has launched a new action called Operation PedoChat ( #OpPedoChat ) to eliminate pedophile sites all over the world. ...read full article

Trojan Hides on Google Play as “Super Mario” and “GTA 3 Moscow City”

Security experts have identified a couple of shady Russian applications that have been advertised on Google Play as “GTA 3 Moscow City” and “Super Mario Bros.”

According to Symantec, the rogue apps masqueraded a Trojan called Android.Dropdialer and somehow managed to remain undetected from June 24 until recently. In the meantime, they’ve been downloaded tens of thousands of times by unsuspecting Android users. ...read full article

July 10, 2012

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Identity Theft Scam Rings up $6,000-Plus Bill

Would-be thieves use Lake Bluff resident's address to deliver goods hoping she wouldn't be home

A case of identity theft left a Lake Bluff resident with more than $6,000 in credit card charges and nothing to show for it. ...read full article

IRS Employee Accused of Identity Theft

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been ramping up its efforts to protect taxpayers from identity theft. I’m guessing that IRS didn’t expect to have to protect taxpayers from identity theft from its own employees. However, that’s exactly what federal investigators allege happened in Philadelphia. ...read full article

Gangs choose ID theft, cyber crimes more often

Gang members are more frequently trading in their guns and masks for laptops and card skimmers, as authorities have seen an increase in the number of gangbangers committing identity theft and more Internet-based crimes. ...read full article

Identity Theft Suspect Happens To Already Be In Jail

A Caledonia man discovered that someone had taken $309 from him, but the suspect happens to already be in jail. How does that happen?

Police are investigating a report of an identity theft and if their suspect is indeed who committed the crime, he won’t have to go far after he’s convicted. ...read full article

Man arrested for identity theft

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) - Police say a 37-year-old Newport News man was arrested at his home for identity theft. ...read full article

U.S. law enforcement sought mobile user data more than 1.3 million times in 2011

Carriers told Rep. Ed Markey that law-enforcement requests for mobile data are rising

IDG News Service - Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in the U.S. made more than 1.3 million requests for cellphone records in 2011, according to carriers' responses to a congressman's investigation. ...read full article

Securing your data: Full disk hardware encryption -- part 1

Summary: The best way to protect the data on a desktop or notebook system is to replace the existing drive with a solid-state drive featuring full disk encryption.

Data loss is bad enough, but having that data fall into someone else's hands -- especially if they happen to be the wrong hands -- can be disastrous. While in an ideal we shouldn't be losing data in the first place, we should always hope for the best but plan for the worst. ...read full article

Man-in-the-Mobile Attacks Target the Bank Accounts of Android Users

Man-in-the mobile (MITMO) attacks powered by pieces of malware such as Tatanga and SpyEye (SPITMO) have been spotted targeting users from Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany. ...read full article

New Android Malware Family Infects 100,000

A new family of malware has infected some 100,000 Android devices via malicious application downloads on nine separate third-party markets in China, according to researchers at the mobile security provider TrustGo. ...read full article

Inside the PATCO Fraud Ruling

Court Decision Details Flaws in Bank's Security Plan

One cannot overstate the significance of a federal appeals court's recent decision favoring PATCO Construction Inc. over the former Ocean Bank in a dispute resulting from ACH/wire fraud. (See PATCO ACH Fraud Ruling Reversed.) ...read full article

Best Buy: Hackers Are Using Stolen Credentials to Access Customer Accounts

Best Buy has started sending out notification emails to alert customers that hackers may be attempting to access their accounts. ...read full article

July 9, 2012

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Obama paying utility bills? Scam victims nationwide think so

Scammers committing a particularly painful form of identity theft appear to have hit on just the right formula to trick thousands of victims: A punishing heat wave, large utility bills, a bad economy and a good story. ...read full article

Alagasco, BBB warn of identity theft scam in Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A scam that hit much of the country in June has now reached utility customers in Alabama, natural gas company Alagasco and the Better Business Bureau of Central Alabama said today. ...read full article

Former PNC janitor faces another ID theft charge

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A janitor accused of stealing personal information from customers at a PNC Bank is facing even more charges. ...read full article

Couple Victims of Tax Refund ID Theft

IRS says false claims for tax refunds is a fast growing crime.

A resident of Green Valley Drive, in Green Brook, field a report of identity theft at 7:06 p.m. July 2, following up on news received earlier this year when he and his wife attempted to file their income tax return for 2011. ...read full article

Alert IRS, others if tax ID theft is suspected

Tax refund theft is increasing. If tax ID theft is suspected, contact the IRS. You may also put security freezes on your credit reports at all three bureaus. ...read full article

Traffic Stop Leads to Identity Theft, Counterfeiting Bust

Charges against three suspects nabbed on suspicion of identity theft and counterfeiting were to have been turned over to the District Attorney's Office on Friday. ...read full article

State police looking for identity theft suspect

SILVER CITY — New Mexico State Police is looking for a suspect who is wanted for identity theft which occurred in Silver City. ...read full article

Bulgarian Hackers Group arrested

Bulgarian authorities say that after months of investigation they have busted the “most powerful hacker group” in the country, the Cyber Warrior Invasion. The operation was conducted by Bulgaria’s Sector for Computer Crimes, Intellectual Property and Gambling and the territorial units of the Chief Directorate for Fight with Organized Crime in the municipalities of Pleven, Shumen, Plovdiv, Burgas, Haskovo, Stara Zagora and Kyustendil. ...read full article

Craigslist Facebook Scheme Combines Phishing with Survey Scams

Phishing scams are not new and neither are fake surveys that promise fabulous prizes to anyone willing to click on a few links. However, a new scheme seen on Facebook combines the two in an attempt to steal login credentials and redirect unsuspecting users towards websites that earn the fraudsters a commission. ...read full article

Fraudsters Rely on Digital Economy Act to Convince Users to Pay Up

The UK’s anti-piracy bill known as the Digital Economy Act (DEA) has given fraudsters new ideas on how to dupe unsuspecting individuals into handing over their money. Shortly after OFCOM released the Initial Obligations Code, users started seeing suspicious emails landing in their inboxes. ...read full article

Two Britons jailed for £1.5m phishing scams

Two Britons responsible for phishing scams that stole over £1.5m from UK students have received jail sentences totalling almost ten years. ...read full article

Machines Still Infected With DNSChanger Pose Dangers

No surprise, but the DNSChanger server shutdown today didn't cause significant disruption on the Net -- but the threat is not over yet, security experts say

When the FBI today shut down the temporary DNS servers keeping users infected with the DNSChanger Trojan online, only a tiny fraction of users still harbored the malware and some ISPs had established their own DNS backup servers for those stragglers. ...read full article

July 6, 2012

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Thieves targeting Cardiff rubbish bags for clothes and identity theft

Rubbish bags in parts of Cardiff are being targeted by thieves hunting for clothes to sell and even identities to steal. ...read full article

Identity theft victim led police to suspect, E.C. officials say

EAST CHICAGO | A man using a stolen identity to work in the city was arrested Tuesday after the real resident tracked him down at a South Side factory, police said. ...read full article

Officials seek ID's in credit card theft

Aiken Public Safety investigators said a credit card that was stolen from a gas station in the city earlier this month has been used to make unauthorized purchases. ...read full article

KPN closes portal after finding most corporate customers use default password

Use of the default password, the same for many users, combined with an easily-guessed username, left corporate data at risk

IDG News Service - KPN closed a self-service portal for corporate ADSL customers on Tuesday after it discovered that 120,000 of its 180,000 business clients were still using default passwords, all variants of "welkom01," a company spokesman said Friday. ...read full article

Dalai Lama's Birthday Used As Bait In Targeted Attacks

Followers and supporters of Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama were the targets of an e-mail borne attack that used news of the spiritual leader's birthday to trick recipients into installing a surreptitious monitoring program on their computers. ...read full article

Seemingly Insignificant SQL Injections Lead To Rooted Routers

Black Hat researcher to show how vulnerable databases with temporary router information can lead to root-level access of Netgear routers

Low-priority databases containing temporary network workload information could be a perfect vector for simple SQL injection attacks, which can lead to outright domination of WiFi routers given the right chain of attack. So warns a Black Hat presenter who, in a few weeks, will show how he used SQL injection attacks to put together attacks that lead to remote takeovers of SOHO routers. ...read full article

Tackling Emerging Mobile Risks

Communication Is Key to Addressing Security Gaps and Threats

The proliferation of mobile, particularly as it applies to mobile banking, has opened new revenue streams and enhanced customer and member experiences and convenience. But it also has opened new doors for fraud, and staying on top of those vulnerabilities is critical. ...read full article

Cybercriminals Recruit Money Mules by Sending Job Offer Emails

Emails that offer too-good-to-be-true job opportunities can sometimes hide something really malicious, as experts from Solutionary highlight.

It’s not uncommon for users to receive links that point to a shady website that advertises work-from-home jobs. However, this is not the only method preferred by fraudsters and in some cases they’re looking for much more than someone who’s willing to pay a small fee for the key to success. ...read full article

Internet will vanish Monday for 300,000 infected computers

Users must wipe DNSChanger malware from PCs and Macs before 12:01 a.m. ET July 9

Computerworld - As many as 300,000 PCs and Macs will drop off the Internet in about 65 hours unless their owners heed last-minute calls to scrub their machines of malware. ...read full article

Appeals Court Calls Bank’s Security “Commercially Unreasonable”

The United States Court of Appeals on Tuesday reversed a lower court’s decision, ruling that the IT security system used by a domestic bank was not “commercially reasonable” to protect its customers. ...read full article

Hingham: Woman indicted for mortgage fraud, identity theft

A Hingham woman has been indicted on mortgage fraud charges approximately four months after police filed charges against her in District Court alleging that she has been using several different identities. ...read full article

July 5, 2012

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Malware May Knock Thousands off Internet on Monday

The warnings about the Internet problem have been splashed across Facebook and Google. Internet service providers have sent notices, and the FBI set up a special website. ...read full article

Bank Trojan crooks trouser £800k from 30,000 Brits

How the crims outran anti-virus sniffer dogs

Analysis Trustwave SpiderLabs has revealed how criminals stole more than £800,000 (€1m) from UK bank accounts using the Zeus Windows PC malware. ...read full article

Louisville man charged with identity theft for allegedly ordering iPods in the name of PNC Bank customers

A Louisville man who worked for a cleaning crew at PNC Bank placed online orders in the names of bank customers, then waited outside their homes to pick up the goods when they were delivered, police said. ...read full article

Lithuanian admits ID theft plot

A Lithuanian national admitted on Tuesday in federal court in Pittsburgh to selling information to an undercover FBI agent that could have compromised the personal information of 10,000 people. ...read full article

LMPD: ID theft suspect obtained info while working

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – Louisville Metro Police have arrested a man who they said used information he stole while working to order items under the names of other people and wait at their home for the items to be delivered. ...read full article

Identity theft scam targets utility customers

South Carolina Electric and Gas is warning utility customers of a scam that has already victimized “dozens of local customers.” ...read full article

Wikileaks releases Syria Files, 2.4 million government related emails

Wikileaks says its latest release shines a light on the inner workings of Syria's government and on Western hypocrisy

IDG News Service - Whistle-blowing site Wikileaks on Thursday released the Syria Files, a database of more than 2.4 million emails to and from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012. ...read full article

Painesville woman indicted on identity theft, wire fraud charges

A 44-year-old Painesville woman has been indicted by a grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. ...read full article

Branchburg man faces identity theft charges

SOMERVILLE — A Branchburg man has been charged with attempted identity theft after allegedly trying to obtain a car loan and an American Express credit card by using a Social Security card belonging to someone else. ...read full article

Twitter Transparency Report Shows Huge Interest From U.S. Law Enforcement

Privacy advocates and security experts often warn users about the consequences of handing over so much of their personal data to Web sites or social networks, saying that they never know how it's going to be used or sold. But it's rare that users ever see examples of that in action. Twitter is giving people that chance with its decision to begin releasing reports on law enforcement requests for user data and content takedowns. ...read full article

Android Botnet Used to Advertise Shady Pharmacy Sites, Experts Find

As it turns out, mobile malware that targets Android devices is not used only to steal sensitive information and send SMS messages to premium rate numbers. A number of experts have found a spam botnet that’s made of infected Android phones and tablets. ...read full article

July 3, 2012

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Owners of Woodbridge Home Health Business Indicted for Health Care Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The owners of a Woodbridge, Virginia-based home health care business have been indicted for allegedly submitting numerous false claims for Medicaid reimbursement for services they did not provide. ...read full article

Twitter loses fight to withhold activist's account information

Judge rules that Twitter messages are not protected by law in the same way as emails and private messages

IDG News Service - Twitter has lost a fight in which it challenged a court order to turn over public but now deleted Twitter messages written by an Occupy Wall Street protestor without being served a search warrant. ...read full article

Brit anti-terror hotline hacker teen pleads guilty

TeaMp0isoN lad also snaffled Blair contact list off GMail

A teenage computer crook faces prison after admitting hacking offences, including breaking into former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's electronic address and phone book. ...read full article

FBI Credit Card Ring Bust Exposes PCI Challenges

Some experts say existence of complex credit card fraud black market a sign that PCI isn't effective

The publicity around the FBI sting that nabbed dozens of criminals in an international credit card fraud ring provides a good opportunity to reflect on the sophistication of today's data theft black market and the importance of organizations to look beyond the baseline security levels set by compliance regulations such as PCI, security experts say. ...read full article

Former Citi VP Sentenced

$22 Million Embezzlement Scheme Defrauded Bank, Customers

Gary Foster, the former vice president at Citigroup Inc.'s treasury finance department, has been sentenced to 97 months in prison for fraud related to his embezzlement of more than $22 million from Citigroup and its customers. (See Citi Case Exposes Insider Risks.) ...read full article

Phisher Convicted in Massive Scheme

Attacks Aimed at Chase, BofA Highlight Increasing Risks

An Atlanta man has been convicted for the role he played in a massive phishing and fraud scheme that targeted Chase Bank, Bank of America, Branch Bank & Trust Co. and payroll processor ADP. Authorities say the scheme defrauded the banks and ADP of $1.5 million (see Phisher Guilty of $1.3 Million Scam). ...read full article

Microsoft Reveals Names of Two Individuals in ZeuS Botnets Case

Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit continues the battle against ZeuS botnets. The firm has not only uncovered new evidence which they've handed over to the FBI, but they've also learned the identities of two suspects. ...read full article

July 2, 2012

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Police: Identity theft crimes most likely committed by someone victim knows

For many, the phrase "identity theft" automatically invokes images of distant hackers and shady scam artists stealing information anonymously and racking up thousands of dollars in bills. ...read full article

Sex Offender Suspected in Identity Theft Shopping Spree

This thief racked up $3,500 in credit card charges before the bank contacted the victim. After a background check, it turns out the suspect is a registered sex offender.

An Indiana man is being investigated by Fox Point police for racking up $3,500 in credit card charges on a Fox Point man's MasterCard. ...read full article

Ex-worker at Tulsa McDonald's pleads guilty in identity-theft ring

A former McDonald's employee pleaded guilty Friday to taking part in a conspiracy in which account numbers were stolen from diners' credit and debit cards, telling the court that the crimes started when a drive-through customer asked if he wanted to make some extra money. ...read full article

Trio arrested for identity theft, burglary charges

Three Mitchell residents were arrested Thursday on identity theft, drug and car burglary charges.

Three Mitchell residents were arrested Thursday on identity theft, drug and car burglary charges. ...read full article

ID theft can take many forms, but victims can spend 300 hours clearing their name

TAMPA - The IRS estimates one third of the tax refund fraud takes place in Florida but it is not the only big-money rip-off involving identity theft. ...read full article

Piedmont Natural Gas Issues Alert About Bill-Payment Scam That May Expose Customers To Risk Of Identity Theft

Offer Claims Government Will Pay Bill, Asks For Customers' Social Security Number

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 29, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Piedmont Natural Gas PNY +1.03% is warning customers not to be fooled by a nationwide bill-payment scam that promises the federal government - in fact, President Obama himself - will pay their utility bill. The scam is asking people to share sensitive personal information that could lead to identity theft. ...read full article

Woodbridge Home Health Care Business Owners Indicted For Fraud

The owners of a home health care business in Woodbridge allegedly submitted many claims for Medicaid reimbursement for services they never provided.

The owners of Bright Beginnings Healthcare Services have been indicted for health care fraud after allegedly submitting many claims for Medicaid reimbursement for services they never provided, reported Neil MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. ...read full article

Beware of Shady “Red Cros” Donation Requests

Fraudsters don’t necessarily have to rely on malware to steal money from unsuspecting internauts. They can simply ask them to make a donation to the American Red Cross. ...read full article

LinkedIn Breach: Leading CISOs Share 9 Protection Tips

In the wake of LinkedIn's high-profile data breach, could your company suffer a similar fate? Leading chief information security officers share their techniques for building a better security program. ...read full article

U.S. Congress Hears Of Growing Cyber Espionage Threat To U.S.

Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives' Homeland Security Committee painted a grim picture about the problem of cyber espionage against U.S. companies and interests. ...read full article

Judge considers hearing on improper Megaupload seizure

Customers of the file-sharing site should be treated as creditors and wait until the DOJ's copyright case is resolved, a DOJ lawyer says

IDG News Service - A U.S. judge may hold an evidentiary hearing to determine whether the U.S. Department of Justice acted improperly in blocking Megaupload customers' access to their files when seizing the file-sharing service's domain name and servers in January. ...read full article

Mac-based Trojan targets Uyghur activists

Human rights attacked online

Security researchers have intercepted a Mac-based Trojan attack targeting Uyghur human rights activists. ...read full article