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Tis’ The Season For Ruthless Online Fraud

The most troubling aspect about the newest WikiLeaks breach is the grim realization that our nation’s most sensitive information can be so vulnerable, easily accessed and leaked to the world.

You can’t help but wonder, if the U.S. Defense Department can be hacked and attacked from the inside-out,  just how safe is the personal data belonging to the average U.S. citizen?

Here are 10 tips from the Better Business Bureau to help keep you safe online not just during the holidays, but all year long.

The BBB offers this advice:

1. Protect your computer – A computer should always have the most recent updates installed for spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a secure firewall.

2. Shop on trustworthy websites – Shoppers should start with BBB to check on the seller’s reputation and record for customer satisfaction. Always look for the BBB seal and other widely-recognized “trustmarks” on retailer websites and click on the seals to confirm that they are valid.

3. Protect your personal information – BBB recommends taking the time to read the site’s privacy policy and understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used. If there isn’t one posted, it should be taken as a red flag that personal information may be sold to others without permission.

4. Beware of deals that sound too good to be true – Offers on websites and in unsolicited e-mails can often sound too good to be true, especially extremely low prices on hard-to-get items. Consumers should always go with their instincts and not be afraid to pass up a “deal” that might cost them dearly in the end.

5. Beware of phishing – Legitimate businesses do not send e-mails claiming problems with an order or an account to lure the “buyer” into revealing financial information. If a consumer receives such an e-mail, BBB recommends picking up the phone and calling the contact number on the website where the purchase was made to confirm that there really is a problem with the transaction.  Continue Reading…

December 7, 2010 in Cyberwar, Data security, Financial Crime

Fire Insurance For Your Wallet

A recent Forbes magazine article suggested that the impact and ferocity of consumer and commercial identity theft have both quieted down along with the current economic downturn.

Predictably, early  responses to the Forbes article were swift and scathing. The reality is that despite the fact that fewer people  are exposed as a result of any given breach, the actual number of adult victims of financial fraud has not gone down over the past 5 years, it has gone up. Way up.

A 2010 Javelin Strategy & Research report reveals that the number of U.S. adult victims of identity fraud has grown from 8.9 million in 2005 to 11.1 million in 2009.

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the number of breaches is difficult if not impossible to nail down with certainty because of  loose reporting requirements in many states. There are many states which legally do not allow public access to reported breaches.

The ITRC reports: Continue Reading…

November 5, 2010 in Data Breaches, Financial Crime

A High Value ID Theft Target

During a recent celebration,  I opened a gift that made me smile.  It was the new Robin Hood film starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.

We all know the premise.  Robin Hood takes from the rich and gives to the poor. Unfortunately, not all thieves are so noble. Please read on.

The Orange County Business Journal and Forbes Magazine blogger Mark Lacter recently reported on a modern story based on the classic tale of a wealthy land owner who falls prey to a dastardly thief.  In this case, the alleged crook  Moundir Kamil, decided to keep $1.4 million in loot for himself after commandeering  a large IRS tax refund check. The wealthy land owner in our modern tale is billionaire California real estate mogul Donald Bren.

According to the Orange County Business Journal:

“News of the bizarre theft went on to get national exposure as questions arose about how a 40-something suspect—who listed his occupation merely as “smoke shop” operator and looks nothing like the 78-year-old Bren—could make off with the identity and money of OC’s most prominent businessman. The refund check Kamil allegedly stole was the result of overpayment of estimated quarterly taxes by Bren. When and how the suspect managed to get the check wasn’t stated in the initial complaint, nor is it mentioned in the government’s updated charges for Kamil.”

Although authorities have not disclosed how Kamil came into posession of the check, it is clear that he was somehow able to pass himself off as the victim. Not only did he deposit the loot into a newly opened bank account, he withdrew most of it before being captured.

Thanks to an eagle-eyed prison guard who recognized surveillance photos of the culprit, the fraudster’s identity was uncovered. It seems that Kamil had previously been caught stealing from the rich.  He is not just a disappointment to Robin Hood fans, worldwide.  The parole board has to be a little embarrased and disappointed to have released a 9 time bank robber back into the general population in Sherwood Forest.


October 1, 2010 in Financial Crime, Fraud

A Pulitzer Winner’s Identity Theft Threat

You don’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright to be a victim of identity theft, but there is clearly no immunity for brilliant writers either.

Educated at Brown University and the Yale School of Drama, Pulitzer winner Lynn Nottage was awakened in the early morning hours, to a flurry of alarming phone calls from concerned family and friends.

According to a report in the Brooklyn Eagle:

“Less than an hour before the call, someone hacked into Nottage’s three e-mail and Facebook accounts, sending out a cry for help after allegedly being mugged in a United Kingdom park. The e-mail blast, which said Nottage was writing “with tears in my eyes,” went out to every listserv she was on, totaling thousands of people, Nottage estimated.

This story resonates with me because our family got similar calls this past summer, from someone claiming that our son had been involved in an accident in Europe. The caller pleaded for money to be wired via Western Union.

Because our son had been to Europe just weeks earlier with a concert choir, our family members called us to make sure he was okay.  One particularly loving (but vulnerable) family member actually withdrew a very large sum of cash to wire overseas and thankfully called us prior to sending the money.

Commonly known as the “grandparents scam”, predators depend on  Continue Reading…

September 7, 2010 in Financial Crime, Fraud

10 Ways To Guard Your Medical Records

Part 3 of 3

A Prescription to Prevent Prying Eyes

Your doctor’s office, clinic or hospital are clearly in the bulls-eye when it comes to being targeted by predatory identity thieves. Insurance company records are under attack as well. Many of the bad guys are on the outside trying to get in to databases and files, but unfortunately many culprits are on the inside and can’t resist the temptation to pry or steal.

Sadly, the market demand for our most private health-related information is quite high and therefore tempting for those inclined to take advantage of their to access to our most private health matters.

Privacy experts, attorneys and fraud investigators have their hands full battling fraud and theft on these fronts. As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, the FTC reported in a recent survey that 3 percent of U.S. identity crime victims (250,000 people) had some form of their personal information used to obtain either medical services or false insurance claims payments.

If your company is in the habit of searching for the best value in medical benefits for employees, there is a good chance that they will make a switch to a new provider for “better benefits”. While that could be good for the company’s bottom line, your medical history has now been replicated in a new place and “abandoned” in another. These realities of the health care landscape make vigilance a necessity.

The Washington Post reported earlier this month about a peer to peer data breach that involved the medical records of at least 1000 patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In many cases,  Continue Reading…

July 31, 2008 in Data Breaches, Financial Crime

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