http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/identitytheft/ en-us Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:38:36 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409970/posts The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a formal complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission over Facebook's recent changes to user privacy settings, claiming the changes are in violation of consumer-protection law. ... Most notably, a user's name, city, gender, photograph, selected "fan pages," and friends list - yes, friends list - can now be viewed by anyone on the web. Whether you like it or not. The Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409970/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:38:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407363/posts Colo. Court: Immigrants Records Illegally Searched THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 14, 2009 DENVER (AP) -- The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that Weld County authorities violated the Fourth Amendment and privacy rights of suspected illegal immigrants when they used tax returns to potentially build hundreds of identity theft cases against them. The ruling affirmed a decision by a Weld County district judge who suppressed evidence against one of the defendants. That judge said authorities had no probable cause to search the man's tax returns and that the documents are confidential. The defendant was one of more than 70 people charged... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407363/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:54:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2401651/posts FYI Freepers, open up your bank statements and look for "MVQ" somewhere in the description, or "privacy matters", I consider myself a tech-savvy guy. Well, I was reviewing my bank statement and found a charge for $23.95 that said this: MVQ*PRIVACYM 888-239-0316 CT I found another one for the previous month. Google'd it and found out it is company that somehow gets your credit card number, and begins charging you for the "privacy protection services", which essentially amounts to them stealing money from your account. This is just a warning to check. Would like some advice from the freeper community... PrivacyMatters.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2401651/posts#comment Sun, 6 Dec 2009 21:02:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392842/posts FORT WORTH -- Nine men, all thought to be illegal immigrants, were arrested last week after a six-month investigation into an operation making fake government documents, a police spokesman said Monday. Investigators found that the men were making the documents -- mainly resident alien cards, drivers’ licenses and Social Security cards -- using low-end computer equipment. SNIP They face charges of engaging in organized crime/tampering with government records. They were in the Mansfield jail Monday with bail set at $25,000 each. But all were also on immigration holds, which means they will not be allowed to post bail and leave... STAR-TELEGRAM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392842/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:02:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2300613/posts Most people know not to give out personal information to unsolicited phone callers or visitors. However, the Census process is an exception to the rule, because representatives do collect information by visiting households. Unfortunately, people may also be contacted by scammers who are using this as an opportunity to impersonate Census workers in order to gain access to sensitive financial information such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers. Although law enforcement in several states have issued warnings that scammers are posing as Census Bureau representatives, your BBB encourages caution. The big question is - how do you... The Better Business Bureau http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2300613/posts#comment Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:32:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2293640/posts My wife received a letter from her doctor that the doctor had hired someone who used a stolen social security number. The doctor said the employee had stolen cash and was subsequently fired. She also gave the number of a detective on the case. According to the doc, the employee also had access to "sensitive information" on the doc, the doc's employees and the patients. Any advice as to what we should do? thanx http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2293640/posts#comment Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:55:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286838/posts Researchers have found that it is possible to guess many -- if not all -- of the nine digits in an individual's Social Security number using publicly available information, a finding they say compromises the security of one of the most widely used consumer identifiers in the United States. Many numbers could be guessed at by simply knowing a person's birth data, the researchers from Carnegie Mellon University said. The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286838/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:48:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286452/posts WASHINGTON, June 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In May of this year, a Supreme Court decision severely impeded the use of identity theft charges as an immigration enforcement tool. In June, several people were arrested after a fraud scheme was uncovered at a Florida driver's license bureau. In July, a new Utah law targeting illegal aliens and document fraud will take effect. As these examples show, illegal immigration is inherently tied to document fraud and identity theft. As states continue to search for answers, it is apparent that the Federal government has not yet found a working legislative solution to deter these... Center for Immigration Studies/PRN Newswire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286452/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 13:45:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283553/posts LEV L. DASSIN, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, PATRICIA J. HAYNES, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division ("IRSCID"), JOSEPH M. DEMAREST, JR., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), RONALD J. VERROCHIO, the Inspector-in- Charge of the New York Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service ("USPIS"), and JAMIE WOODWARD, the Acting Commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance ("NYSDTF"), announced the unsealing of a four-count Indictment charging... Department of Justice http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283553/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 20:42:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2259153/posts Back in April 2008, APRPEH posted: Lifelock Getting Picked. At that time, Lifelock and its over-exposed CEO Todd Davis was at the beginning of a slew of legal issues. Well finally, the Experian case may have hammered the first nail into the coffin of Lifelock. According to the above story, Lifelock's procedure of proactively placing fraud alerts is an "unfair business practice". U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford of the Central District of California ruled that: "Experian clearly incurs costs each time it must process a fraud alert made by LifeLock. These costs include the costs of allocating Experian’s electronic resources... APRPEH http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2259153/posts#comment Wed, 27 May 2009 16:59:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2249480/posts A lot of you have been asking to see what a skimmer looks like before it's yanked off an ATM. Are they easy to spot or virtually unnoticeable? Our reader Timeus works for a bank and deals with this sort of thing every day, and he sent in the following photos. Enjoy. The Consumerist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2249480/posts#comment Tue, 12 May 2009 20:06:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2243889/posts In a 9-0 decision, the justices say the crime is limited to those who knew they had stolen another person's Social Security number. The decision limits efforts to prosecute illegal workers. Reporting Form Washington -- The Supreme Court today took away one tool for prosecuting and deporting workers who are in this country illegally, ruling that the crime of identity theft is limited to those who knew they had stolen another person's Social Security number. The 9-0 decision overturns part of an Illinois man's conviction for using false documents. The court agreed he could be imprisoned for using an ID... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2243889/posts#comment Mon, 4 May 2009 16:59:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2243859/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An illegal immigrant who uses false identification papers must know they belonged to another person to be convicted of identity theft, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday. The high court's unanimous ruling was a victory for Ignacio Flores-Figueroa, a Mexican illegal immigrant who used false identification to get a job at a steel plant in Illinois. He was convicted of aggravated identify theft, a law adopted in 2004 that carries a mandatory two-year prison term. The law has been increasingly used by the federal government to charge some of those arrested in raids at work sites... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2243859/posts#comment Mon, 4 May 2009 16:25:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242501/posts R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Michael K. Fithen, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, announced that defendants Vittorio Tarantino, a/k/a “Feruccio Romagnioli,” 32, of Sunny Isles Beach, Alexandru Dragomir, 28, of Hallandale, Iosif Rauca, 35, of Boca Raton, and Gabriel Mircea Staicu, a/k/a “Gaby,” 41, of Boca Raton, were arraigned in Fort Lauderdale this morning on charges of conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(b)(2), possession... Department of Justice-Miami http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242501/posts#comment Sat, 2 May 2009 02:19:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2234638/posts LEV L. DASSIN, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, ANDREW CUOMO, the Attorney General of the State of New York, and RICHARD H. NEIMAN, the Superintendent for the New York State Banking Department, announced today that TAHIR ALI KHAN, the leader of a ring that used fake identification documents to bilk over 50 financial institutions out of more than $24 million, was sentenced today by United States District Judge LORETTA A. PRESKA to 14 years in prison. KHAN was indicted, along with 14 other co-defendants, in a multi-count Indictment unsealed on August 15, 2007.... Department of Justice-NY http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2234638/posts#comment Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:32:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2232394/posts ATTORNEY's ADVICE - NO CHARGE Not A Joke!! If you dislike attorneys..... You will love them for these tips. Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice! A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company. 1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards . Instead, put ' PHOTO ID REQUIRED .' 2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For'... Email http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2232394/posts#comment Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:37:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2227190/posts LONDON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama's half brother was refused a visa to enter Britain because he had been accused of a serious crime on a previous visit, it was reported Saturday. Samson Obama was stopped by immigration officials at East Midlands Airport in January on his way to Washington for the president's inauguration, the Sunday newspaper News of the World reported, according to advance excerpts. Biometric tests alerted the authorities that Samson, a Kenyan mobile phone shop manager, had previously been arrested by police in Berkshire. That arrest followed an alleged sex attack on a British girl two... AFP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2227190/posts#comment Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:18:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226022/posts ALEXANDRIA, VA—A jury convicted Henry “Uche” Obilo, age 29, of Miami Florida today of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, David Baker, Chief of Police, Alexandria Police Department, Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office, and Jeffrey W. Irvine, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, Washington Field Office, made the announcement. Obilo faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of approximately $17 million. United States District Judge T.S. Ellis,... Department of Justice http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226022/posts#comment Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:06:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2225574/posts So what would you call it if someone picked some elderly man's name out of a phone book, then sent a mailing in his name out to people to convince them that a political cause is worth supporting? Would you call it identity theft? To a degree. A newer term might be astroturf. But what ever you call it, at the very least it is a lie. Well, leave it to Democrats to perpetrate this theft/lie to gin up support for a political cause. This is what happened in Massachusetts as uncovered by newspaperman Matthew Nadler of the Halifax-Plympton Reporter... Publius' Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2225574/posts#comment Thu, 9 Apr 2009 13:45:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2201463/posts Parody song about a D.A.'s report posted on the Smoking Gun. All individuals portrayed are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Watch performance here. Lyrics: He told her she was only used for sex. He told her she was only used for sex. That really made her mad with photos that she had He told her she was only used for sex. She posted his nude photos on Craigslist. She posted his nude photos on Craigslist. And said he wanted men to talk dirty to him. She posted his nude photos on Craigslist. At least, that's what... Eudaimonia and other pursuits http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2201463/posts#comment Sat, 7 Mar 2009 18:11:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195430/posts Identity Theft, Fraud To Be Discussed Live On PalTalk TechNow Interactive Social Networking Series By Helen Levy Israel News Agency Jerusalem --- February 27, 2009...... Paltalk, a pioneer in live interactive, global social networking video chat applications, will be hosting a program dedicated to identity theft, risk and fraud. The show, to be broadcast on March 3 at 3 p.m. EST, will be a part of PalTalk's new TechNow series dedicated to informing the Web 2.0 community to the latest developments in high tech. “Your Digital Identity – Manage it or Lose it”, will be moderated by two leading figures... Israel News Agency / Google News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2195430/posts#comment Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:01:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2187650/posts When it comes to most frustrating experiences with the legal system, Mark Giordano may win this week's prize. A resident of Fishkill, N.Y., Giordano is one of many Americans who are victims of identity theft. But unlike most, Giordano knows who the thief is. Not only that, he's talked to the guy on the phone. The alleged culprit has rented an apartment in the Parkmerced complex in Giordano's name, has signed him up for utilities, and ordered pizza with his credit card. Even 3,000 miles away, Giordano can pull up a photo of the apartment on his computer.But he can't... sfgate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2187650/posts#comment Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:34:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2173836/posts In honor of Data Privacy Day 2009, APRPEH presents the article from 2006 It’s Me, and Here’s My Proof: Why Identity and Authentication Must Remain Distinct - Technet Microsoft - Steve Riley mentioned last week by Bruce Schneier on Schneier on Security. Schneier's blog is a great place online to go for security information. ---------------------------------------------------------When discussing identity we must first determine the audience to whom we are speaking. To some people identity is who they are. "My name is Ploni". To others identity might be a reflection of some important fact to which they identify answering the questions what they... aprpeh http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2173836/posts#comment Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:21:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2173191/posts A little-discussed provision in President Obama's economic stimulus plan would demand that every American submit to a government program for electronic medical records without a choice to opt out, and it has privacy advocates more than a little alarmed. Patients might be alarmed, too, privacy advocates said, if they realized information such as documentation on abortions, mental health problems, impotence, being labeled as a non-compliant patient, lawsuits against doctors and sexual problems could be shared electronically with, perhaps, millions of people. http://www.worldnetdaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2173191/posts#comment Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:48:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2171315/posts 2009 is not even a full month old and already we have learned of two significant data breaches. Both breaches 5 Million Checkfree Consumers Warned involve account information, not personal identifying information (PII). Both, however could leave actual bank accounts of millions of consumers vulnerable to unauthorized access. The latter breach, if it proves to be as big as the initial indicators reveal, may result in the selling or closing of the business. Too extreme? The Heartland breach is being compared in scope to TJX (TJ Max) who was unable to handle the attorney general investigation, publicity and fines changed... APRPEH http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2171315/posts#comment Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:52:02 GMT