Archive for identity theft
Man Arrested for Vehicular Theft may also be Identity Thief
Posted by: | CommentsCOLORADO SPRINGS- A police chase of a stolen vehicle in the Springs results in the arrest of a possible identity thief.
An officer noticed a car driving around with out licenses plates, and when he tried to pull the driver over to investigate, a chase ensued. The chase was short, never leaving the 900 block of South Cascade Avenue…MORE
Recession Increases People’s Fear of Identity Theft
Posted by: | CommentsCHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As if the global recession, struggling housing market and high unemployment numbers weren’t enough, market research firm Mintel reveals that Americans increasingly fret about having their identities stolen.
“As banks launch new financial products and services like mobile banking, they need to be mindful of people’s concern about security. One way to improve acceptance of new products is for banks to convince customers that their personal information will remain safe and protected”
Because of today’s dire economic situation, nearly half of adults (46%) say they’re more worried about someone stealing funds from their bank accounts or stealing their identities. Perhaps because of the belief that desperate times lead to desperate measures, or maybe because each dollar is more precious this year, security and identity theft are top concerns for today’s consumers.
Susan Menke, behavioral economist at Mintel Comperemedia, comments:
“Some consumers worry that, because of economic concerns this year, banks aren’t paying as much attention to security and identity theft issues as they have in the past. This really isn’t true, so banks need to reassure their customers that they’re being well taken care of. Focusing on security and identity theft protection capabilities can give banks and credit unions a competitive edge and strengthen customer relationships.”
Identity theft protection is very important to consumers, especially when choosing which banks to do business with. Nine in 10 people told Mintel that protection against identity theft and illegal account access was very or somewhat important to them when selecting a bank. Among small business owners, 42% rank identity theft protection as one of the top three factors they’d consider when obtaining a new business credit or debit card.
“As banks launch new financial products and services like mobile banking, they need to be mindful of people’s concern about security. One way to improve acceptance of new products is for banks to convince customers that their personal information will remain safe and protected,” states Susan Menke.
Visit Mintel Comperemedia’s blog for the latest direct marketing trend analysis: www.comperemedia.com/blog/.
About Mintel Comperemedia
Mintel Comperemedia provides competitive intelligence for businesses looking to advance and improve their direct marketing strategy. Tracking direct marketing (including mail, email and print advertising) targeted at consumers, small businesses and insurance agents, Mintel Comperemedia offers a unique perspective on everything from banking trends to insurance trends to credit card statistics. For more than 35 years, Mintel has provided insight into key worldwide trends, leading the industry for consumer, product and media intelligence. Follow Mintel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mintelnews.
ALLIANCE PLANS GLOBAL EXPANSION; TARGETS WORLD’S FASTEST GROWING CRIME
14 January 2010 – Investcorp Technology Partners, the technology private equity arm of alternative investment manager Investcorp, announced today that its Fund III has agreed to acquire an equity stake in CSIdentity, the Austin, Texas-based technology leader in identity theft and fraud protection services. CSIdentity was started by entrepreneur and co-founder Bill Morrow. The Fund has made an initial investment of $35 million in the company.
CSIdentity provides proprietary software solutions and datasets for the $2.8 billion identity theft protection market in the United States. The market is expected to grow over 20% per year for the foreseeable future, driven by the mass-market adoption of the Internet, e-commerce, online banking and other forms of e-payments. An estimated 285 million records of personal information held by government and private sector data banks have been breached since 2008, largely at the hands of computer hackers.
“Our market leading technology solutions are protecting multi-billion dollar corporations, government agencies, small businesses and consumers from identity theft across every U.S. state,” CSIdentity CEO Bill Morrow said. “Our partnership with Investcorp not only validates our position as the technology leader, but fuels our growth trajectory as we further penetrate the U.S. market and expand globally, leveraging Investcorp’s presence and relationships around the world.”
“Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the world, having claimed more than 10 million victims in the U.S. alone in 2008,” said Alex Guira, co-head of Investcorp’s technology investment business, who will join the CSIdentity board along with London-based Investcorp colleague Dirk Schm?cking. “With its technology leadership, blue-chip client base and superb management, CSIdentity is well positioned to combat this growing pandemic, not just in the U.S. but in Europe and the Middle East as well. CSIdentity is a perfect addition to our existing top-notch portfolio of security software and data analytics companies.”
Approximately 34 million subscribers in the U.S. currently use some form of credit monitoring or advanced identity theft protection services and this is expected to increase over the next few years. CSIdentity leads the industry with advanced Internet surveillance techniques, unrivaled product architecture and the most comprehensive security protection products, including CyberAgent online black market screening in addition to monitoring of payday loans, public and court records, credit reports and even sex offender reports. CSIdentity’s offerings go beyond the simple collation of public data, instead using sophisticated technology to identify potential fraudulent behavior.
CSIdentity’s solutions are used by Fortune 100 financial institutions, public pension funds, telecommunications companies and businesses that offer direct-to-consumer identity theft protection services. CSIdentity’s technologies are used to protect more than 2 million U.S. citizens, both as individuals and businesses, through a suite of business and personal security solutions targeting all aspects of identity theft protection, including identity validation, comprehensive background screenings, identity theft protection for employees and customers, voice biometric identity verification and data breach management.
“CSIdentity is a potentially huge growth story with an ambitious product roadmap,” Guira said. “In addition to expanding its global footprint, we plan to grow its research and development program to ensure we retain our technological superiority.”
About CSIdentity
CSIdentity is the technology leader in providing identity theft and fraud protection services to businesses and consumers. Founded in 2005, The Austin, Texas-based company offers a comprehensive suite of business and personal security solutions targeting all aspects of identity theft. CSIdentity’s products include:
- CSIdentity SAFE - Comprehensive background screening, identity verification, alternate names / alias search, authentication and ongoing criminal monitoring.
- CSIdentity Protector - Full-service identity theft protection including CyberAgent, insurance and restoration.
- CSIdentity Breach - Proactive breach preparation services from discovery to resolution.
- CSIdentity VoiceVerified - Voice biometric identity verification.
For more information, visit http://www.CSIdentity.com.
Welcome to DarkMarket – global one-stop shop for cybercrime and banking fraud
Posted by: | Comments• Personal data and tutorials in hacking offered online
• Founder of site traced to London internet cafe
To the casual observer, there was little to distinguish the Java Beaninternet cafe in Wembley from the hundreds of others dotted around the capital. But to surveillance officers staking it out month after month, this unremarkable venue was the key to busting a remarkable and sophisticated network of cyber criminals.
From the bank of computers inside, a former pizza bar worker ran an international cyber “supermarket” selling stolen credit card and account details costing the banking industry tens of millions.
Renukanth Subramaniam, 33, was revealed today as the founder and a major “orchestrator” of the secret DarkMarket website, where elite fraudsters bought and sold personal data, after it was infiltrated by the FBI and the US Secret Service.
Continue Reading <a href=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/14/darkmarket-online-fraud-trial-wembley target=_blank>HERE</a>
Recession to Cause a Rise in Scams, Thievery and Hacking
Posted by: | CommentsThe Identity Theft Resource Center® (ITRC) and Robert Siciliano have joined forces to expand the pool of knowledge about identity theft issues. As nationally recognized experts in this crime, they have come up with their Top 10 predictions for what the nation might expect in the area of identity theft in 2010 and beyond.
The recession will lead to more scams. “Whenever our nation has faced a difficult time, thieves have found a way to use the problem to their advantage,” explained Robert Siliciano. “In my adult life, I’ve never seen more variations of old scams and the degree of sophistication in newer scams”
Continue Reading HERE
Identity Theives Target Big Banks
Posted by: | CommentsPHOENIX — If you have an account at a major bank, chances are you may have been put at risk for identity theft, according to members of the Merchants Identity Theft Advisory Board.
“All of the large banks have been victims of data breaches,” said Russell Johnson, an identity theft expert and member of the board.
Continue Reading HERE
Two sentenced to prison for identity theft scheme in N.J.
Posted by: | CommentsNEWARK — A Los Angeles man who admitted participating in an international identity theft scheme targeting home equity lines of credit at banks in New Jersey and other states was sentenced in federal court in Newark today to five years and 10 months in prison.
Continue Reading Two sentenced to prison for identity theft scheme in N.J.
Guidelines for Publishing Information Online
Posted by: | CommentsGuidelines for Publishing Information Online by the National Cyber Alert System
| Remember that the internet is a public resource. Avoid putting anything online that you don’t want the public to see or that you may want to retract. |
Why is it important to remember that the internet is public?
Because the internet is so accessible and contains a wealth of information, it has become a popular resource for communicating, for researching topics, and for finding information about people. It may seem less intimidating than actually interacting with other people because there is a sense of anonymity. However, you are not really anonymous when you are online, and it is just as easy for people to find information about you as it is for you to find information about them. Unfortunately, many people have become so familiar and comfortable with the internet that they may adopt practices that make them vulnerable. For example, although people are typically wary of sharing personal information with strangers they meet on the street, they may not hesitate to post that same information online. Once it is online, it can be accessed by a world of strangers, and you have no idea what they might do with that information.
What guidelines can you follow when publishing information on the internet?
- View the internet as a novel, not a diary – Make sure you are comfortable with anyone seeing the information you put online. Expect that people you have never met will find your page; even if you are keeping an online journal or blog, write it with the expectation that it is available for public consumption. Some sites may use passwords or other security restrictions to protect the information, but these methods are not usually used for most web sites. If you want the information to be private or restricted to a small, select group of people, the internet is probably not the best forum.
- Be careful what you advertise – In the past, it was difficult to find information about people other than their phone numbers or address. Now, an increasing amount of personal information is available online, especially because people are creating personal web pages with information about themselves. When deciding how much information to reveal, realize that you are broadcasting it to the world. Supplying your email address may increase the amount of spam you receive (see Reducing Spam for more information). Providing details about your hobbies, your job, your family and friends, and your past may give attackers enough information to perform a successful social engineering attack (see Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information).
- Realize that you can’t take it back – Once you publish something online, it is available to other people and to search engines. You can change or remove information after something has been published, but it is possible that someone has already seen the original version. Even if you try to remove the page(s) from the internet, someone may have saved a copy of the page or used excerpts in another source. Some search engines “cache” copies of web pages so that they open faster; these cached copies may be available after a web page has been deleted or altered. Some web browsers may also maintain a cache of the web pages a user has visited, so the original version may be stored in a temporary file on the user’s computer. Think about these implications before publishing information—once something is out there, you can’t guarantee that you can completely remove it.
As a general practice, let your common sense guide your decisions about what to post online. Before you publish something on the internet, determine what value it provides and consider the implications of having the information available to the public. Identity theft is an increasing problem, and the more information an attacker can gather about you, the easier it is to pretend to be you. Behave online the way you would behave in your daily life, especially when it involves taking precautions to protect yourself.
Authors: Mindi McDowell, Matt Lytle, Jason Rafail original work published and found on us-cert.gov
Continue Reading HERE
Officials warn of possible ID theft in census count
Posted by: | CommentsWhile recruitment has begun in Grand Junction for the 2010 census, the Better Business Bureau warns of the potential for con artists and identity theft over the coming months.
Legitimate census counters will not be asking for Social Security numbers, bank account or credit card information. Nor will they be soliciting donations, the bureau said in a news release.
Residents are likely to be contacted via mail, telephone or in person by someone with the census.
Continue Reading HERE
