Category «ID Theft»

FTC Testifies on Spyware

News release: “The Federal Trade Commission…told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that “legislation authorizing the Commission to seek civil penalties in spyware cases could add a potent remedy to those otherwise available to the Commission.” In testimony to the Committee, Eileen Harrington, Deputy Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said …

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, Government Documents, ID Theft, Privacy

Social Security Administration's Internal Use of Employees' Social Security Numbers

OIG: The Social Security Administration’s Internal Use of Employees’ Social Security Numbers. A-13-07-27164 06/09/08 “The Social Security number (SSN) was created in 1936 as a means of tracking workers’ earnings and eligibility for Social Security benefits. Nevertheless, the SSN has become a de facto national identifier used by Federal agencies, State and local governments, and …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Government, Government Documents, ID Theft, Privacy

Working Paper: Do Data Breach Disclosure Laws Reduce Identity Theft?

Do Data Breach Disclosure Laws Reduce Identity Theft? Sasha Romanosky, Rahul Telang, Alessandro Acquisti, Heinz School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University “Identity theft resulted in corporate and consumer losses of $56 billion dollars in 2005, with about 30% of known identity thefts caused by corporate data breaches. Many US states have responded …

Subjects: Cybercrime, ID Theft, Legislation, Privacy

Yahoo Announces Search Feature to Fight Malware

Yahoo Search Blog: “Today, we’re announcing the beta release of SearchScan, a new feature from Yahoo! Search that helps protect users from viruses, spyware and spam. We’ve heard from users that security and privacy continue to be major concerns when they are online. We’ve also learned that solutions that require downloads and constant updating are …

Subjects: Cybercrime, ID Theft, PC Security, Search Engines

Journal of Public Inquiry Fall/Winter 2007-2008

The Inspectors General, Journal of Public Inquiry Fall/Winter 2007/08 (96 pages, PDF) “The Journal is a semiannual publication of the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) and the Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency (ECIE), which together includes 64 statutory Inspectors General who oversee stewardship in the federal government..We are pleased to present over …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Government, Government Documents, ID Theft, Legal Research, Privacy

SEC Takes Action to Halt Online Account Intrusion and Identity Theft Scheme

News release: “The Securities and Exchange Commission…took action to stop a sophisticated Internet scheme that stole the identities of unsuspecting individuals and netted more than $66,000 in illicit profits in just seven weeks. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the SEC alleged that one or …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, ID Theft

Treasury OIG Audit: Inadequate Security Controls Over Routers and Switches Jeopardize Sensitive Taxpayer Information

Inadequate Security Controls Over Routers and Switches Jeopardize Sensitive Taxpayer Information, March 26, 2008. Reference Number: 2008-20-071 “Because the IRS sends sensitive taxpayer and administrative information across its networks, routers on the networks must have sufficient security controls to deter and detect unauthorized use. Access controls for IRS routers were not adequate, and reviews to …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Government, Government Documents, ID Theft, PC Security, Privacy

FBI: Reported Dollar Loss from Internet Crime Reaches All-Time High

News release: “According to the 2007 Internet Crime Report, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 206,884 complaints of crimes perpetrated over the Internet during 2007. Of the complaints received, more than 90,000 were referred to law enforcement around the nation, amounting to nearly $240 million in reported losses. This represents a $40 million increase …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Government, ID Theft, Privacy

New FTC Videos Help Consumers Spot Phishing Scams

News release: “The Federal Trade Commission has released three 60-second videos to help alert consumers to phishing scams. Phishing uses deceptive spam to trick consumers into divulging sensitive or personal information, including credit card numbers and other financial data, through an email or a link to a “copycat” site. The goal of the videos is …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Government, Government Documents, ID Theft