Category «ID Theft»

Consumer Website Tracks State Security Freeze Laws

FinancialPrivacyNow.org: “Identity theft is one of the fastest growing financial crimes. Nearly 10 million Americans fall victim each year. The Identity Theft Resource Center reported in 2005, on average, an ID theft victim of new account and other fraud spent 60 hours resolving problems brought on by ID theft, those victims of existing accounts spent …

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

TSA Public Statement on Employee Data Security Incident

Follow up to May 5, 2007 posting, Missing TSA Hard Drive Has Data on 100,000 Employees, this additional update from the TSA: “Today the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a benefit package to provide employees and former employees affected by the data security incident with free credit monitoring for up-to one year. In addition to …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Government Documents, ID Theft, Privacy

House Judiciary Committee Sends Four Crime Bills to the House Floor

Press release: “Today, the House Judiciary Committee approved four crime bills and sent them to the House floor for consideration. The bills were: HR 1700, the “COPS Improvement Act of 2007;” HR 916, the “John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act of 2007;” HR 1525, the “Internet Spyware Prevention Act of 2007;” and, HR …

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, ID Theft, Legislation, Privacy

New GAO Reports Cover Defense Acquisitions, Immigration Benefits, ID Theft and More

Bureau of Justice Statistics: Quality Guidelines Generally Followed for Police-Public Contact Surveys, but Opportunities Exist to Help Assure Agency Independence GAO-07-340, March 30, 2007 Defense Acquisitions: Missile Defense Agency’s Flexibility Reduces Transparency of Program Cost GAO-07-799T, April 30, 2007 Defense Management: High-Level Leadership Commitment and Actions Are Needed to Address Corrosion Issues GAO-07-618, April 30, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, ID Theft

President’s Identity Theft Task Force Releases Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Combat Identity Theft

Press release: “Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras today announced the completion of the President’s Identity Theft Task Force strategic plan to combat identity theft. The strategic plan is the result of an unprecedented federal effort to formulate a comprehensive and fully coordinated plan to attack this widespread …

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

UK Consumers Not Risk Averse When Using Online Services According to New Report

Press release: “UK consumers are not as risk-averse when it comes to using online services as previously thought, according to recent research conducted by BT. Despite daily warnings about security threats and cyber-criminals, people are willing to take risks online, as long as they feel informed, and it is clear how consequences will be addressed. …

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

Phishing Activity Trends for February 2007

Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), Phishing Activity Trends for February 2007 (8 pages, PDF) “The number of phishing reports received by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) came to 23,610 in February, a drop of over 6,000 from January’s previous record high of 29,930. ► For the first time ever recorded by the APWG, the United States …

Subjects: Cybercrime, ID Theft, Privacy

Corporate Data Loss Cost Calculator

Tech//404® Data Loss Cost Calculator: “Data loss resulting from network security breaches and identity theft has become a regular occurrence. While the number of affected records can vary widely in any given data loss scenario, a recent study by the Ponemon Institute found that the average number was roughly 99,000. For recent examples and media …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Records, ID Theft, Intellectual Property, Knowledge Management

CD Containing 2.9 Million Georgia Medical Data Records Lost by Contractor

According to a press release from the Georgia Department of Community Health, contractor Affiliated Computer Services confirmed on April 9, 2007 the loss of a CD containing the personal data of state Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids(TM) members. The data included full names, complete addresses, social security numbers, member ID numbers, and eligibility dates for …

Subjects: Government Documents, ID Theft, Privacy

Treasury OIG Audit Reveals Taxpayer Data Not Adequately Protected on Laptops and Portable Media

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration – Internal Revenue Service Is Not Adequately Protecting Taxpayer Data on Laptop Computers and Other Portable Electronic Media Devices. March 23, 2007. Reference Number 2007-20-048. “IRS employees reported the loss or theft of at least 490 computers and other sensitive data in 387 separate incidents between January 2, 2003, …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, ID Theft

FCC Strengthens Privacy Rules to Prevent Pretexting

Press release: “The Federal Communications Commission has strengthened its privacy rules by requiring telephone and wireless carriers to adopt additional safeguards to protect the personal telephone records of consumers from unauthorized disclosure. These new safeguards will help prevent unauthorized access to customer proprietary network information, or CPNI.” Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed …

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

Canadian Policy and Public Interest Clinic Releases Working Papers on ID Theft

“CIPPIC has issued the first batch of a series of working papers on identity theft. The papers released today include Introduction and Background, Techniques of Identity Theft, and Legislative Approaches to Identity Theft (all PDF). Additional papers examining identity theft caselaw, law enforcement, and policy approaches, as well as a Bibliography on identity theft, will …

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