One ID Pro Blog

The United States Secret Service is joining forces with the European task force to prevent identity theft, computer hacking and other computer-based crime.  The unit will be based in Rome and will include the Italian anti-cyber-crime police unit and the Italian post office Poste Italiane SpA, which has developed software that can track electronic payments as it moves beyond traditional mail delivery.

The European Electronic Crime Task Force’s will combine the cyber-crime efforts of the European Union nations and the U.S.  This will help fight off computer attacks on embassies and other government sites that host sensitive computer systems.  They will monitor computer systems for threats and deal with attacks if they occur.

“The transnational nature of cyber attacks requires international collaboration and expertise, as exemplified by this joint professional partnership,” said Robert Gombar, a special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Rome field office, which coordinates its activities in southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The task force will also use software to scan banking systems for unusual activity.  The software can comb through money transfers performed over the Internet for any suspicious signs.

The New York State Consumer Protection Board warns that the e-mail appears to look like it’s from Chase, but consumers should not respond.

The bogus e-mail purports that the online form is necessary as a result of “new security measures.”

The e-mail may state:

“As part of the new security measures, all Chase bank customers are required to complete Chase Customer Form. Please complete the… Continue reading

It seems more and more you hear about a laptop or a USB flash drive containing thousands of Social Security numbers lost or stolen.  The latest was a laptop at Cornell University that was stolen earlier this month.

The theft of the stolen laptop has left 45,000 members of the university’s community at risk of identity theft and credit card fraud. 

Files on the stolen laptop listed tens of thousands of names… Continue reading

There is a nationwide VISA text messaging scam that is trying to trick cell phone users into handing over their bank account information.  The text messaging scam has hit thousands of individual across the US in the last few weeks.

The message received states “Due to unusual activity, your Visa account has been closed.”

People are under the impression that their bank account and debit card is temporarily… Continue reading

A new survey by Consumer Reports discovered that one in five online consumers were victims of a cybercrime in the past two years costing consumers 8 billion dollars. 

Consumer Reports believes the problems will only get worse due to rising unemployment and foreclosures.  Also social-networking services, such as Facebook, are creating more openings for identity thieves.

Corporations that keep sensitive… Continue reading

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued an alert about the top four most common types of health Insurance frauds:

1. Medical Equipment Fraud: Individuals are offered “free products” from equipment manufacturers. Insurers are charged for products that were not needed and/or may not have been delivered.

2. “Rolling Lab” Schemes: Unnecessary and sometimes fake tests are administered at health clubs, retirement homes or shopping malls and… Continue reading

The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers across the country of a new scam on Craigslist that deceives buyers by falsely claiming BBB accreditation and participation in a phony buyers protection program.

The BBB said there is no such thing as a BBB Purchase Protection Program and any online seller claiming participation in this program is scamming customers.

BBB has received consumer reports from coast to coast who… Continue reading

Investment in new facial recognition technology at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles already is yielding returns with the arrest of a man on fraud charges after he sought a seventh Indiana identity.

New license photos are compared with those that have already been taken. If a new photo seems to match an existing one, the software sends an alert that someone may be trying to assume… Continue reading

Responding to growing concerns about the nation’s online security, President Obama will select a cyber security czar.

In a White House event, Obama said Americans are dependent on computers but he cited the dark side of the cyber world, including identity theft and attempted cyber attacks on national security systems.

Obama stressed the U.S. is “not as prepared as we should be” to protect the nation’s “digital infrastructure.”

The… Continue reading

The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) released a significant report Wednesday on the impact of identity theft victimization.  The following are highlights of The Aftermath 2008 study.

Medical Identity Theft:  In 2008, ITRC introduced a set of questions to monitor this issue.  More than 2/3 of those responding to these questions reported that medical providers billed for services received by the imposter.  Another 56% were contacted by… Continue reading