| New bill boosts war on identity theft
The federal government took a landmark step toward battling the explosion of identity theft by introducing legislation yesterday making it illegal to collect personal documents belonging to others in order to commit fraud. Under the new bill, part of the government's toughened fall law-and-order agenda, it will become a crime in Canada to obtain, possess or traffic another person's passport, credit cards, drivers licence or other identity documents for the purpose of committing fraud. The legislation is meant to close a gap in the Criminal Code. While it's currently illegal to commit fraud with another person's credit card or other personal information, police have no ability to take action against criminal rings collecting documents belonging to others. That gap has severely hindered the ability of police to catch criminals who engage in identity theft and related fraud, because such crimes are often perpetrated electronically or over the Internet by large groups that the police have difficulty tracking down.
Beware of e-mail scams this holiday season
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Just in time for Cyber Monday and the online holiday shopping rush, high-tech Grinches are cranking up their fraud attacks with a new round of bogus e-mail, identity-theft experts say.Have you won $2 million in a Christmas sweepstakes held by Coca-Cola in the United Kingdom? Can you make big bucks just by cashing checks for an Irish researcher, Chinese exporter or rich oil consultant in Dubai? Is there a problem with your account at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, eBay or PayPal?No. But you might think so if you fall for some of the recent e-mail scams infesting the Internet.And they always peak this time of year, as millions of shoppers spend more time on the Web. Online shopping has grown at a double-digit pace in recent years. More than 70 million are expected to surf the Web this year for presents.“We do see e-mail and phone scams picking up during the holiday season," said Linda Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a watchdog group based in San Diego.
Who’s Watching You?
Rochester, N.Y.) - New charges could be filed later this week against a man who set up hidden cameras in the women's restroom where he worked in Newark.Jeffrey Kriner was arrested after his landlord discovered boxes of video tapes in the basement.Surveillance Devices In the hands of investigators, small surveillance devices help catch drug dealers, thieves, and vandals. These tiny cameras are easily available to anyone on the Internet. The tiny camera, smaller than a quarter, is linked to a wireless transmitter. The lens opening is the size of a pencil point. A private investigator “John" said, “You could hide it behind just about anything."We conceal John's real identity because he's working undercover. He said 99 of mini-cams are used for theft prevention."Trying to watch the nanny or cleaning lady. No one comes and says they're going to hook up a camera in a shower," he said.There is also a device you can use to find a mini cam.
Russian hacker network goes underground
An online conduit accused of spreading vast amounts of malicious and criminal content has closed down its base in St Petersburg sparking fears that the operation will surface elsewhere. Security firm Trend Micro said that Russian Business Network (RBN) dropped off the internet last Tuesday, and has predicted its emergence in a newly reinvigorated form somewhere in Asia. Run by a shadowy figure known only as 'Flyman', RBN has been associated with a number of high-profile online crimes committed in the UK. Security firms have linked RBN to child pornography, corporate blackmail, spam attacks and online identity theft, according to a report in Times Online. "The UK has been a focus for this group and its criminal clients, and things are set to get worse," said David Perry, an analyst for Trend Micro.
E-mail scams greet the season
Just in time for Cyber Monday and the online holiday shopping rush, high-tech Grinches are cranking up their fraud attacks with a new round of bogus e-mail, identity-theft experts say. Have you won $2 million in a Christmas sweepstakes held by Coca-Cola in the United Kingdom? Can you make big bucks just by cashing checks for an Irish researcher, Chinese exporter or rich oil consultant in Dubai? Is there a problem with your account at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, eBay or PayPal? No. But you might think so if you fall for some of the recent e-mail scams infesting the Internet. And they always peak this time of year, as millions of shoppers spend more time on the Web. "We do see e-mail and phone scams picking up during the holiday season," said Linda Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a watchdog group based in San Diego.
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