| Indians wake up to identity thefts, still reluctant to react
As the cyber world unveils websites that let you live a 'second life', fake identities and identity thefts are fast emerging a menace giving spurt to hate mails and even serious crimes. Identity theft remains unrecognised by many Indians, but many may already be becoming targets even without realising it, experts say. One of the fastest growing crimes in the developed nations like United States, it is spreading in developing economies too. According to a website that monitors cyber crimes, in 2006, identity theft complaints made up thirty seven per cent (37 per cent) of all fraud complaints. With extensive use of social networking sites in India, the young population chatting for hours, however is unaware of the risks involved. Sharing personal information on social networking sites like Orkut, Tagged, hi5, etc.
Alamance ID theft suspect in custody
GRAHAM, N.C. -- The Alamance County Sheriff's Office says it has an identity theft suspect in custody Wednesday morning.
Mario Sosa-Cruz is charged with one count of identity theft for allegedly purchasing the name and Social Security number of a Burlington man without the man's knowledge.
Officers say he used the fake name to get a job with Holt Sublimation and to get a diver's license, which was later revoked for driving while impaired.
Sosa-Cruz admitted to entering the country illegally. Deputies say he has already been deported from the U.S. once before. .
Be crime-savvy when you shop
Editor's note: This week's shooting at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Neb., underscores the public safety issues that large gathering places like shopping centers face. Today, the Sunday Record explores crime trends at our regional shopping malls. What we found is that larcencies, such as shoplifting and car break-ins and thefts, far outnumber crimes against individuals. While our region did have a mall shooting in Kingston in February 2005, incidents involving guns or assaults at Hudson Valley shopping centers were rare, according to police reports from January 2006 through July 2007.
In many localities, they are the center of weekend social life, where people converge to shop, play or just be seen. But they are also the sites of fights, identity theft and millions of dollars worth of shoplifting each year.
'Tis the Season for Financial Crimes Against Seniors
Not everyone is full of goodwill during the holidays. Unfortunately, the holidays are a prime time for financial crimes like identity theft, robbery and fraud -- and seniors are often the target."Consumers are reminded to shred, sign up, suppress and be sensitive," says Steve J. Bernas, President/CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois. To safeguard against financial crimes this holiday season the Chicago Better Business Bureau offers these timely tips for seniors and those who care for them:-- Hang on to your personal information. Do not give any personal information over the phone or Internet to an unfamiliar company or caller. This includes your credit card numbers, but also the credit card expiration date, your Social Security number, driver's license number, bank account numbers, and personal information, such as your mother's maiden name.
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.
Remarks of Cybersecurity and Communications Assistant Secretary Greg ...
Washington, D.C. Thank you Ron for that warm introduction. On behalf of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, I would like to welcome you all to this important summit. It is wonderful to see such a tremendous turnout for this event. And thank you Chairman Majoras for your inspiring remarks. Not only do I admire the FTC�s efforts to educate all Americans on the important issue of identity theft, I appreciate the proactive measures your agency has taken to enhance the security of its own networks. DHS and FTC are working together to address this formidable cyber security challenge. As the lead Federal Government agencies for consumer protection and infrastructure protection, we have learned that individual and enterprise cyber security are really two sides of the same coin.
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