Identity Theft, Internet Fraud Reports Up in U.S. (Reuters)

Grok Headline matches for Identity Theft, Internet Fraud Reports Up in U.S. (Reuters)

Identity theft, Internet-related fraud
top consumers' complaints

Identity theft, Internet-related fraud
top consumers' complaints 01/22/2004 03:24 PM
Boston Globe Jan 22 2004 7:07PM GMT

FTC says identity theft, online fraud on
the rise

FTC says identity theft, online fraud on
the rise 01/22/2004 06:20 PM
The number of cases of identity theft -- the practice of running up bills or committing crimes in someone else's name -- was up 33% from 2002, according to an FTC report released today.

How Criminals are Phishing to Commit
Identity Theft and Fraud

How Criminals are Phishing to Commit
Identity Theft and Fraud 05/31/2004 01:51 PM
Phishing is a technique that criminals use to commit identity theft and fraud. CreditGUARD of America, a non-profit credit counseling agency, explains how to spot phishing and protect yourself from identity theft. [PRWEB May 31, 2004]

What Everybody Ought to Know about
Protecting Themselves from Credit Card
Fraud and Identity Theft

What Everybody Ought to Know about
Protecting Themselves from Credit Card
Fraud and Identity Theft 06/22/2005 01:51 AM
Protecting yourself from credit card fraud and identity theft has become even more important with the unrelenting succession of security breaches, such as last week's theft of 40 million credit card numbers. Here are seven specific things you can do now to help protect yourself from credit card fraud and identity theft. [PRWEB Jun 21, 2005]

Columnist Claims Identity Theft After
Investigating Fraud At Investment Firm

Columnist Claims Identity Theft After
Investigating Fraud At Investment Firm 02/01/2005 09:43 PM
Well known financial columnist Herb Greenberg has a fascinating article about how someone tried to snoop into his phone records. Apparently, someone pretending to be him turned on online reporting for both his Verizon cell phone and his SBC home phone. While he can't prove it, his suspicion is that it has something to do with a company he has written negatively about. The bogus online account opening occurred right after he wrote a negative article about investment firm Allied Capital. This could just be a coincidence, but once he found out that the same thing happened with both Verizon and SBC (he credits Verizon for at least sending a paper letter to his home notifying him of this -- something SBC didn't do), he called around to various sources for many different stories and asked them to check their own systems. It apparently happened to a bunch of sources -- all of whom had been investigating Allied Capital. He says he has no proof, and he knows the FBI is investigating, but as a reporter, he couldn't wait any longer and had to get the story out there.

New Law Gets Tough on Identity Theft
(Reuters)

New Law Gets Tough on Identity Theft
(Reuters) 07/15/2004 01:26 PM
Reuters - President Bush signed legislation on Thursday that toughens penalties against identity theft, a problem that federal officials estimate cost U.S. consumers and businesses over $50 billion last year.

Internet Identity Theft Complaints
Climbing

Internet Identity Theft Complaints
Climbing 01/22/2004 05:05 PM
Reports of Internet-related fraud now account for more than half the consumer complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission, the agency said Thursday.

U.S. Senator Seeks Safeguards After
Identity Theft (Reuters)

U.S. Senator Seeks Safeguards After
Identity Theft (Reuters) 03/29/2005 07:58 PM
Reuters - U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein called on Tuesday for more government protection against identity theft after a laptop storing nearly 100,000 Social Security numbers was purloined from a California university.

Security Provider Jailed for Identity
Theft (Reuters)

Security Provider Jailed for Identity
Theft (Reuters) 05/19/2004 10:40 AM
Reuters - A Connecticut man who installed home security systems has been sentenced to prison for using a client's personal information to finance a more than $200,000 spending spree, federal prosecutors said.

Identity, Identifiers and Identity Fraud

Identity, Identifiers and Identity Fraud 08/18/2004 05:04 PM

NY AG Wants Do Not Identity Theft Law

NY AG Wants Do Not Identity Theft Law 04/18/2005 02:28 PM
New York's Attorney General (and gubernatorial candidate) Eliot Spitzer seems to show up wherever there's an issue that's getting a lot of press. He took on Wall Street companies, spammers and insurance scammers among many others. So, is it really any surprise that he's now decided to take on identity theft? Of course, there already are laws against identity theft and fraud. While they could be made better, it's not clear that's what's happening here. In fact, one of the proposed laws speaks directly to all of those recent data leaks from ChoicePoint, LexisNexis and others. It would create a "Do Not Share" list that people could sign up for, forbidding any of these companies to share your data. While this might sound good on its face, it seems to be based on the idea that there really isn't a good reason for companies to ever share your data -- which isn't quite true. Many of the conveniences we have these days is because of the data that's available. Granted, in plenty of cases it may have gone too far, and these companies have done a dreadful job -- but a full stop "do not share" list (which many people would quickly sign up for without realizing the impact) could greatly inconvenience many people. A much more reasonable solution isn't to ban all sharing of information, but to give people more control and visibility into (1) what information companies have about them and (2) how it's being used. That way, individuals can work to prevent the misuses, while still getting the benefits.

BOFH: Identity theft

BOFH: Identity theft 03/24/2005 08:28 AM
Episode 11 Name, number, biometric

You Can Be Anyone You Want: Identity
Theft Is Easy

You Can Be Anyone You Want: Identity
Theft Is Easy 09/02/2004 05:50 PM
MSNBC, which has been covering identity theft stories for quite some time, is now running a very long excerpt from a book about identity theft called < i>Your Evil Twin : Behind the Identity Theft Epidemic. It goes over the stories of a few of the biggest identity theft criminals around, showing just how they impersonated the rich and famous to take their money. The scary part, of course, was just how easy it was -- and how unsophisticated the scams really were. While the press hyped up the capture of one of the criminals, in looking at the details, it becomes clear that the guy made a lot of silly mistakes (such as using the same free email account for a variety of his scams -- often within the same bank). The real culprit is the system by which the credit card companies and the credit bureaus run their businesses. As it stands, they have very little incentive to actually secure the system. Instead, they let it the crimes occur, and let everyone else deal with the mess.

Types of Identity Theft

Types of Identity Theft 12/30/2004 12:05 PM
Learn what to look out for, and protect yourself!

Is identity theft inevitable?

Is identity theft inevitable? 04/01/2005 11:21 AM

Mitigating identity theft

Mitigating identity theft 04/14/2005 06:14 AM
Security expert Bruce Schneier says solutions being proposed in Congress won't stem a worrying trend.

Identity Theft on the Rise

Identity Theft on the Rise 01/23/2004 03:54 AM
Complaints are up 45% from the previous year to the FTC over Identity Theft. The problem continues to grow with...

Offshored Identity Theft

Offshored Identity Theft 04/12/2005 11:10 AM

Plenty Of Identity Theft Going Around

Plenty Of Identity Theft Going Around 01/22/2004 02:06 PM
The FTC has put out their list of what people were complaining to them about, and it seems that identity theft tops the list for the fourth straight year - with 42% of complaints concerning the crime (up from 40% the year before). What's most interesting to me about this, though, is that despite all this identity theft, we still haven't done much to prevent it. It still seems like most lawmakers and authorities don't see it as a serious problem.

Identity Theft Insurance

Identity Theft Insurance 03/22/2005 04:32 PM

Allstate launches identity theft coverage in Tennessee: Allstate insurance has started offering identity-theft insurance as a rider to homeowners' policies.

Allstate's new identity theft expenses coverage is available for Allstate homeowners and renters in Tennessee for approximately $30 a year. It provides customers access to professional identity restoration assistance. If a customer chooses to do the work on their own, Allstate's policy provides up to $25,000 in reimbursement coverage for expenses incurred to restore their identity, including attorney fees, loan reapplication fees, credit report fees, and lost wages.

Along with spam, identify theft is another parasite propeled by the Net. Funny how these things open up entire revenue streams of their own. For every problem, there is a solution...and someone who will sell it to you.

I wonder if they could increate the premium based on Net usage? Do they Google for you before they write the policy?

Identity Theft - The Real Cause

Identity Theft - The Real Cause 05/24/2004 05:38 PM

Identity Theft And Meth

Identity Theft And Meth 06/08/2004 10:50 AM
USA Today is running an AP article talking about how law enforcement is working on bet ter ways to combat identity theft, where someone mentions that all of those involved with identity theft also are involved with methamphetamine. That was certainly true of the profile of an identity theft ring we wrote about last year, but it seems like focusing on that aspect shouldn't be useful for very long. With the rate at which identity theft crime is growing, it seems likely that it, too, will start to get taken over by organized crime groups - and will become increasingly sophisticated. In other words, if you thought identity theft was bad now, it's only going to get worse. At what point will credit agencies and financial institutions realize that they need to take the issue of identity theft more seriously?

Avoid Identity Theft

Avoid Identity Theft 07/27/2004 09:21 AM
A few changes in behavior can spare you a world of trouble.

FTC's Identity Theft Help Site

FTC's Identity Theft Help Site 03/17/2005 03:49 AM
The recently updated site describes what steps to take if you are a victim of identity theft, your legal rights, how to handle specific problems you may encounter on the way to clearing your name, and what to watch for in the future.

Liberty Aims to Contain Identity Theft

Liberty Aims to Contain Identity Theft 06/17/2005 03:18 PM
The federated identity group forms a task force to thwart fraudsters who steal Web users information.

Congress takes on identity theft

Congress takes on identity theft 04/15/2005 04:52 AM
Congress proposes legislation aimed at forcing companies to inform customers when their personal data is compromise. It's a good start, but it doesn't go far enough.

Identity Theft and Social Networks

Identity Theft and Social Networks 01/02/2004 06:09 PM
scubacuda writes "This Security Focus article looks at the lack of security social network sites have, particularly their lack of SSL logins, which means a ...

Most identity theft cases never get
resolved

Most identity theft cases never get
resolved 06/22/2005 02:29 AM

Identity theft isn't always online crime

Identity theft isn't always online crime 12/19/2004 03:54 PM
Indystar.com - Sun Dec 19, 08:44 am GMT

Computer tech in $72m identity theft

Computer tech in $72m identity theft 09/14/2004 04:28 PM
The Australian Sep 14 2004 8:10PM GMT

Is A Spoofed Email Identity Theft?

Is A Spoofed Email Identity Theft? 06/01/2004 10:55 AM
There are a ton of currently hazy legal issues being raised by a case heading to the Maine Supreme Court concerning one family's attempt to find out who sent out an unflattering email about them to neighbors - using a fake email address. The email address in question was made to look as though it were from Ron Fitch (the person now suing to find out who sent the email), though it used a fake email address, and not Fitch's real email address. The email included a cartoon making fun of Fitch and his family for their ongoing efforts to change the small island they live on. The family is now suing to try to find out the identity of who sent out the email. So, there are a variety of legal questions that need to be answered - and not all of them are that clear. First, is sending out an email that could possibly (but not necessarily) be interpreted as being from someone else be considered "identity theft" of that person, as Fitch is claiming? Next, is sending out an unflattering cartoon of your neighbor over email protected free speech - such as satire? Finally, should an ISP be forced to reveal the identity of an email sender just because someone doesn't like the content of the message - or does the sender have a right to privacy? The answers to the first two questions probably impact the last one - though, the lawyers are likely to argue with that. The last question, if you listen to the entertainment industry these days, is already answered - but that might get a little murkier when people realize that just about anyone can try to get the identity of anyone else sending emails. It's easy to say that the right to privacy online ends when you break the law, but it's not always such a clear cut case.

UK wide open to identity theft

UK wide open to identity theft 03/25/2005 04:56 PM

Avoid "Brokerage Identity Theft"

Avoid "Brokerage Identity Theft" 02/11/2004 08:03 AM
Identity theft doesn't just happen to individuals. Even brokerages can be victims.

Identity Theft Victim Is Prosecutor (AP)

Identity Theft Victim Is Prosecutor (AP) 06/25/2004 07:10 AM
AP - If you're going to steal someone's identity to draw from their bank account, you might as well go for someone with a good job.

Identity Theft Resources Center

Identity Theft Resources Center 05/10/2004 05:49 AM
Identity Theft Resources Center
http://www.idtheftcent er.org/local.shtml

Identity Theft Resources Center is a private non-profit site which provides information and resources for "consumers, victims, law enforcement, the business and financial sectors, legislators, media and governmental agencies" concerning the crime of identity theft. Information available includes forms and procedures for victims, prevention tips, laws and publications. This has been added to Internet Hoaxes Subject Tracer Information Blog.

The growing problem of identity theft

The growing problem of identity theft 12/04/2003 06:06 AM
Europe catching up with USA

Surf and turf and identity theft

Surf and turf and identity theft 04/06/2005 06:23 PM
globetechnology.com Apr 6 2005 9:57PM GMT

Identity Theft Victim Gets Last Laugh

Identity Theft Victim Gets Last Laugh 03/25/2005 09:35 PM

Congress Renews Interest in Identity
Theft (AP)

Congress Renews Interest in Identity
Theft (AP) 04/15/2005 09:27 AM
AP - Responding to outrage from consumers whose personal information has been stolen from companies, Congress is primed to pass new laws to try to prevent break-ins and to require businesses to confess to customers when private data is taken.
Grok Description matches for Identity Theft, Internet Fraud Reports Up in U.S. (Reuters)
GrokA matches for Identity Theft, Internet Fraud Reports Up in U.S. (Reuters)

Some NorVergence Victims Get Out Of Scam
Leases

Some NorVergence Victims Get Out Of Scam
Leases 12/27/2004 04:42 AM
Back in September we wrote about the NorVergence scam. Basically, the company was selling some telco equipment that was available on eBay for about $300, renaming it "the Matrix," sending fast talking sales people in to small, non-tech savvy businesses, and promising that the box could provide "unlimited broadband, landline and cell phone service with no per-minute charges." The details, of course, proved this wasn't quite true. Also, instead of just selling the boxes, they would lease them for upwards of $300/month for five year leases. Then, to make the scam even better, they sold off those leases to a variety of financial institutions, cashing out right away. The company then proceeded to shut down, making the boxes completely useless -- but the banks who had bought the leases didn't care at all and still expected their money. Thus, they started sending threatening legal letters to those people who weren't paying -- even though none of the "buyers" were actually receiving service. NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has now convinced the banks to forgive the leases for NY companies that had been scammed, though there are still plenty of others. Of course, the real issue is that both the financial institutions and the end-customers were scammed -- and the NorVergence executives went off to start another company accused of bilking investors out of millions before shutting down.

Vodafone in fresh Mannesmann row

Vodafone in fresh Mannesmann row 06/08/2004 07:41 AM
An attempt by Vodafone to reduce its German tax bill reignites controversy over the firm's takeover of Mannesmann.

Deutsche Telekom to buy Polish telecoms
operator PTC (AFP)

Deutsche Telekom to buy Polish telecoms
operator PTC (AFP) 09/01/2004 08:15 AM
AFP - German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom has agreed with French firm Vivendi Universal and Polish energy group Elektrim to buy Poland's biggest mobile phone group PTC.

St. Louis Telecom, LLC helps Norvergence
customers transition to new provider

St. Louis Telecom, LLC helps Norvergence
customers transition to new provider 07/27/2004 02:11 AM
St. Louis Telecom, LLC offers help to Norvergence customers by offering multiple quotes for their services; representing all national carriers. [PRWEB Jul 27, 2004]

Deutsche Telekom again eyeing Polish
telecoms operator PTC: report (AFP)

Deutsche Telekom again eyeing Polish
telecoms operator PTC: report (AFP) 06/17/2004 05:10 AM
AFP - German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom is again in negotiations with French firm Vivendi Universal and Polish energy group Elektrim to buy Poland's biggest mobile phone group PTC, the Financial Times Deutschland reported.

Hole in Deutsche Telecom Passport system
exposes 120,000

Hole in Deutsche Telecom Passport system
exposes 120,000 07/30/2004 03:08 AM
Temporarily closed

Vodafone live! goes 3G in Germany,
Portugal

Vodafone live! goes 3G in Germany,
Portugal 05/04/2004 04:45 PM
infoSync May 4 2004 7:53PM GMT

Vodafone Germany kicks off 3G roaming

Vodafone Germany kicks off 3G roaming 05/03/2004 12:22 PM
infoSync May 3 2004 3:39PM GMT

Quite The Telecom Equipment Scam

Quite The Telecom Equipment Scam 09/03/2004 07:53 PM
Broadband Reports point us to a Forbes story concerning the huge telecom equipment scam operation called Norvergence. The company was apparently selling $2,000 router/firewall boxes (that were available for $300 on eBay) by calling it "The Matrix: a merged access transport intelligent exchange." They then targeted small, non-tech-savvy businesses with fast talking salespeople promising "unlimited broadband, landline and cell phone service with no per-minute charges." Even better, they weren't actually selling them, but "leasing" them at $300/month for a minimum five year lease. Then, to make matters even more ridiculous Norvergence sold those leases to leasing and banking companies. Norvergence got all the cash ($143 million in 2003) and ran, while everyone else got screwed. Meanwhile, the founders of Norvergence have already bankrupted another telecom startup, leaving creditors in the hole by nearly $70 million, and are already hard at work on yet another telecom startup. Why not? It seems to pay so well. Is there any possible reason these guys haven't been arrested yet?

Vodafone launches consumer 3G in
Germany, Portugal

Vodafone launches consumer 3G in
Germany, Portugal 05/04/2004 07:52 AM
DMeurope.com May 4 2004 12:06PM GMT

Vodafone Launches Phoneless 3G in
Germany, Italy

Vodafone Launches Phoneless 3G in
Germany, Italy 12/09/2003 02:35 PM
Boston Globe Dec 9 2003 12:38PM ET

Google Wins Lawsuit In Germany Over
Trademarked Terms

Google Wins Lawsuit In Germany Over
Trademarked Terms 09/21/2004 12:29 PM
While the courts in the US still seem to be a bit confused over the purpose of trademarks in lawsu its against Google concerning advertising based on trademarked keywords, it looks like the German courts may have a clearer picture. A similar lawsuit brought against Google in Germany has been dismissed, though details are not given. Again, the purpose of a trademark is to avoid confusion for the customer. That is, it's designed to protect another company from misleading someone into believing they're a different (usually more popular) company. However, advertising somewhere where people are looking for a particular brand is simply good marketing, not trademark infringement. Just go into your local supermarket, and look at all the similar products stacked near each other, the aisle coupons for other products, and the receipt coupons advertising competing products after you pay. There's no confusion over brands -- it's just advertising.

Vodafone launches 3G mobile services in
Germany, Portugal (AFP)

Vodafone launches 3G mobile services in
Germany, Portugal (AFP) 05/04/2004 05:10 AM
AFP - British mobile telephone giant Vodafone announced the launch of third generation (3G) cellphone services in Germany and Portugal, in a low-key roll-out of the long-awaited technology.

Vodafone launches 3G mobile services in
Germany, Portugal

Vodafone launches 3G mobile services in
Germany, Portugal 05/04/2004 06:25 AM
AFP via Yahoo! May 4 2004 10:14AM GMT

Vodafone snaps up Generation Telecom

Vodafone snaps up Generation Telecom 01/19/2004 12:53 PM
Direct touch

Stock lawsuit possible in telecom merger
plan (USATODAY.com)

Stock lawsuit possible in telecom merger
plan (USATODAY.com) 08/17/2004 09:17 AM
USATODAY.com - Former MediaOne Group executives are exploring a class-action lawsuit over Cingular's insistence that AT&T Wireless stock options, issued by the millions to employees and former employees of MediaOne, AT&T and AT&T Wireless, be exercised as soon as the merger closes, people involved in the effort say.

Manitoba Telecom posts $6.7M loss in Q2
after settling Bell lawsuit

Manitoba Telecom posts $6.7M loss in Q2
after settling Bell lawsuit 08/14/2004 01:31 PM
Canadian Press Aug 14 2004 4:14PM GMT

Level 3, France Telecom Pen North
America Pact

Level 3, France Telecom Pen North
America Pact 12/28/2004 12:49 PM
Internet News Dec 28 2004 5:02PM GMT

Alpha Telecom, the leading player in the
UK prepaid telephony market, has
migrated its prepaid services to the
AutoCarrier® technology of European
Computer Telecoms (ECT)

Alpha Telecom, the leading player in the
UK prepaid telephony market, has
migrated its prepaid services to the
AutoCarrier® technology of European
Computer Telecoms (ECT) 08/29/2004 03:57 AM
Alpha Telecom has replaced its legacy prepaid calling card systems with ECT’s AutoCarrier® softswitch which it now uses as the basis for numerous prepaid services. [PRWEB Aug 29, 2004]

SR Telecom wins contract in Latin
America, first phase worth $35 million

SR Telecom wins contract in Latin
America, first phase worth $35 million 05/10/2004 11:39 AM
National Post May 10 2004 3:31PM GMT

While most telecom markets in Latin
America are both privatised and
deregulated, liberalisation has mostly
advantaged the mobile sector

While most telecom markets in Latin
America are both privatised and
deregulated, liberalisation has mostly
advantaged the mobile sector 07/21/2004 02:32 AM
Research and Markets are delighted to announce the addition of 2004 Latin America - Fixed Voice, Infrastructure and Data Markets to their offering [PRWEB Jul 21, 2004]

Mannesmann six walk free

Mannesmann six walk free 07/22/2004 11:28 AM
Silicon.com Jul 22 2004 3:54PM GMT

Help For Norvergence Customers

Help For Norvergence Customers 07/23/2004 08:13 PM
Non-commercial Forum Offers help for Norvergence Customers. [PRWEB Jul 19, 2004]

Mannesmann bosses' trial begins

Mannesmann bosses' trial begins 01/22/2004 03:12 AM
Six executives from the German mobile giant are on trial for approving huge bonuses to bosses after the merger with Vodafone.

Mannesmann boss defends payouts

Mannesmann boss defends payouts 01/22/2004 02:09 PM
Former Mannesmann chief executive Klaus Esser puts up a strong defence as the trial into excessive payoffs at the company begins in Germany.

Help Has Arrived For Norvergence
Customers!

Help Has Arrived For Norvergence
Customers! 07/17/2004 03:15 AM
www.SaveOnCommunications.com offers a helping hand to Norvergence customers. [PRWEB Jul 17, 2004]

NorVergence Customer Help During
Bankruptcy

NorVergence Customer Help During
Bankruptcy 07/21/2004 02:32 AM
BroadBandUniverse.net a unbiased Telecommunication Service Web Portal announced today that it has set up a help a toll free help line and customer request form for NorVergence customers to request new service information to replace their cut-off or soon to be disconnected NorVergence service. http://www.broadbanduniverse.net/NorVergence-Help.html [PRWEB Jul 21, 2004]

Mannesmann Merger Trial Approaches
Closing (AP)

Mannesmann Merger Trial Approaches
Closing (AP) 06/09/2004 04:04 PM
AP - A German court said Wednesday that closing arguments in the trial of Germany's leading banker and five others over payments in Vodafone's 2000 takeover of cell phone company Mannesmann will start June 24, sending the high-profile trial into its final phase.

A.G. Telecomm offers help for
Norvergence customers.

A.G. Telecomm offers help for
Norvergence customers. 07/14/2004 03:35 AM
A.G. Telecomm offer reduced installation rates and short installation times for customer of Norvergence [PRWEB Jul 14, 2004]

Vodafone K.K. Releases Vodafone 902SH 3G
Mobile Phone from Sharp

Vodafone K.K. Releases Vodafone 902SH 3G
Mobile Phone from Sharp 12/29/2004 02:00 PM
SlashPhone Dec 29 2004 4:22PM GMT

Identity Theft, Internet Fraud Reports Up in U.S. (Reuters)

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: creditguard of america complaints mannesmann scam -deutsche -germany* -vodafone -telecom -telecoms -ceo norvergence lawsuit