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On Monday two women from Fort Pierce were arrested for committing 300 different cases of Identity theft on the Treasure Coast and South Florida. The two women go by the names of Tychell Letrein Robinson, 33 and Patrice V. Johnson, 26. According to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2007 Florida took fifth place in nation with regards to the number of ID theft victims per 100,000 residents. The FTC also estimated that about 9 million Americans have their identities stolen every year. The Fort Pierce Police Department, the Port St. Lucie Police Department, the Sheriff's Office as well as the U.S. Postal Service worked together in a two year investigation in order to track down these two criminals. Law enforcement agencies discovered that the arrested had somehow managed to steal the personal information of several victims and open new accounts in their names. Authorities believe that the women bought a lot of their identifying information from accomplices. In a news conference on Monday afternoon, Sheriff Ken Mascara mentioned that criminal circles were well aware that the arrested would pay accomplices $50 in exchange for peoples sensitive information. Authorities discovered that the two women met while they were both under the employment of Liberty Medical. Apparently Robinson headed the criminal operation and taught Johnson all she needed to know with regards to making thousands of dollars every week through identity theft. The arrested managed to target victims in Florida from Orlando to Clearwater and even Palm Beach. The majority of victims were from St. Lucie County and the Treasure Coast. Unfortunately it is still not clear to law enforcements exactly how the women obtained all the stolen information. police.jpg It was in the early hours of Monday morning that the police arrived at the homes of the arrested with search warrants. Two vehicles, six computers and ledgers filled with victims sensitive information were confiscated by authorities, and the women w

Why employers should actually perform background checks.

A former Texas lottery worker was arrested while training for a new job Tuesday - his fourth with the state - and charged with illegally "possessing" personal information on 140 lottery winners and employees, including their names and Social Security numbers. Joseph Mueggenborg was still working for the Lottery Commission in 2007 when he allegedly took the information, which was discovered last year on a state computer at the Comptroller of Public Accounts where he later was employed. He was fired and the information was turned over to criminal investigators. When arrested Tuesday, however, the computer analyst was training for yet another job, at the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Travis County prosecutor Jason English said it was "concerning" that the man was still working for the state after being fired by the comptroller. Susan Stanford, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, said the department was unaware Mueggenborg had been fired and was under investigation when he was hired as a systems analyst three weeks ago. He was receiving job-related training at the time of his arrest, she said. The department has secured Mueggenborg's computer and begun a forensic study.

For the second time in the same case, law enforcement in Denver turned away a key component in hundreds of instances of identity theft. The first time, it was a box full of stolen documents found in a storage unit, turned away by a Denver Police officer. This time, it was the main suspect, turned away by the Denver Sheriff's Department. The Denver Sheriff's Department admits the man believed to be at the center of an identity theft operation, 46-year-old Paul Simmons, tried to turn himself in at the Denver City Jail 16 hours before police arrested him. A warrant had been issued for his arrest and was entered into the system at 10:15 a.m, according to Sonny Jackson, Denver Police Spokesman. Sheriff's spokesperson Capt. Frank Gale told 9Wants to Know Tuesday that Simmons walked into the Denver City Jail around 8 p.m. Monday night. The Denver Sheriff's Department runs the city jail. It is not staffed by the Denver Police Department. Gale says Simmons told a sheriff's deputy he had received a call from an investigator with Denver Police saying he was wanted for questioning in connection with the identity theft case featured on 9NEWS. Gale says the sheriff's deputy then told Simmons there was not a record of him being wanted in the computer, but sent Simmons to check in with the Denver Police Department housed in a separate building across the courtyard at 1331 Cherokee St. Gale said the deputy did not know if Simmons ever made it to the Denver Police building. Denver Police spokesperson Sonny Jackson said Simmons never did. "We really wish he would have taken the 50 steps across the courtyard and talked to us, that would have saved us a lot of time today." Jackson said. "If he [Simmons] really wanted to turn himself in we would have been more than happy to take him into custody."

With all the attention Google StreetView's clash with a baby deer evoked, it can be easy to overlook the tool's crime-fighting good side. Not too long ago, StreetView was instrumental in returning a kidnapped Massachusetts girl safely to her home, and just recently, it helped a Swiss police team detect a 1.2-acre marijuana field and nab the gang responsible. As with all things Google, you have to take the bad with the good. And the good can be pretty good, as reported in the Worcester Telegram. When 9-year-old Natalie Maltais was kidnapped by her grandmother and taken to a motel in rural Virginia, Athol police were able to track her down using her cellphone and Google StreetView. The cellphone's GPS data focused on a 300-foot area in Natural Bridge, Va. Using StreetView, the Worcester cops plugged in the coordinates of the area, navigated around a bit and saw a nearby motel that looked promising. When they sent Virginia police to the site, they found the grandmother along with the girl, and returned her safely to her legal guardians. A happy ending. Similarly, the AP yesterday reported that Swiss police used Google Earth to discover the pot field and make several arrests. While working the case, the police used Google Earth to zero in on a suspect's residence, only to stumble upon the field. Although it had been camouflaged by corn planted all along its perimeter, the weed field couldn't hide from Google's Earth's piercing satellite gaze. The find led to the arrest of 16 suspects who have allegedly sold up to 7 tons of hashish and marijuana, with an annual turnover of 3 million to 10 million francs (or $2.5 million to $8.64 million) per year. So yes, while Google can be insensitive at times, especially when it comes to images uploaded by StreetView, it's also a proven force for good in the world. In other words, a tool is only as good (or bad) as the person using it. Google doesn't kill Bambis, people do.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico-An identity-theft ring that catered to illegal immigrants seeking to establish themselves in the U.S. stole the personal data of 7,000 public school children in Puerto Rico, officials said Tuesday. Members of the ring broke into about 50 schools across the U.S. island territory over the past two years to steal birth certificates and Social Security numbers to sell to the illegal immigrants, the FBI and other agencies announced at a news conference. The victims were largely unaware their information had been stolen-and likely would not have learned of the thefts until they became adults and tried to buy something on credit, said assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Diaz Rex. "A kid is going to have a perfect credit history," Diaz said. "They reach 18, 20 years of age. They go buy a car and their credit is damaged." The authorities did not disclose how they uncovered the ring but said seven people have been arrested and one more is being sought. At least some of them were illegal immigrants from the Dominican Republic. Investigators determined the birth certificates and Social Security numbers were sold as a package in a number of states including Texas, Alaska and California, for up to $250, authorities said. Two suspects are accused of possessing nearly 6,000 birth certificates and Social Security cards. One was accused of intending to sell 40 Social Security cards for nearly $3,000, while another was seeking the same amount for 12 cards. The suspects in custody were being held on charges that include aggravated identity theft and social security fraud and face up to 15 years in prison, said U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez. One suspect had been previously arrested for the kidnapping of a Dominican man last year that led to the shooting of a police officer during an FBI raid, said Luis Fraticelli, special FBI agent in charge of Puerto Rico. It is unclear if other members of the ring are at large, and whether they received help from sch

Some American Express card members' accounts may have been compromised by an employee's recent theft of data, the company said Thursday. American Express Co. spokeswoman Susan Korchak said a "relatively small portion" of card members was involved, but declined to be more specific. The former employee has been arrested and the company is investigating how the data was obtained, she said. The company is in the process of notifying affected card members by letter. In one such letter sent last week, American Express Privacy Officer Alfred Silipigni said he was informing the member of "an unfortunate issue" concerning his card. "We recently learned that certain account data was acquired without authorization by an employee who is no longer with the company," he wrote. "The former employee has been arrested, and we are cooperating with law enforcement authorities with their ongoing investigation." American Express declined to disclose any more details about the incident beyond what was in the letter. The company has put additional fraud monitoring and protection controls on the accounts at issue, Korchak said. American Express has about 39 million corporate, small business and consumer cards in force in the United States.

The loss of personally identifiable information, such as an individual's Social Security number, name, and date of birth can result in serious harm, including identity theft. Identity theft is a serious crime that impacts millions of individuals each year. Identity theft occurs when such information is used without authorization to commit fraud or other crimes. While progress has been made protecting personally identifiable information in the public and private sectors, challenges remain. GAO was asked to testify on how the loss of personally identifiable information contributes to identity theft. This testimony summarizes (1) the problem of identity theft; (2) steps taken at the federal, state, and local level to prevent potential identity theft; and (3) vulnerabilities that remain to protecting personally identifiable information, including in federal information systems. For this testimony, GAO relied primarily on information from prior reports and testimonies that address public and private sector use of personally identifiable information, as well as federal, state, and local efforts to protect the security of such information. GAO and agency inspectors general have made numerous recommendations to agencies to resolve prior significant information control deficiencies and information security program shortfalls. The effective implementation of these recommendations will continue to strengthen the security posture at these agencies. Identity theft is a serious problem because, among other things, it can take a long period of time before a victim becomes aware that the crime has taken place and thus can cause substantial harm to the victim's credit rating. Moreover, while some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others face substantial costs and inconvenience repairing damage to their credit records. Some individuals have lost job opportunities, been refused loans, or even been arrested for crimes they did not commit as a result of identit

The loss of personally identifiable information, such as an individual's Social Security number, name, and date of birth can result in serious harm, including identity theft. Identity theft is a serious crime that impacts millions of individuals each year. Identity theft occurs when such information is used without authorization to commit fraud or other crimes. While progress has been made protecting personally identifiable information in the public and private sectors, challenges remain. GAO was asked to testify on how the loss of personally identifiable information contributes to identity theft. This testimony summarizes (1) the problem of identity theft; (2) steps taken at the federal, state, and local level to prevent potential identity theft; and (3) vulnerabilities that remain to protecting personally identifiable information, including in federal information systems. For this testimony, GAO relied primarily on information from prior reports and testimonies that address public and private sector use of personally identifiable information, as well as federal, state, and local efforts to protect the security of such information. GAO and agency inspectors general have made numerous recommendations to agencies to resolve prior significant information control deficiencies and information security program shortfalls. The effective implementation of these recommendations will continue to strengthen the security posture at these agencies. Identity theft is a serious problem because, among other things, it can take a long period of time before a victim becomes aware that the crime has taken place and thus can cause substantial harm to the victim's credit rating. Moreover, while some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others face substantial costs and inconvenience repairing damage to their credit records. Some individuals have lost job opportunities, been refused loans, or even been arrested for crimes they did not commit as a result of identit

Identity thieves using the names and Social Security numbers of Irving Independent School District employees have made thousands of dollars in purchases, school officials say. One woman has been accused of fraudulent use or possession of identifying information and two charges of credit card abuse. A second person linked to the theft case has been arrested but no charges have yet been filed in the Irving case, authorities said. At least 64 of the 3,400 teachers and other employees whose names were on the old benefits report that somehow ended up in the trash have said they are identity theft victims. The school district mailed letters to current and former employees about the breach, but 472 of the letters were returned as undeliverable. Pat Lamb, district security director, said in a story for Sunday's online edition of The Dallas Morning News that the employees at risk of being on the list worked for the district in the 2000-01 school year and had payroll deductions for benefits. "We still do not know how our records were compromised," Lamb said. "We don't know if somebody was supposed to shred that information, but it ended up in a Dumpster." Lamb said his name was among those on the report, which was generated in 2000. Cynthia Will, a former teacher, pleaded for help from the school board last week. More than $25,000 was charged in her name, including a $4,000 diamond ring, the newspaper reported. "It was stunning the damage that was done in just seven days," she told the board. Will has to carry an affidavit stating that she is an identity theft victim and if there are warrants on her old driver's license number that they are not for her. Dawn Bizzell, who has taught in the district since 1996, said district officials acted too slowly. An employee advisory wasn't posted until Jan. 26. Bizzell said she learned she was an identity theft victim on Nov. 28 and police told her of the district connection on Dec. 3.

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U.S. law enforcement officials have expanded their DNA databases to include not only those convicted, but also those arrested but not yet tried. The New York Times reported Saturday the practice has drawn criticism from people who say offenders are presumed innocent. The newspaper said starting this month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will join 15 states that collect DNA samples from those awaiting trial and will also collect DNA from detained immigrants. The FBI, which already has a DNA database of 6.7 million profiles, expects to add 1.2 million new entries by 2012. "DNA databases were built initially to deal with violent sexual crimes and homicides -- a very limited number of crimes," said Harry Levine, a professor of sociology at City University of New York. "Over time more and more crimes of decreasing severity have been added to the database. Cops and prosecutors like it because it gives everybody more information and creates a new suspect pool." Courts have generally upheld laws authorizing DNA collection from convicts and ex-convicts under supervised release, finding that criminal acts diminish privacy rights.

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Heartland Payment Systems Inc., which announced a breach of potentially millions of credit and debit cards last month, said it plans to vigorously defend itself against lawsuits filed as a result of the data breach. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Heartland Chairman and CEO Robert Carr acknowledged the claims that cardholders, card issuers, the credit card brands, regulators, and others have asserted, or may assert, against the payment processor as a result of the breach and the impact it could have on the business. Several class action lawsuits have been filed against Heartland, claiming that the payment processor issued belated and inaccurate statements when it announced a security breach of its systems. Carr He said the company could not "reasonably estimate the potential impact of the breach on the day-to-day operations" of the business. "We intend to vigorously defend any such claims and we believe we have meritorious defenses to those claims that have been asserted to date," Carr said. "At this time we do not have information that would enable us to reasonably estimate the amount of losses we might incur in connection with such claims." The Princeton, N.J.-based payment processor announced Jan. 20 that its systems were breached last year when intruders installed malware to pilfer data crossing the company's network. Since then, Sherriff's authorities in Tallahassee, Fla. arrested three suspects for using stolen credit card numbers to make purchases at local Wal-Mart stores. The credit card numbers used by the trio were allegedly stolen from the Heartland processing center in New Jersey. Carr said the company's sales force was doing well despite the obvious challenges caused by the combination of the downturn in the economy and the data security breach. The payment processor's current customer base has responded positively, he said. "In the weeks since our announcement of the breach, we have installed more margin, and have a bit

Kaiser Permanente says that the personal information of 29,500 employees in Northern California may have been exposed in a security breach. "A handful" of employees have reported identify theft, the Oakland, Calif.-based managed-care giant said. Police in San Ramon, Calif., seized a computer file containing the employee information from a suspect who was arrested. The suspect was not a Kaiser Permanente employee, and officials declined to provide further details. The file contained the names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers and dates of birth of the Kaiser workers. No health plan member information or personal health information was involved in the data breach, according to Kaiser officials. "We regret that this unfortunate incident occurred, and we understand the anxiety and worry that some employees may feel," said Gay Westfall, senior vice president for human resources at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Northern California, in a written statement. Kaiser is providing one year of free credit-monitoring to workers whose information was in the file.

At first glance, Chicago's latest crime-fighting strategy seems to be plucked from a Hollywood screenplay. Someone sees a thief dipping into a Salvation Army kettle in a crowd of shoppers on State Street and dials 911 from a cellphone. Within seconds, a video image of the caller's location is beamed onto a dispatcher's computer screen. An officer arrives and by police radio is directed to the suspect, whose description and precise location are conveyed by the dispatcher watching the video, leading to a quick arrest. That chain of events actually happened in the Loop in December, said Ray Orozco, the executive director of the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. "We can now immediately take a look at the crime scene if the 911 caller is in a location within 150 feet of one of our surveillance cameras, even before the first responders arrive," Mr. Orozco said. The technology, a computer-aided dispatch system, was paid for with a $6 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security. It has been in use since a trial run in December. "One of the best tools any big city can have is visual indicators like cameras, which can help save lives," Mr. Orozco said. In addition to the city's camera network, Mr. Orozco said, the new system can also connect to cameras at private sites like tourist attractions, office buildings and university campuses. Twenty private companies have agreed to take part in the program, a spokeswoman for Mr. Orozco said, and 17 more are expected to be added soon. Citing security concerns, the city would not say how many cameras were in the system. Mayor Richard M. Daley said this week that the integrated camera network would enhance regional security as well as fight street crime. Still, opponents of Mr. Daley's use of public surveillance cameras described the new system as a potential Big Brother intrusion on privacy rights. "If a 911 caller reports that someone left a backpack on the sidewalk, wil

A Port Washington medical practice was defrauded of nearly $250,000 by a former employee who for four years paid her credit card bills with automatic debits from a doctor's checking account, Nassau police said. Debra Camilo, 42, of 110 Malba Dr., Whitestone, began the transfers in the spring of 2004 and even though she was fired a year later -- for reasons unrelated to the fraud -- she continued until July 2008, police said. All told, the former office manager made more than 80 unauthorized debit transfers to her Visa credit card amounting to $241,341, police said. Crimes against property bureau detectives arrested Camilo Thursday afternoon in Manhasset and charged her with grand larceny, identity theft and fraud. She was scheduled for arraignment Friday in First District Court, Hempstead.

Bank of America will pay Connecticut $350,000 as part of a settlement for a data breach by Countrywide Financial Corp., which the bank acquired last year, state officials said Thursday. The bank will also provide at least $25,000 to reimburse Connecticut residents forced to pay for freezing and unfreezing their credit reports because of the breach, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said. The major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, charge about $10 to freeze and unfreeze credit reports. Affected consumers will receive about $60 for credit freezes and unfreezes for all three credit bureaus, Blumenthal said. Nearly 30,000 state residents were affected by the nationwide breach, which came to light last August after the FBI arrested a former Countrywide employee on charges of selling personal information, including Social Security numbers, for as many as 2 million loan applicants. To be reimbursed, consumers must send proof of payment for their credit freezes and unfreezes to Blumenthal's office, 110 Sherman St., Hartford, CT 06105, attn: Countrywide Credit Freeze.

Government Information Security Podcasts Credit Eligible As a GovInfoSecurity.com annual member, this content can be used toward your membership credits and transcript tracking. Click For More Info Lessons Learned from TJX: Eric Fiterman, Cyber Crime Expert August 13, 2008 Interview with Cyber Crime Expert Eric Fiterman In the wake of the arrests of 11 hackers tied to the TJX data breach, security experts everywhere are warning of bigger, bolder threats to come. So, what should banking institutions have learned from TJX-style breaches, and what can they do now to protect their customers and critical financial/informational assets? In this interview, former FBI agent Eric Fiterman, founder of Methodvue, offers: Insights on the TJX and other breach investigations; How banking institutions can better protect their assets; The types of crimes institutions need to look out for in the months ahead.

A former IT analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and his brother were arrested Friday on charges that they took out loans using stolen information, including sensitive information belonging to federal employees at the bank. Prosecutors allege that Curtis Wiltshire, 34, took out student loans totalling US$73,000 using the stolen information. His brother, Kenneth Wiltshire, 40, is charged with using the identities of two federal employees to try and obtain a loan for a 2006 Sea Ray 340 Sundancer speedboat. The charges (pdf) come two months after federal investigators found two 2006 student loan applications on a thumb drive attached to the work computer of Curtis Wiltshire, who had worked at the Reserve Bank for nearly eight years as an information and technical analyst. According to court documents, that investigation was unrelated to the fraud charges. Wiltshire was dismissed soon after the drive was found on around Feb. 15, prosecutors said. The charges were filed in the federal court in Manhattan. The two men could not be reached for comment Friday and the names of their lawyers were not included in the court documents. Curtis Wiltshire had "access to computer files containing information about employees of the [federal bank], including their names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and photographs," U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Cordel James said in an affidavit filed in the case. Curtis Wiltshire was charged with bank fraud and identity theft and faces more than 30 years in prison if convicted. His brother was charged with mail fraud and identity theft and faces a maximum of 22 years in prison.

Consumers and companies are vulnerable to hackers and identity thieves even after U.S. authorities arrested a man they said was a master hacker who stole 170 million credit and debit card numbers. Estimates on the total financial impact of breaches vary, but a study by Forrester Research put the cost at $90 to $305 per compromised record when considering the cost of upgrades, notifying customers and legal and marketing expenses. "Under our banking laws, it's the financial institutions that will be stuck paying for fraudulent use of credit cards. We have the consumers responsible for $50 and the rest winds up on the card issuer," said Joel Reidenberg, a professor at Fordham Law School who teaches privacy law. Banks in turn pass along costs to retailers as fines and fees. On Monday, three men were indicted on charges of stealing more than 130 million credit and debit card numbers in what U.S. authorities said they believed was the largest hacking and identify theft case ever prosecuted in the United States

A former Goldman Sachs computer programer accused of stealing secret trading codes from the investment bank was being held in federal custody on Monday, pending the posting of $750,000 bail. Sergey Aleynikov, 39, was ordered by U.S. Magistrate Kevin Nathaniel Fox in Manhattan on Saturday to post a $750,000 personal recognizance bond to be secured by three financially responsible people, according to court documents. The bond also was to include $75,000 in cash, and Aleynikov was ordered to surrender his passport and not to access the computer data at issue in the case. A preliminary hearing in his case was scheduled for August 3. Aleynikov, a Russian immigrant living in New Jersey, was arrested on Friday night by FBI agents as he got off a flight at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to court documents. He is accused of "theft of trade secrets" related to computer codes used for sophisticated automated stock and commodities trading at an unspecified, New York-based financial institution, according to the court affidavit filed by FBI special agent Michael McSwain. Sources familiar with the situation have told Reuters columnist Matthew Goldstein that the financial institution is Goldman Sachs. A Goldman representative declined to comment on Monday. A lawyer for Aleynikov, Sabrina Shroff, also declined to comment.