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New Credit Card Theft Information

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/article/banking-group-warns-consumers-major-data-breach_523305_19.html

Details are just coming in stand by.....

Busted - 5.7 Million Dollars Worth of High Tech Gear

If you are a victim of this crime, or a similar crime, contact the FBI as indicated in the URL below!!!

Here's a pretty sure fire way to end up in jail.....

This guy somehow
- got valid serial numbers for Cisco equipment that he did not own
- bought a contract for that equipment
- claimed the equipment failed
- (This part is assumed) Cisco likely shipped him the replacement equipment with a legal notice that he had to return the failed equipment
- he turned around and sold the new equipment on E-Bay walkinf away with the cash

Cisco, and whoever bought the equipment off of ebay, is victimized, and the guy tries to walk with 5.7 million dollars. No mention of identity theft or redirect funds etc....but it's a good bet if this went on for a while that some of these tricks were used.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/22850?ts0hb=&story=htbox

TJMAX Settle's ID Theft Case

I brought up the TJ Max ID theft in a post in March 30th. Today they have settled with banks for 41 Million dollars!!!! This case should be used as a benchmark for retailers who put little or no thought into how well they protect their customers financial and personal information.

http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=140563&WT.svl=news1_5

The New Bonnie and Cylde - right

Ever wonder who is capable of identity theft. Some shadowy figure sitting in a dark dank Romanian basement, accessing Internet servers that have received stolen ID's from botnets?

Here's a new twist. How about your next door neighbors who looks like they should be posing in magazines!!!

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3968349&page=1

Old Scam Resurfaces - Jury Duty ID Theft

Be careful of this one. This is a phone scam where callers pretend to be officers of the court, they say you missed jury duty and then start asking for personal information so they can clear things up and keep you from getting arrested. Result - your ID is stolen.

Your response should be to hang up and contact the courts yourself. Also let the court know of the attempt to steal your ID and they will give you guidance on how to report the incident.

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm

Biggest Identity Theft Ever!!!

It happens folks. TJ Max reported the largest identity theft ever. If you are a customer keep a very close eye on any account or credit card that may be exploited.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Identity-Theft-Problems-for-TJ-Max-and-Marshalls-Customers&id=431633

A new HIGH for LOWS for Internet Crime

One of the first reported extortion attemps for the internet in 2007 involves sending life threatening emails and demanding money. Another reason to give thanks for IC3.gov. BTW I am not associated with IC3 in anyway, but it seems all significant fraud related information seems to have them as a source or a stop point. My hats are off to these folks.

http://www.ic3.gov/media/2007/070109.htm

UCLA Fraud Alert

Internet based fraud is alive and well. If you are affiliated with, or have provided any financial information to the University of California Los Angeles, you need to take a look at the following URL. Hackers were able to gain access and steal financial information of up to 20,000 individuals. If you think you may be victim of this fraud you should contact http://www.identityalert.ucla.edu/

Huge kudos go out to UCLA for making this breach public and making people aware that their information may have been stolen.

Internet Fraud Is a Crime - Report It!!!

It seems to be human nature that if we are defrauded in some way or another and the damage incurred by the fraud is not extensive, we just tend to let it go. I completely understand this and have to admit that I have been guilty of it from time to time. But after speaking with authorities, such as law enforcement agencies, and Internet Fraud Attorneys that enforce Internet fraud laws, I have completely changed my mind set.

There are thousands of people that are committing fraud of one sort or another on the Internet. Every year hundreds of these people walk because of technicalities or evidence against them that is insufficient. If there were more reports and more evidence against these criminals, many of them would not be walking free to victimized other people such as yourself. It's up to all of us to protect our families financial security from these individuals.

If you believe you are a victim of Internet fraud or any Internet crime, contact your local law enforcement agency to see how they recommend moving forward with a complaint. At the very least use the Web services of the FBI and the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

http://www.ic3.gov/

How common is Internet Fraud?

It's always hard to sort through FUD and reality when it comes to Internet Fraud and Internet Security issues. The following article at CBS News seems like a preety realistic source since the information comes from the FBI and directly quotes losses and different fraudlent activity.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/16/national/main554237.shtml

Bottom, line is Internet fraud is real and that you as a a consumer need to be smart. It's not difficult to check something out on the web before you buy it. Take the following steps before you purchase anything from the web. And remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is...Yep I'm quoting my dad again.

This and more advice can be found on the www.fraud.org website.

-Don’t shop online while using an unencrypted or open wireless network. Hackers and thieves can use your open/unencrypted or a store’s wireless network to break into your computer and capture your financial information.
-Secure your computer before shopping online. Before connecting to the Internet or shopping online, take the following three core protections: 1) Install anti-virus and anti-spyware programs and keep them up to date; 2) Install a firewall; 3) Regularly update operating software.
-Know who you’re dealing with. Before shopping online with an unknown e-store, check out the seller and be sure to get the name and physical address of the seller in case something goes wrong. If you’re buying gifts on an online auction site, check the track record of the seller before you bid.
-Don’t give away your financial information to unsecured websites. Make sure when providing payment information, the beginning of the Web site URL address changes from http to shttp or https, indicating that the purchase is encrypted or secured.
Protect personal information with common sense and technology. Be suspicious if someone unexpectedly asks for personal information. Identity thieves send out bogus emails about problems with consumers’ accounts to lure them into divulging personal information. Consider using multi-factor authentication services when offered by online retailers as a way to secure your information.

How does the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) follow-up on complaints of Internet fraud?

The IC3 will take a very close look at each Internet Fraud complaint to gain an understanding of which federal, state, local or international law enforcement agency has jurisdiction over your compliant. Depending on the results of this review your complaints will be forwarded to one or more law enforcement agencies. These agencies will normally assign your complaint to an investigator who will contact you if further information is required or if the complaint is resolved. Be sure to include current contact information in the complaint that you file in the event that these agencies need to contact you.

Telemarketing Fraud

I came across a GREAT web site that helps you to become aware, and to defend yourself against telemarketing fraud. It's not Internet Fraud, but because it's affects many of us I felt it would appropriate to add to this site.

The web site covers more than just telemarketing fraud it is http://www.fraud.org/.

The page that caught my eye was -> http://www.fraud.org/toolbox/tools.htm#telemarketing

Are you a nice person, does that make you a target for fraud, probably? Be nice, be respectful but be smart?

An email from a reader told me a story that is to common to many in the internet fraud circles. I am going to be deliberately vague as to names and locations.

A buyer suggesting over payment on an item, with an agreement that the seller will wire them the extra cash. When it all comes down the seller gets burned and the buyer get away with the cash.

Here’s the story -

This woman used a local website similar to craiglist to sell a unique item that she wasn’t at all sure anyone would be interested in. To her surprise she got an email from someone claiming to be in New Zealand. This person wanted the $500 dollar item she was selling, but could only buy it, if she agreed to take a cashier check for more than the amount and wire the cash to the buyer. The reasoning said the buyer, was that thy could not cash the check in New Zealand. Being very nice but also cautious this woman said, “I need to check with my bank and see what they say about this”. She took the cashier check to the bank, the bank looked at it and verified it was authentic and said – yep good as gold you shouldn’t have any problems.


She cashed the check, sent the money by wire to New Zealand and everything was fine….until the check issuer cam back and said the check was no good. This woman who I know personally and is a very nice and very kind person, thought she was doing someone a very big favor. It ended up costing her $2,000 dollars to find out how slimy crooks can be on the internet. In this case the amount of damage wasn’t enough to warrant a Internet Fraud Attorney but she did report the incident to the state police who are build a case file for an ongoing Fraud Investigation related to this type of activity.


There are literally thousand of cases where crooks take advantage of kind-hearted people and rob them blind. Please continue to be kind-hearted but never fall for wiring money to anyone, don’t even start the conversation with them. Just don’t do it, at some point they are going to get the best of you and you will be the one to pay, not them.

The federal trade commission now has a website on what you need to do to protect yourself. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/overpayalrt.htm

What should you do if you think someone is stalking or exploiting a child on-line?

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has a system for identifying online predators and child pornographers and contributing to law-enforcement investigations.

It's called the CyberTipline at http://www.missingkids.com/cybertip/®.

How much will people pay to buy software that will steal your identity?

According to an article in eweek, underground auction sites are selling software that will steal identities for $1,000 to $5,000 dollars. Most experts agree that if this is the price, the bad guys are getting a good deal. Have you ever had your identity stolen. If you have you know that just the direct monetary loses realized on your credit cards can be huge. Not to mention you often need to use a service such as an Internet Fraud Attorney to recover your loses.

Learn to protect yourself using internet security best practices and advice from the FBI found in links on this site.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2073611,00.asp?kc=EWNAVEMNL121806EOAD

Welcome to the I-Fraud Blog!!!

This blog will provide centralized information on issues surrounding Internet Fraud, Computer Fraud, Internet Credit Card Fraud, and Identity Theft. Different types of fraud will be discussed and demonstrated to help educate you and protect you against these particular threats. Among the discussions well be how to respond if you have been a victim of Internet crimes. Should you get a Identity Theft Attorney, Fraud Insurance Lawyer, what is a process for Reporting Identity Theft or Internet Identity Theft. This blog will be updated every few days, if you would like to see a topic covered or especially share a story please comment on a current posting. Along with authored posts there are several links on this page that should be helpful for you to investigate fraud or find services such as Fraud Insurance or Identify Theft Attorneys.