Identity theft

January 11, 2008 -- In October 2006, the Transportation Security Administration launched a website to help travelers whose names were erroneously listed on airline watch lists. This redress website had multiple security vulnerabilities: it was not hosted on a government domain; its homepage was not encrypted; one of its data submission pages was not encrypted; and its encrypted pages were not properly certified. These deficiencies exposed thousands of American travelers to potential identity theft.    » read more »

Select Physical Therapy Texas Limited Partnership cited for exposing customers’ medical records

January 10, 2008 -- LEVELLAND – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott took legal action today against Select Physical Therapy Texas Limited Partnership and its parent company, Select Medical Corporation, for systematically exposing their customers to identity theft risk.    » read more »

January 7, 2008 -- Jefferson City, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon says some Missourians who have lost a spouse recently are getting strange phone calls asking for the Social Security number of the deceased loved one. Nixon says the calls are coming mainly to consumers in the Kansas City area, but could soon reach other parts of Missouri.    » read more »

BALTIMORE, MD (January 4, 2008) - Maryland consumers now have another line of defense in the fight against identity theft. Beginning January 1st, consumers in Maryland are now able to “freeze” their credit reports, effectively stopping identity thieves before they can cause any damage. The Maryland Security Freeze Law allows consumers to freeze their credit reports with the three major credit reporting agencies: Transunion, Experian and Equifax.    » read more »

December 19, 2007 -- TRENTON - New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced today that a Mercer County man has been charged in a state grand jury indictment for his role in an insurance fraud and identity theft scam.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Daniel L. Martin, aka Paul B. Harris, Jr., aka Preston C. Adams, aka Preston Adams, 46, Trenton, was charged with second-degree insurance fraud and three counts of second-degree identity theft.    » read more »

18 December 2007 -- British Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has admitted that a government contractor has lost personal data belonging to three million student drivers.

Kelly told parliament Monday that a private contractor reported in May that a hard drive containing the names, addresses and other details of the would-be drivers were lost in the midwestern U.S. state of Iowa. She said the disc went missing from a storage facility but did not contain bank account or credit card information.    » read more »

December 14, 2007 -- A new identity theft scheme is targeting Texans, particularly those who bank at Amarillo National Bank, a legitimate Texas financial institution. Spoof e-mails are directing Amarillo National Bank customers to call a telephone number and confirm their personal information. Customers who make the call do not actually reach their hometown banker, but instead end up on the telephone with a scam artist who wants to steal their identity.    » read more »

Dec. 12, 2007 -- Carson City, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announces a new scam to obtain personal information for the purpose of committing identify theft where callers pose as a court employee and claim they are calling in regard to jury duty.    » read more »

Credit card fraud, "phishing" and other scams often more frequent during peak of holiday shopping

December 6, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Colorado Attorney General Bill McCollum today advised Floridians to be careful when using credit and debit cards to pay for gifts during this holiday shopping season in order to avoid becoming victims of identity theft. The Attorney General also cautioned consumers about a "phishing" scam that has surfaced recently, threatening to expose consumers’ personal financial information.    » read more »

Orange County residents receive free document shredding, information on preventing identity theft

December 3, 2007 -- ORLANDO, FL – Orlando residents were today provided with a proactive opportunity to combat identity theft and protect themselves from becoming identity theft victims at a community Shred-a-Thon hosted by the Florida Attorney General’s Office, RBC Centura Bank, and Iron Mountain, Inc.    » read more »

21 November 2007 -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has apologized and ordered a review after the personal financial details of about 25 million people were lost in the mail. The loss of the huge amount of sensitive information from the Revenue Department has sparked widespread fears of identity fraud and theft throughout the country.    » read more »

FRANKFORT, Ky., Nov. 15, 2007 -- The Kentucky Court of Justice is asking citizens to be on alert about a jury-duty scam intended to result in identity theft of its targets.    » read more »

November 14, 2007 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced legislation to protect personal information, promote data security and prevent cybercrime. The Privacy and Cybercrime Enforcement Act of 2007 strengthens penalties and prosecutions against cybercrime violations and encourages increased cyber security.    » read more »

November 1, 2007 -- Jefferson City, Mo. — The nation’s three major credit-reporting agencies are now allowing consumers to put a security freeze on their credit report, an option Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon says is an excellent way to prevent identity theft. A security freeze makes a consumer’s credit report unavailable to lenders, which means identity thieves would not be able to open new accounts or lines of credit in the consumer’s name.    » read more »

October 22, 2007 -- The FBI and other law enforcement agencies around the country have reported the resurgence of an old trick known as the jury duty scam.    » read more »