Identity Theft

LifeLock settles with FTC over ID theft product claims

Dan Kaplan March 12, 2010

LifeLock will pay $11 million to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and $1 million to a group of 35 state attorneys general to settle charges that the Tempe, Ariz.-based company made false claims that its product could prevent identity theft.

Trio charged with ripping off gas customers

Angela Moscaritolo March 09, 2010

Three California men each are facing two dozen charges for running a sophisticated identity theft ring which netted them nearly $2 million, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office announced Monday. Albert Jose Gonzalez, 39, of Lancaster, Josue Gustavo Albizuras, 42, of Los Angeles and Cesar Vasquez Echeverria, 28, of Santa Clarita installed skimmer devices on computerized pay pumps at gas stations to steal customers' credit and debit card information. The men, who have pleaded innocent, were arrested Feb. 25 after a three-year investigation by members of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the FBI. — AM

ID theft still on the rise, but victims respond faster

Dan Kaplan February 10, 2010

Incidents of identity fraud and the total cost of fraud once again climbed last year, but consumers are becoming better equipped to respond to the occurrences of theft, according to a report released Wednesday by Javelin Strategy & Research.

FTC allows eight more months for Red Flags compliance

Dan Kaplan November 02, 2009

Enforcement of the Red Flags Rules has been put off again -- this time until next summer, at the request of Congress.

N.Y. bank computer technician charged with ID theft

Angela Moscaritolo October 30, 2009

A New York computer technician has been charged with stealing the personal data of Bank of New York Mellon employees.

Data breach alerts linked to increased risk of ID theft

Angela Moscaritolo October 28, 2009

Consumers who have received a data breach notification letter face a much higher risk of identity theft, according to a recent survey.

LifeLock settles with Experian to not set fraud alerts

Dan Kaplan October 23, 2009

A lawsuit settlement affirms that third parties are not permitted to set fraud alerts with the major credit bureaus.

New ID theft rules may not pertain to small businesses

Angela Moscaritolo October 22, 2009

A new bill, passed unanimously by the U.S. House of Representatives this week, would exclude health care, accounting and legal firms with 20 or fewer employees from complying with the Red Flags Rules.

Survey: ID theft tops list of American's security concerns

Angela Moscaritolo October 20, 2009

Sixty-five percent of American respondents said they were "seriously concerned" about unauthorized access or misuse of their personal information, while 47 percent felt the same about H1N1.

Microsoft acknowledges Windows Live ID breach

Chuck Miller October 05, 2009

Microsoft confirmed Monday that the credentials of thousands of Microsoft Windows Live ID accounts were posted online late last week.

New busts in global identity theft ring

Chuck Miller September 01, 2009

Two members of an international cybergang, responsible for allegedly stealing 95,000 credit card numbers during a six-year period, were arraigned this week in New York.

Red Flags delay

July 30, 2009

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday announced that it will, for the third time, push back the enforcement deadline of the Red Flags Rule, which requires financial institutions and creditors to develop identity theft prevention programs. The new enforcement deadline is Nov. 1. In addition, the FTC will ramp up its efforts to educate small businesses about how to comply because many are still confused about their obligations, the FTC said. — AM