| Young Couple Lives Large Through ID Theft
A young Pennsylvania couple has been charged with using a combination of old-fashioned and high-tech burglary techniques to help fuel a globe-hopping, luxury lifestyle. Edward Anderton, 25, and Jocelyn Kirsch, 22, were arrested last Friday on suspicion of identity theft, forgery, and unlawful use of a computer. They voluntarily returned to Philadelphia police headquarters to answer to additional charges, including theft and burglary. A Pennsylvania judge doubled Anderton's bail to $100,000 and Kirsch's to $75,000 after prosecutors pointed out that the couple has been evicted from the upscale apartment where they had been living and now have no fixed address. The couple spent last night in jail, but are expected to post bail Thursday. Something Old, Something New The primary victims of the crime spree were the neighbors of the alleged perpetrators at the Belgravia, located in Rittenhouse Square not far from Philadelphia's City Hall.
GCSO warns residents of possible identity theft operation via phone
Gray County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a possible identity theft operation in which the person is asked for information concerning their bank account.At least one local resident has reported receiving a call from someone claiming to be a representative of the Internal Revenue Service, said Sheriff Don Copeland. The caller claimed that the IRS had a refund to send to the person, and asked for the person's bank routing number and bank account number in order to deposit the refund in their account.This information may be used by the caller to remove money from the account and may also lead to identity theft, Copeland said.
The IRS warns all citizens not to give personal information over the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless they have initialed the contact or they are sure they know who they are dealing with.
ID Theft Hit 8 Million Americans in 2005 Federal Trade Commission
Dec 04 2007 : Identity theft affected 8.3 million adults, or 3.7 percent of the adult U.S population, in 2005, according to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) study. The report is based on 4,917 telephone interviews with a random sample of American adults. For the study, the FTC categorized ID theft victims according to specific Federal U.S. laws. It estimated that 3.3 million American adults, or 1.5 percent of the adult population, experienced the misuse of one or more of their existing non-credit card accounts in 2005. This fraud category included checking, saving or telephone accounts. Based on the study, the FTC also estimated that in 2005 there were 3.2 million fraud victims in the category of �existing credit cards.� In addition, there were 1.8 million victims in the category of �new accounts and other fraud,� where fraudsters opened new accounts in the victims� names, or committed other frauds using their ID.
SupportSoft Helps Protect TalkTalk Customers Against Wireless Fraud
Households with unsecured wireless Internet make up around half of total wireless broadband users in the UK(1). Those without proper security on their network are vulnerable not only to piggy-backing, but to hackers who can access bank details, passwords and personal information. Consequences of these actions include identity theft as well as unauthorised spending on credit and debit cards. SupportSoft's SmartAccess(TM) software is rescuing wireless Internet users by automatically setting up their home security configurations, thereby minimising their exposure to fraud. .
Critics question latest government report on identity theft
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Trade Commission says a new analysis concludes 8.3 million Americans over 18 were victims of identity theft in 2005. That's down from 9.9 million in 2003. But consumer advocates are not convinced the numbers are accurate. One problem in getting accurate information about identity theft is that most consumers don't know it when their personal information is compromised. And the FTC acknowledges that its identity-theft survey involved such a small sample that the results are not "statistically significant." Still, there's agreement that ID theft is a monumental problem. One research firm says it cost American businesses $55 billion in 2006. And the FTC estimates the cost to consumers last year came to $1.2 billion. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.
Four million Britons have fallen victim to identity fraud. Are you next?
For one so young, he seemed a peculiarly precocious convert to retail therapy. Mobile phones, iPods, swish suits and fancy holidays. You name it, he bought it. The detectives asked to investigate his strangely spendthrift ways would, though, soon find themselves facing a conundrum. Their big spender was dead. In fact, he had succumbed to a childhood brain disease when seven months old. In total, the identities of hundreds of dead babies would be plundered by businessman Anton Gelonkin in one of the largest identity theft networks uncovered in the UK. Hiding behind the stolen identities of deceased infants, Gelonkin's gang would, in the space of a decade, amass a fortune worth millions. The ease and rapidity with which his team stole so many identities perturbed officers investigating a case which provides a rare insight into the modus operandi of those perpetrating Britain's fastest-growing crime: identity theft.
Identity-theft report called into question
WASHINGTON -- A government survey released last week questions the conventional wisdom that identity theft is a growing problem in the U.S. But don't toss out your shredder just yet. Consumer advocates are not convinced the Federal Trade Commission numbers are accurate, though they do agree on a key point in a footnote of the agency's report: the difficulty in coming up with a reliable assessment of the problem. An estimated 8.3 million Americans older than 18 were victims of identity theft in 2005, according to an analysis of a phone survey released Tuesday by the FTC. That represented a decline of about 16 percent from an estimated 9.9 million victims in 2003, when the agency last conducted its survey. Although the survey is broad, the FTC acknowledged in a footnote that its conclusion is not "statistically significant" because the sample size was too small.
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