identity theft

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Cops: Man Impersonated Dead Twin in Benefits Scam

Queens resident collected $581K

(Newser) - The Murphy twins were born in 1962, but Robert died a day after their birth. Decades later, brother Thomas resurrected him in a way by collecting nearly $600,000 in fake benefits in his name, reports the New York Post . The Queens trash collector allegedly posed as his long-dead twin...

Teen Makes Escape With Bed Sheets, Evades Arrest

Climbs out 4th-floor hotel window while police wait

(Newser) - What do you do when the police come knocking? If you're this teenage runaway, you fashion yourself an escape rope out of bed sheets and climb out a fourth-floor window. That’s what the unnamed 16-year-old did in the wee hours of Monday morning at a Colorado Hilton hotel,...

For Sale at Goodwill: Other People&#39;s Identities?
For Sale at Goodwill:
Other People's Identities?
investigation
Nov 6, 2013 12:14 PM CST

For Sale at Goodwill: Other People's Identities?

Indiana TV station finds that personal info often gets donated by accident, resold

(Newser) - An Indiana TV station has a story about Goodwill that should make donors—and identity thieves—pay attention. It seems that lots of people accidentally donate boxes stuffed with sensitive personal information (think Social Security numbers, pay stubs, credit cards, tax returns, etc), and those boxes then get resold to...

Franken Worried About iPhone's Fingerprint Scanner

Writes open letter to Apple asking for answers

(Newser) - The new iPhone 5S that hit the market today has a fingerprint scanner designed to replace the conventional password system, and that scares the bejeezus out of Sen. Al Franken. In an open letter to Apple's Tim Cook, the Minnesota senator asks for more information about the security of...

5 Charged in Biggest Financial Hacking Case

Data on 160M credit cards stolen

(Newser) - Four Russian nationals and a Ukrainian have been charged with running a sophisticated hacking organization that penetrated computer networks of more than a dozen major American and international corporations over seven years, stealing and selling at least 160 million credit and debit card numbers. Indictments were announced today in Newark,...

Army Inspector Stole Identities of Soldiers: Feds

One victim was killed in combat overseas

(Newser) - A former Fort Campbell inspector whose job was to investigate misconduct was charged today with stealing the identities of Army personnel—including a soldier killed in combat— in a scheme to obtain bank loans, authorities said. A federal grand jury indictment claims that James Robert Jones, 42, of Woodlawn, Tenn....

AG: Man Tried to Bilk $2.2M From Boston Victim Fund

Claimed his aunt lost both her legs; aunt died more than 10 years ago

(Newser) - The One Boston Fund was set up to aid victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, so Branden Mattier allegedly submitted a claim on behalf of his aunt, who he said lost both legs in the blast. One problem: His aunt died more than a decade ago. Now Mattier, 22, is...

Yahoo's Plan to Free Up Old Email Addresses Too Risky

Mat Honan: It raises a host of security concerns

(Newser) - Got an old Yahoo email address kicking around that you haven't checked in a year or so? Better log in over the next few weeks if you'd like to keep it. Otherwise, Yahoo is going to free it up for someone else. The example it uses is letting...

Feds: Seized 7-Elevens Ran 'Modern Plantation System'

Employed, exploited unauthorized immigrants, say officials

(Newser) - Homeland Security and the DOJ raided 14 7-Eleven stores in Virginia and New York today, charging nine owners and managers with employing unauthorized immigrants and identify theft. According to officials, the stores hired more than 50 unauthorized immigrants, supplied them with stolen identities—some taken from children and dead people—...

Waitress Gets Handed Her Own Stolen ID
 Waitress Gets Handed 
 Her Own Stolen ID 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Mar 10, 2013 9:01 AM CDT

Waitress Gets Handed Her Own Stolen ID

Brianna Priddy played it cool, then called cops

(Newser) - When a waitress asks for your ID, you may not want to hand her ... her own stolen ID. That's what recently happened at an Applebee's in Colorado, KDVR reports. Brianna Priddy's wallet was stolen last month, and she was shocked when a customer handed her her own...

Identity Theft Hits 3-Year High
Identity Theft Hits
3-Year High
Feb 25, 2013 2:47 PM CST

Identity Theft Hits 3-Year High

Fraud strikes 12.6 million Americans

(Newser) - Wondering how safe it is to use your credit card? A long-running study shows that identity theft reached a three-year high in the US last year, striking 12.6 million people, LiveScience reports. Fraudsters ripped off $21 billion, the most in 3 years, and stole an identity every three seconds....

McCarthy, Bateman Can&#39;t Save Identity Thief
 McCarthy, Bateman 
 Can't Save 
 Identity Thief 
Movie Review
Feb 8, 2013 11:27 AM CST

McCarthy, Bateman Can't Save Identity Thief

One critic ignites controversy by calling Melissa McCarthy a 'hippo'

(Newser) - No matter how much you like Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, critics are urging you to decline Identity Thief, their new—sadly conventional and unfunny—buddy comedy. Here's what critics are saying, including one who got himself in hot water:
  • As a fan of Bateman and McCarthy, Mick LaSalle
...

Man Caught With Stolen Data on 9M People

Greek police catch man with identity card details, tax numbers, and more

(Newser) - A man in Greece has been arrested on suspicion of having stolen 9 million personal data files in what is believed to be the biggest breach of private information the country has ever seen. Police said today that the 35-year-old, whose name was not released, was found in possession of...

Men Plead Guilty to Cheating Terminally Ill

Estate planners stole their identities, took out 'death-put' bonds on them

(Newser) - Two men accused of stealing the identities of terminally ill people to reap $30 million from insurance companies and brokerage houses pleaded guilty midway through their trial today, and face prison sentences of up to 10 years each. Joseph Caramadre, 50, CEO of Estate Planning Resources in Rhode Island, and...

Alleged Identity Thief Serves Prison Time as Victim

Gregory Harville wanted health care benefits

(Newser) - San Francisco police collared a man this week for allegedly stealing an old friend's identity and using it to get a job and health benefits. The twist: Gregory Harville, 58, also paid traffic tickets and served time in state prison under the victim's name, SF Weekly reports. The...

Scam Convinces Thousands Obama Is Paying Their Bills

Tricksters launch door-to-door campaign

(Newser) - Don't let the heat get to your brain: Thousands from New Jersey to North Carolina to Indiana have been taken in by a scam suggesting the federal government is oh-so-graciously willing to cover your out-of-control utility bill. In addition to electronically communicating with victims, scammers are sending associates door...

ID Theft Brings 'Tsunami of Fraud' to IRS

Phony returns are on the rise

(Newser) - The New York Times today provides some eye-popping numbers on the relatively new crime of identity-theft tax fraud . The IRS stopped 700,000 fake returns in 2010, at least 1.3 million last year, and twice that many so far this year with only 30% of returns reviewed. But the...

Dad Tried to Smear School Official With Porn Profile

... and then tried to pin it on his own teenage son

(Newser) - A dad who was angry at the assistant principal of his son's school tried to exact a modern form of revenge: He created a fake profile under the official's name at a porn site, then posted lewd photos and videos supposedly from the man, reports the Arizona Republic...

Guy Busted for Trying to Swipe ID of Microsoft&#39;s Allen
Man Steals Identity of ...
One of World's Richest Men
brainiac dept.
Mar 27, 2012 9:59 AM CDT

Man Steals Identity of ... One of World's Richest Men

It just seems obvious that this was going to end really badly

(Newser) - Ways to land in trouble:
  1. Go AWOL.
  2. Fund your AWOL lifestyle via identity theft.
  3. Snatch the identity of one of the world's richest men.
So goes the case against Brandon Lee Price, who now faces bank fraud charges for allegedly swiping the identity of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, reports...

Identity Theft Probe Halted $1.4B in False IRS Refunds

105 busted in sweep

(Newser) - The Internal Revenue Service is cracking down on fraudsters as tax return seasons begins. The agency has stepped up efforts to prevent identity theft, and caught 260,000 bad returns last year, up from 50,000 in 2010, and prevented a total of $1.4 billion in bad refunds being...

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