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Blog / July 2006
Red Cross laptops stolen, data encrypted
Jul 1, 2006 by Tom Fragala
From Dallas Morning News: Three laptops, one of them containing personal information on thousands of blood donors – including Social Security numbers and medical histories – were stolen from a locked closet in the Farmers Branch office of the American...
Best Buy discuss security measures
Jul 3, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The MercuryNews has an article about Best Buy’s proactive moves to improve security. Best Buy describes a sweeping computer security project that touches nearly every aspect of data-handling by hundreds of computer systems. And it described 50 ``control points`` where...
Data breach at NIH Federal Credit Union
Jul 3, 2006 by Tom Fragala
WaPo has this story. The credit union is not disclosing how many customers were effected. They apparently have 41,000 members. The National Institutes of Health's federal credit union has notified some customers that their personal information has been compromised by an...
The President's Identity Theft Task Force
Jul 3, 2006 by Tom Fragala
This is from back on May 9. This excerpt is from Whitehouse.gov: Today, President Bush Signed An Executive Order Creating The Nation's First Ever "Identity Theft Task Force." This task force will marshal the resources of the Federal government to...
New data security bill introduced
Jul 3, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Computerworld has the story. One of the key issues around any attempt at a federal data security/breach law is whether it preempts and waters down any existing state laws. A bill introduced yesterday by Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) and Sen....
Alumni file suit against Ohio U. after data breaches
Jul 3, 2006 by Tom Fragala
SANS Institute points to a couple of stories on this breach we reported recently. Ohio University acknowledged that two alumni filed a lawsuit against the school alleging privacy violations and asking for compensation for any financial losses incurred through identity...
Identity thief lured by easy money
Jul 4, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Tom Zeller of the New York Times has fine article on Shiva Brent Sharma, a 3 time identity thief now serving time in prison. Also includes a 3 part video series. ...
Identity theft statistics from Dept. of Justice
Jul 4, 2006 by Tom Fragala
In April 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics released identity theft victim data from 2004 (yes, 2004). The findings are from interviews conducted from July-December 2004 as part of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Here’s...
North Carolina seeks to include gov't in data breach law
Jul 6, 2006 by Tom Fragala
It took a data breach of historic proportion (26 million people by the VA) to make folks realize it isn’t just business that needs to be included. Story in the Charlotte Observer. Governments should have been included in the original...
ADP hands over sensitive investor data in a scam
Jul 6, 2006 by Tom Fragala
ABC News reports that ADP suffered a breach of hundreds of thousands of investors personal data. Automatic Data Processing, one of the world's largest payroll service companies, confirmed to ABC News that it was swindled by a data thief looking for...
Identity theft via SSN fraud in Colorado
Jul 6, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The Governor of Colorado brought to light just how many people are illegally using SSN’s to obtain employment in that state. More from Rocky Mountain News. On the eve of the legislature's special session to address illegal immigration, Owens rattled...
New IL law makes pretexting illegal and helps fight ID theft
Jul 6, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Illinois Governor has signed into law a bill that makes pretexting illegal. Pretexting in this context is pretending you are someone you are not in order steal sensitive personal information—identity theft. ...
VA issues directive on security enforcement
Jul 7, 2006 by Tom Fragala
SANS NewsBites has this about the Veterans Administration and adds some opinion. This is happening after the huge data breach. A directive from Veterans Affairs (VA) secretary James Nicholson gives the VA CIO the authority to enforce security policies and...
A look inside the new credit scoring system
Jul 8, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The New York Times has an article on the new VantageScore credit scoring system that we reported on here. This is the new system that is a collaboration by the three consumer credit reporting agencies, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, to put...
Experian going public all on its own
Jul 8, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Did you know that Experian, the largest of the three credit bureaus, is owned by a British company? The company is a conglomerate called GUS, which owns other businesses including a retail chain called Argos and a Home Depot-like chain called...
New security rules from Visa and MasterCard
Jul 8, 2006 by Tom Fragala
ComputerWorld has an article on new PCI (payment card industry) standards that are being unveiled by Mastercard and Visa. These are not anything the consumers have to do, it is for merchants....
Big Navy data breach: 100,000 at risk
Jul 8, 2006 by Tom Fragala
This has got to be infuriating for them—the risk of ID theft is very real here. Washington Post is reporting that a Navy web site had posted the full names and social security numbers of 100,000 Navy and Marine aviators...
Explaining our free service and other FAQs
Jul 8, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Recently, we announced free credit monitoring as part of our myTruston service. We did so because after the massive data breach at the VA, the government looked set to spend billions of dollars to provide credit monitoring and other credit services....
Is it legal for your sensitive data to be online?
Jul 10, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The answer is YES. This article in FindLaw tells a gruesome tale of how state and local government is legally allowed to and has been posting your sensitive personal information online. This data could lead to identity theft and is...
Credit score war: FICO response to VantageScore
Jul 10, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The three consumer credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) recently announced their new VantageScore credit scoring system. In the past, I’ve written about it here and here. A while back I contacted Fair Isaac to get their perspective on this new...
Hampton Virginia is butt naked
Jul 10, 2006 by Tom Fragala
(Scroll for updates…) I don’t mean disrobed. I mean that the residents of Hampton, VA are all naked and wide open to identity thieves and secret data brokers. Why? Apparently, your sensitive data is being made available to anyone by...
Financial services industry on data security
Jul 10, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The AFSA, which respresent a big swath of the financial services industry, has weighed in with their thoughts on the data breach bills working their way through the U.S. House. Their goals with any legislation are, not surprisingly, vastly different...
Tinkering with the Fair Credit Reporting Act?
Jul 10, 2006 by Tom Fragala
I came across this letter from a group of financial services companies called the Coalition to Implement the Fact Act. It appears they hope to water down the FACT Act (which amends part of the FCRA) or at least how...
Universal default can raise your interest rate sky high
Jul 10, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Caroline Mayer writes an article in her WaPo blog, The Checkout , on a credit card industry practice you are going to want to read about. …under universal default, a credit-card company monitors the credit histories of its customers, even...
New scam term to remember: Vishing
Jul 11, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Jim Malmberg at GuardMyCreditFile has an article on Vishing, saying “Vishing is similar to phishing accept that instead of using e-mail to lure their victims, Vishers actually use VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) to make cheap long distance phone calls...
VA showed 'indifference' after data breach
Jul 11, 2006 by Tom Fragala
GovExec.com has an article based on a just released report by the VA Inspector General. The Veterans Affairs IG found that the analyst whose laptop was stolen had the OK to access the data, but apparently not to take the...
Is Intersections a membership marketing company?
Jul 11, 2006 by Tom Fragala
In June, Intersections, Inc., which offers IdentityGuard one of the leading identity theft services, acquired a company called Chartered Marketing Services. Chartered is a direct marketing company the specifically focuses on membership clubs and loyalty programs. CMSI’s value-added programs make them...
Data breach and ID theft laws update
Jul 11, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Beth Given at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse sent out an alert today in their newsletter on the controversal set of data breach and identity theft bills in Congress (I’ve written about this several times including here). The primary pieces of proposed legislation...
Kentucky credit freeze law goes into effect
Jul 13, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Kentucky residents can place a credit freeze for up to seven years (why seven?). However, it’s only free for victims with a police report. $10 for everyone else. Courier-Journal has more. The following states have credit freeze laws today: California,...
Experian reports booming revenue Q206
Jul 13, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Revenues up 21 percent. More at Bloomberg.com....
Bankrate.com advertisers accused of bait and switch scams
Jul 13, 2006 by Tom Fragala
WSJ has the story. In one complaint last year, Steve Knerly, a federal law enforcement instructor in Glynco, Ga., says a bankrate.com lender failed to honor an offer for a 3.875% adjustable-rate mortgage, which it posted on the Web site...
Ohio U. CIO steps down after data thefts
Jul 13, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The Columbus Dispatch has this news (hat tip to Brian Koerner) which we reported on here. Ohio University suffered five data breaches this year alone. Ohio University, criticized by a consultant for failing to ensure steady leadership over computer systems...
Free credit monitoring for everyone?
Jul 13, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Robert Gellman says “everyone should receive free credit monitoring.” Good news: Truston is already going to offer a free service that we think is better. So there is no need to spill blood to get the credit bureaus to comply...
Caller ID spoofing bill may become law soon
Jul 13, 2006 by Tom Fragala
You may recall that services allowing people to produce faked caller ID on calls had me concerned (more here). Apparently, Congress may actually do something about this. GuardMyCreditFile has more. The Truth in Caller ID Act of 2006 has already been passed...
Top ranked credit bureaus
Jul 13, 2006 by Tom Fragala
In the U.S., the top ranked credit reporting agencies by Google searches are (1) Equifax, (2) Experian, and (3) TransUnion. Experian, however, gets far more press, which is a bit surprising since it’s part of a UK company (GUS Plc) and...
Data breach in Hampton, Virginia
Jul 13, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Just remember you read it here first July 11th. Sensitive data was revealed on a computer at Hampton Circuit Court (and so close to the VA data breach). This wasn’t a data theft, this was a computer that sat there allowing...
U of Tennessee data breach effects 36,000
Jul 14, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Eyewitness News Memphis reports The information for about 36,000 people were on the database. It included names, addresses and Social Security numbers. Those on the database were employed by UT on or before August 2005. By the way, an editor...
CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey
Jul 14, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Bill Brenner over at SearchSecurity.com points to the 11th annual report by the Computer Security Institute (CSI) and the San Francisco Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Computer Intrusion Squad. The report shows that average losses to security breaches were lower...
Swiping driver's licenses at a drugstore?
Jul 15, 2006 by Tom Fragala
I went to a Long’s drugstore today in Santa Barbara, California. I picked up a box of infant’s decongestant drops. At the check out, the person asked to see my driver’s license, I assumed because I was paying by credit...
How to save over 20% on credit monitoring
Jul 17, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Call the credit bureau directly—they just may offer you a big discount. I called Equifax today helping a victim report fraud and get an alert on their credit file. After I was done the procedure, I accidently hit “#” instead...
More on vishing scams
Jul 17, 2006 by Tom Fragala
You will be hearing a lot about this scam. The “v” in vishing stands for Voice over IP. I blogged about it recently here. And the Wall Street Journal has an article today on vishing: Customers of Santa Barbara Bank &...
VA reneges on free credit monitoring promise
Jul 18, 2006 by Tom Fragala
On June 21 the Veterans Administration promised to provide everyone effected by the data breach with free credit monitoring. Now it appears they are abandoning that offer because the FBI believes the data was not compromised. See the AP story on FOXnews.com....
IT pros: your job is on the line
Jul 18, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Larry Greenemeier writes in an InformationWeek article that “The Next Data Breach Could Mean Your IT Job.” He’s right of course. IT pros will say it’s always been that way. Except with so many states now having security breach notification laws and...
VA-specific data breach legislation coming?
Jul 18, 2006 by Tom Fragala
GovExec.com says that “the House Veterans Affairs Committee plans to debate legislation Thursday in hopes of preventing a similar security problem.”...
Veterans Affairs Final Offer to Veterans And Military
Jul 18, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Here’s the official word from the VA update page: Will VA offer free credit monitoring? Given the FBI's high degree of confidence that the information recently recovered was not accessed or compromised, VA believes that individual credit monitoring will no...
Lost Tape Exposes 188,000 With Student Loans
Jul 19, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Nelnet, a student loan company, announced that it has lost a backup tape with data on 188,000 customers. GuardMyCreditFile has this one. Nelnet, based in Lincoln, NE, is one of the country’s largest student loan companies. The company currently services...
FBI IC3 Alert: mobile phone dating service scam
Jul 19, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) issued this alert on June 28, 2006. The FBI has been alerted to a newly discovered malware located at www.irrealhost.com. Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's consent.The...
Equifax profit up 11%
Jul 20, 2006 by Tom Fragala
From the Atlanta Business Chronicle: Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) saw net income frow 11 percent in the second quarter, getting a boost from its Latin America unit. The Atlanta-based company had net income of $69.6 million on $387.7 million in revenue...
House committee passes cyber-security bill
Jul 20, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Army Times reports: The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee passed a cyber-security bill called the Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act of 2006 (H.R. 5835). The bill establishes federal standards for notifying people when records containing names, Social Security number, birth...
Suze Orman makes dangerous ID theft proposal
Jul 22, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Suze Orman, the TV personal finance guru has an article in today’s Wall Street Journal entitled Worried About Identity Theft?. As I read through it I found my self nodding my head in agreement. Then at the end I found myself...
540,000 NY workers at risk after data breach
Jul 24, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Another lost computer, another massive data breach. wnbc.com has this story which effects over half a million New York residents that have received workers compensation benefits. The names, addresses and Social Security numbers of as many as 540,000 injured workers...
Bill weakening consumer protection may reach vote (HR 3997)
Jul 24, 2006 by Tom Fragala
It’s tiring trying to keep up with the moving targets that are the new data breach and ID theft bills moving through Congress. But Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Ed Mierzwinski at U.S. PIRG warn consumers that...
Woman wins suit against Equifax
Jul 25, 2006 by Tom Fragala
A victim of identity theft recently won a significant award against one CRA and continue her pursuit of justice. Her credit score and in tatters she went after the credit bureaus because after proving herself a victim of ID theft...
ID Theft Bill HR 3997 Put On Hold in House
Jul 27, 2006 by Tom Fragala
GuardMyCreditFile reports: HR 3997, the controversial bill that would stop the states from regulating data breaches, has been placed on hole in the House of Representatives. The bill, written primarily by the financial services industry, was scheduled to be voted...
Hampton VA data breach cover-up?
Jul 27, 2006 by Tom Fragala
I first reported on a data breach in Hampton, VA here. Now police and local officials are saying they believe that the only people who actually saw any sensitive data were the people who reported it. It takes real nerve...
New blog on bankruptcy and credit
Jul 27, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The US PIRG blog points out a new blog authored by seven scholars and professors that will focus on bankruptcy and credit called Credit Slips. Nice title. In their own words, it’s a blog about “what does happen and what...
Data on 600,000 Time Warner Employees is Lost
Jul 28, 2006 by Tom Fragala
GuardMyCreditFile has the story. Media giant Time Warner (TW) has had to announce that data tapes storing names, addresses and Social Security Numbers have been lost in transit. The tape contained data on current and former Time Warner employees, their...
Experian is going public
Jul 29, 2006 by Tom Fragala
GUS, plc, the UK-based parent of Experian, one of the three main U.S. credit reporting companies, has announced plans for Experian’s IPO. In a news release entitled Demerger of ARG and Experian, by October 2006 Experian will be an independent...
Dinged when signing for a debit card purchase
Jul 30, 2006 by Tom Fragala
WSJ.com has an article about signing for your debit card purchases. Banks are trying to get consumers to use signature-backed transactions versus using your PIN—they can make more money that way. Banks (the card issuers) get a higher fee on these purchases. PIN-backed transactions...
When the bank should be uncooperative after identity theft
Jul 31, 2006 by Tom Fragala
If you are an identity theft victim, there may be times—believe it or not—when your bank should be uncooperative when you are reporting fraud. They should never provide you with sensitive account information after you report fraud, until they have...
How to get four free credit reports in one year (legally)
Jul 31, 2006 by Tom Fragala
If you are a victim of identity theft you have a right to four (4) free credit reports in the year after you report the fraud. Federal law* gives you those rights. The consumer credit reporting agencies (CRA) don’t really...