ID THEFT STORIES IN THE NEWS

Over 10 million consumers a year become victims of identity theft. Fraud victims are denied credit, employment and housing due to credit report errors. . If fraud victims are approved for credit, then they have to pay higher interest rates! Identity theft victims also get turned down for jobs because of arrests, convictions or other public records in a background report.

What can consumers do to protect their credit reports and their reputation? Federal law provides identity theft victims with rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) 15 U.S.C. §§1681, et seq. Under the FCRA, identity theft victims have the right to request two (2) free credit reports every 12 months. Also, identity theft victims can place a fraud alert (90 day and extended 7 year) on their credit file. Identity theft victims can dispute credit report errors due to fraud, such as accounts, name variations, public records and addresses. The credit reporting agencies must block fraudulent information from appearing in a credit file after receipt of an identity theft report within 4 business days!

Download the free identity theft affidavit HERE. We represent victims of identity theft across the country. Here are some of the identity theft stories we are following across the nation:

Florida

Lakeland, Florida – Students Warned of ID Theft Risk After Mishap

The Social Security numbers of nearly 200 students who paid tuition for education programs could be compromised, according to a letter sent out recently by the Polk County School District. Students affected can contact the School District, which will pay for a one-year membership to an online identity theft protection program that will cost the district between $80 and $90 per student. Pennie Zuercher, director of financial reporting for the district, said that between 150 and 200 1098T tax forms out of 2,000 were sent to incorrect addresses. The form includes the Social Security number of the student. The problem occurred when a batch of 1098T forms, which are printed three per page, were folded and placed in envelopes by one of several clerks, rather than separated, Zuercher said. “Whoever was on top was who it got mailed to,” she said. “The problem is fairly small. But we don’t have an exact number (of students).” The incorrectly mailed tax forms were sent several weeks ago and the School District sent out a follow-up letter alerting students to the problem, along with a new tax form. “If this is the first time you are receiving a copy of your 1098T, then it is possible your original 1098T was mailed to an incorrect address, and your Social Security number may have been compromised,” Zuercher wrote in her letter. “We recommend you place fraud alerts on your credit files as a precautionary step.”

Miami, Florida – Miami Man Charged in $12 Million Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud Scheme …

Federal Bureau of Investigation (press release) Miami Man Charged in $12 Million Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud Scheme Involving Thousands of Fraudulently Obtained U.S. Treasury Checks. U.S. Attorney’s Office February 21, 2013. Southern District of Florida (313) 226-9100. Wifredo A. Ferrer, United …

Miami, Florida Broward man slapped with stiff 13-year prison sentence in ID-theft, tax-fraud case

MiamiHerald.com U.S. District Judge Robert Scola imposed the maximum 10-year sentence against St. Fleur, who lives in West Park, for conspiring to defraud the U.S. government, plus a mandatory two more years for aggravated identity theft and another year for …

Law enforcement officials gather to discuss on fight against ID theft

Florida Today Ivey said a Federal Trade Commission report comparing rates of identity theft in areas with population of at least 100,000 ranked Brevard County 113th. That’s two spots ahead of Chicago, a city with a population five times as large as the Space Coast.

Police: Woman sought in identity theft

Newsday (subscription) Crime Stoppers and police from Nassau County and Garden City are trying to find a woman suspected in a case of identity theft. The suspect was seen on video surveillance cameras making unauthorized withdrawals from another person’s account at a …

Orlando, FL Think your ID can’t be stolen?

Sun-Sentinel Identity theft is a creepy, crawly thing. It gets inside its victims in a particularly insidious way. In extreme cases, it can ruin your life before you even know what’s happened. Last year, many federal taxpayers’ refunds were delayed because they had …

Georgia

Atlanta, GA Tax Identity Theft a Growing Problem in the United States

PR Newswire (press release) ATLANTA, Feb. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — When you think of crime, a warehouse full of people on computers might not be your first thought. But this is becoming more commonplace as criminals see the ease and financial gain in tax identity theft—that is, …

Oklahoma

Tulsa, Oklahoma – Identity theft can be prevented through a few smart steps

Tulsa World “Identity thieves are relentless in their pursuit of private information,” said Rick Brinkley, chief operating officer of the Tulsa Better Business Bureau. “It’s very important to be aware of all the ways to defend yourself and keep your identity safe …

Tulsa, Oklahoma – Action Line: Tax identity theft protection takes effort

Tulsa World ID theft indicators: You filed more than one tax return or someone has already filed using your information. You owe taxes for a year when you were not legally required to file and did not file. You were paid wages by an employer you never worked for.

Tennessee

Clarksville, TN Event To Help Guard Against Identity Theft In Clarksville

NewsChannel5.com Tennessee Highway Patrol Captain Stacy Williams said identity theft is a growing concern and the shredding event will give people a secure way to dispose of personal documents. Up to two boxes or garbage bags per person may be brought to the APSU …

Texas

Houston, Texas American Agricultural Insurance Company Partners with IDentity Theft 911

New offering provides proactive and reactive data breach services to farm and commercial policyholders, including access to IDentity Theft 911’s team of breach consulting experts and 24/7 access to IDentity Theft 911’s breach preparedness website.

Virginia

Bonsack, Virginia – Local Trooper Writes Book About Child Identity Theft

WSET – A Virginia State Trooper based out of Salem has published the first in-depth book showing parents how to protect their children from identity theft. It’s called “Child Identity Theft.” While unsuccessfully looking for resources about …

Roanoke, Virginia – Teen found out he was ID theft victim at age 10

KVUE – NORFOLK — A woman is fighting to clear her son’s name after he became a victim of identity theft. The woman, who doesn’t want to be identified, said her 18-year-old didn’t even know he had been victimized until he went to apply for a loan. That’s when …

West Virginia

WVU Professor Weighs In On ID Theft Problem in America

WBOY-TV Dr. Nutter said identity theft is costing each victim around $300, and stopping it may ultimately be out of their hands, adding that often the information is stolen from the computers of places you do business with, many times in a large batch of …

National News

Report ties cyberattacks on U.S. computers to Chinese military (Wash. Post, 2/19/13)

A U.S. security firm has linked China’s military to cyberattacks on more than 140 U.S. and other foreign corporations and entities, according to a report released Tuesday. The 60-page study by investigators at the Alexandria-based Mandiant security firm presents one of the most comprehensive and detailed analyses to date tracing corporate cyber-espionage to the doorstep of Chinese military facilities. And it calls into question China’s repeated denials that its military is engaged in such activities.

The document, first reported by the New York Times, draws on data Mandiant collected from what the company said was the systematic theft of data from at least 141 organizations over seven years. Mandiant traced the attacks back to a single group it designated “Advanced Persistent Threat 1,” or “APT1,” and now has identified the group as a Chinese military unit within the 2nd Bureau of the People’s Liberation Army General Staff Department’s 3rd Department, going by the designation “Unit 61398.” Analysts have long linked the unit to the Chinese military’s 3rd Department, and to extensive cyber-espionage. More

Anonymous hacks U.S. State Department and investment firm, leaks data

(HelpNet Security, 2/19/13) Anonymous continues with its Operation Last Resort, and its latest targets were the websites of the U.S. Department of State (state.gov) and of investment firm George K. Baum and Company (gkbaum.com). From the former they exfiltrated – and published – databases containing a treasure trove of personal information about their employees (names, birth dates, phone numbers, email addresses, home and work addresses, and so on). Operation Last Resort started with the DDoS attack on MIT’s official website and the defacement of one of its subdomains, on which Anonymous called for a reform of “computer crime laws, and the overzealous prosecutors who use them”, “reform of copyright and intellectual property law”, “greater recognition of the oppression and injustices heaped daily by certain persons and institutions of authority upon anyone who dares to stand up and be counted for their beliefs, and for greater solidarity and mutual aid in response”, and a “renewed and unwavering commitment to a free and unfettered internet, spared from censorship with equality of access and franchise for all.” More

Cybersecurity: 2013 is already “the year of the hack” (Journal of Accountancy, 2/19/13)

Many organizations are unprepared to protect themselves against an emerging, relentless cybersecurity danger that threatens national security and economic stability, according to a new global survey. Advanced persistent threats (APTs) are not easily deterred, which makes them different from traditional threats, according to global IT association ISACA. But an ISACA survey of more than 1,500 security professionals found that 53% of respondents do not believe APTs differ from traditional threats.

This disconnect indicates that IT professionals and their organizations may not be fully prepared to protect themselves against APTs, according to ISACA. “APTs are sophisticated, stealthy, and unrelenting,” ISACA International Vice President Christos Dimitriadis said in a news release. “Traditional cyberthreats often move right on if they cannot penetrate their initial target. But an APT will continually attempt to penetrate the desired target until it meets its objective-and once it does, it can disguise itself and morph when needed, making it difficult to identify or stop.” More

Are you a victim of identity theft? Do you have credit report errors? Have the credit bureaus “verified” fraudulent information and refused to delete the items from your credit reports? Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), consumers have the right to dispute credit report errors. The credit reporting agencies must block information from appearing in your credit report that is the result of identity theft. The credit bureaus must block the information within 4 business days of receipt of an identity theft report. Federal law gives you the right to sue the credit bureaus if they fail to perform a reasonable investigation or refuse to investigate your credit report disputes.

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