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I got hacked twice this month. The first time I was going for a layup at the local gym. The second time was learning I’m among the more than 313,000 Minnesotans and nearly 80 million Americans whose personal information might have been accessed during the recent Anthem health insurer data breach.

The compromised information includes names, member health identification numbers, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and employment and income information.

Now, I’m an old-school, practical kind of guy. I try as much as I can to pay bills and items face to face with cash. I shred every identifiable document that comes home that I don’t need to store. My credit limit is intentionally pretty low compared to most users. Given the microscopic interest given out by banks these days, I’m tempted to withdraw my meager savings and place them under the mattress or some hollowed-out space under a floorboard. On the electronic front, I don’t do anything personal on public Wi-Fi sites and don’t shop on my smartphone, either. I come up with different and complex passwords for each site I use to the point that it’s difficult for me to remember them. Sometimes I outsmart myself and forget answers I gave to security questions. Who’s your favorite teacher? Well, there’s Mr. Gray, Sister Josephine, Mr. Duffy, Mr. Santana. … I’ve used them all but then forget which one I used for which.

13 MILLION ID THEFT VICTIMS EACH YEAR

But, given the Anthem breach, I have no control when a database containing my information is accessed by an insider or some organized-crime cyberthief, foreign or domestic. And it has become nearly impossible in this day and age to refrain from using a check or credit card to make purchases or pay a bill. Whether we like it or not, this is the price some of us are paying for living in both a computerized and material world.

Last year, reported data breaches in the U.S. reached a record high of 783, according to the Identity Theft and Resource Center. Since 2005, more than 675 million records have been hacked in 5,029 data breach incidents. The victims include businesses, banks and health-care entities, as well as government and military agencies. There are an estimated 13 million ID theft victims each year.

Victims of medical identity theft also are on the rise, according to the Ponemon Institute, a private research firm. A study released this week by the group estimated that there were more than 2 million such victims last year, an increase of about a half million people from the previous year. And that report was conducted in November of last year, so the results did not include the recent Anthem breach. Thieves use the stolen information to obtain medical treatment or prescriptions in the victim’s name.

HACKERS HACK FBI, SCOTLAND YARD

And no matter what anyone says, there’s no guarantee that any entity can completely prevent your personal information from being stolen or illegally accessed from a database.

Todd Davis, CEO of Lifelock, a much advertised ID theft protection service, learned that the hard way when he publicly disclosed his Social Security number on billboards and ads on trucks as a way to tout his company’s service.

His identity was stolen 13 times by thieves who took out credit cards and bank loans and ran up outstanding debts in his name. His company later was fined $12 million by the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive advertising.

Hackers who have your name and Social Security number can open financial accounts in your name without you knowing it, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a San Diego-based consumer protection group. It recommends placing a security freeze on your credit cards, which provides the best protection against ID theft but also is time-consuming to lift if you apply for an apartment, job or loan. It seems no one and no entity is theft-proof. The Pentagon has been hacked. In one case, the hacker group Anonymous listened in as FBI and Scotland Yard sleuths discussed a criminal case involving them. Now that’s cyber-chutzpah.

‘BASICALLY, CROSS YOUR FINGERS’

So, what to do? I have little clue, other than following Anthem’s instructions to sign up for free identity-theft repair for up two years and credit monitoring services. 

I’m looking into using what is known as “virtual” credit card numbers for online shopping. PayPal and some banks offer the service, which essentially creates a sequence of numbers that can be used for purchases but are useless to a hacker once he or she accesses them.

But what I really want to know is if there’s a way to become completely hacker- and ID-theft-proof.

Sadly, the answer is “not really,” said Avivah Litan, a cybersecurity and fraud- prevention expert and analyst at Gartner, a Stamford, Conn.-based information technology research and advisory company.

The modern-day consumer in American society right now has no control over massive database breaches that befell Anthem, Target, Home Depot and others.

Beyond credit monitoring and checking statements for unauthorized purchases, “you basically cross your fingers” and hope the hackers don’t want your information. She’s not a fan of credit card security freezes because they are more trouble than they are worth and cannot prevent many other fraudulent uses of personal information, such as obtaining passports, a job or work history.

If there is a silver lining, Litan estimates that less than 1 percent of those whose information was hacked in the Anthem breach and others like it may eventually fall victim to some ID theft risk.

“They also tend to target those who are wealthy,” she noted. Given my paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle, that brightened my day.

“But journalists are also at risk,” she added. What a way to dampen the mood. Maybe cash under the bed is the way to go.

Ruben Rosario can be reached at 651-228-5454 or rrosario@ pioneerpress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/nycrican.

TO LEARN MORE

For more information about ways to minimize falling victim to ID theft, go to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at privacyrights.org.

Article source: http://www.twincities.com/crime/ci_27613361/rosario-whos-safe-from-risk-identity-theft-no

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Vogelaar, who went by the nicknames ‘TyPeR’ and ‘neXus,’ accessed the computers of the production company behind the films by using an employee’s login credentials although it is unclear how he gained access to said credentials.

The alleged thief has been charged with computer hacking and identity theft, but not with copyright infringement which is curious given that Hollywood is involved. The charges, if he is extradited to the U.S., have a max sentence of seven years total.

Source:
Ernesto

Article source: http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2015/03/01/u-s-doj-indicts-man-on-hacking-charges-identity-theft-for-stealing-pre-release-films-back-in-2010

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Identity theft was once again the number one complaint from Americans this year, according the Federal Trade Commission’s annual tally.

There’s no doubt it’s a scary situation when it happens. If a criminal gets his hands on some personal information, it can wreak havoc on your life. You might find mysterious charges on your credit card. Or a thief could file a tax return in your name, getting a bogus refund before you even know it.

None of this is a surprise. Massive data breaches that could lead to identity theft keep coming and, most recently, hackers hit insurance giant Anthem, stealing information on tens of millions of customers.

But while identity theft is a huge issue, there’s a growing threat from a different kind of scam: fraudsters pretending to be someone they’re not as a way to get money from you.

While con artists sometimes impersonate a friend or family member asking for money, more complaints are about fraudsters claiming to be a government official, like an IRS agent.

Last year, the FTC got nearly 160,000 such complaints, or 100,000 more than in 2013.

The bad guys may call to say taxes are owed, getting the unknowing consumer to send them money.

The con may know the last four digits of your Social Security number and threaten arrest if you don’t pay up, but consumers should be suspicious if this ever happens.

If you do in fact owe taxes, the IRS will first notify you via snail mail. And it won’t ask you to wire money or pay with a debit card.

Rounding out the top five complaints of 2014 were problems with debt collectors, phone and cable companies, and banks.

Article source: http://fox6now.com/2015/03/01/federal-trade-commission-identity-theft-once-again-the-top-consumer-complaint/

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Plano PD logo – correct size

Posted: Sunday, March 1, 2015 12:00 pm

Free seminar aims to help prevent identity theft

Brittany Feagans, bfeagans@starlocalmedia.com

Star Local Media

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At 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Plano Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit will host a free seminar at the Liberty Recreation Center to teach residents how to protect themselves from identity theft.

Officer Mark Dawson will explain how identity theft occurs and will discuss preventive measures to reduce the risk of becoming a victim.

“It’s one of the fastest-growing crimes that we’ve seen in recent years,” Dawson said. “It’s a lot more profitable than your normal burglaries and robberies, and it’s perceived that there’s less chance of getting caught, as well, because the identity thief can live in Wylie or Sydney, Australia. You never know, because it operates off the World Wide Web a lot of times.”

The class, expected to last about two hours, will discuss common ways police sees identities being stolen – such as by leaving purses in carts while shopping – and how to combat them.

“People often don’t pay attention to their credit, and a lot of times they don’t even know their credit has been harmed until they go out to buy a car or something,” Dawson said. “Thieves can go through your mail or dig through your trash.”

Dawson suggested buying a paper shredder to destroy sensitive information. “When in doubt, shred,” he said. “A lot of people are trained to shred things with company names, account numbers or amounts that they owe, but nobody ever thinks about shredding personal information.”

And while law enforcement typically sees an increase in most crimes around the holidays and during the summer, Dawson said identity theft occurs year-round – it’s a crime of opportunity.

If identity theft is suspected, Dawson recommended people contact their financial institution, shut down their savings accounts and open new ones with different account numbers. Report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission and file a police report, he said.

The identity theft protection seminar is part of a three-class series offered by the Crime Prevention Unit to educate residents and promote a safe community. For more information, call 972-208-8045.

For continued coverage, follow Brittany Feagans on Twitter.

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Article source: http://starlocalmedia.com/planocourier/news/free-seminar-aims-to-help-prevent-identity-theft/article_9095d6c0-beca-11e4-b8d5-03cdb20c064e.html

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Imagine you were President, or Speaker of the House, and one day you woke up and discovered that you had an extra $5.8 billion dollars to spend. What would you do with the cash? A new aircraft carrier (or half of one, anyway)? Perhaps a couple of bridges to somewhere or a new highway? A quaint premise, indeed, but not as far-fetched as you might think, considering the amount of money American taxpayers have been losing to taxpayer identity theft.

The Treasury Department was drained of an estimated $5.8 billion in tax refunds by identity thieves filing fraudulent returns during the 2013 tax-filing season. True story, according to the Government Accountability Office, which delivered the bad news earlier this month. The IRS was able to prevent the loss of another $24.2 billion during the same time period.

Earlier this month, the software giant Intuit temporarily suspended electronic filing of all state tax returns following a marked uptick in what appeared to be fraudulent filings. And with major data breaches like Anthem’s recent debacle compromising Americans’ Social Security numbers, identity thieves are getting their hands on all of the pieces of our personally identifying information they need to commit tax identity theft.

More From Credit.com: How to Protect Yourself From Taxpayer Identity Theft

The $5.8 billion in refunds issued in 2013 were paid to identity thieves who filed fraudulent returns using stolen names, Social Security numbers and fake W-2 forms. With tax identity theft skyrocketing in recent years, it doesn’t appear anyone knows how to stop the problem. To put this into perspective, we are currently losing the equivalent of Chad’s annual GDP. We’re talking about a whole lot of money here.

I asked members of Congress where that money could have made a difference. Here’s how they replied. (A quick note: Several Republican members of Congress were asked to comment and declined.)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

“$5.8 billion could have increased the National Institutes of Health budget for the year by more than 15 percent. Right now, NIH can fund only one in six research proposals, and many young researchers are getting discouraged and leaving the field. Think how many young researchers could have had their careers launched with that $5.8 billion–and think about the breakthroughs on Alzheimer’s or autism or diabetes that they might have made.”

More From Credit.com: 5 Things an Identity Thief Can Do With Your Social Security Number

Sen. Gary C. Peters, D-Mich.

“Cracking down on identity theft and false tax returns would not only save American families from financial hardship and frustration, it would free up funds to reinvest in our nation’s future. I would divide the $5.8 billion in savings between the Head Start Program and basic science research at the National Science Foundation. The Head Start Program is one of the most successful federal programs we have. Providing critical education, health, nutrition and social services to low-income families helps ensure that all American children have a chance to succeed in school, regardless of their ZIP code. The National Science Foundation funds all fields of fundamental science, research and engineering — the seeds that will grow our future economy. Investing in scientific research is critical to increasing America’s competitiveness, driving innovation and creating new jobs.”

More From Credit.com: What to Do If You’re a Victim of Identity Theft

Doubtless, there are countless projects that might be jump-started or enhanced with $5.8 billion.

If we didn’t turn the $5.8 billion into new programs or to bolster existing ones, there’s a more direct way to deploy it. That money could be invested in initiatives that would educate and protect consumers and businesses against the perils of data breaches and identity theft. What could you do with that kind of money? I’m going out on a limb here, but I think it might be possible to keep more money in the Treasury and limit its refund to rightful taxpayers by investing in even more sophisticated filtering systems as well as more people on the job to make tax filing, taxpayer vetting and the tax fraud remediation processes more efficient and effective.

Hopefully, the observations by our lawmakers will draw attention to the continuing disaster of identity theft and the desperate need for the government to step up its efforts to stem the outgoing tide of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars. So, what would you do with the $5.8 billion?

Any opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author.

Adam Levin is chairman and co-founder of Credit.com and Identity Theft 911. His experience as former director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs gives him unique insight into consumer privacy, legislation and financial advocacy. He is a nationally recognized expert on identity theft and credit.

Article source: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/58-billion-government-lost-tax-id-theft/story?id=29255838

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Article source: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/marysville/news/2015/02/27/police-beat-taxpayers-report-two-new-identity-theft-cases.html

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TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)- The Attorney General’s Office is celebrating National Consumer Protection Week this week with free document destruction.

Specifically, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says he wants Kansans to protect themselves from identity theft and stay safe from scams.

There are 10 locations throughout the state. One in Manhattan this Wednesday, March 4th from 4-6 p.m. .at Cico Park.

And then here in the capital city on Saturday March 7th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Stormont Vail parking lot.

Article source: http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/Free-Document-Destruction-This-Week-To-Protect-From-Identity-Theft-294570921.html

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Identity theft has been making headlines for nearly two decades, and Americans are fed up. Unfortunately, the crime has shown no signs of letting up anytime soon.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft was consumers’ biggest complaint of the year in 2014. But that’s nothing new. ID theft has topped the consumer complaint list for the past 15 years.

The FTC received nearly 333,000 identity theft complaints in 2014, 13 percent of their total complaints. Americans also report an increase in the number of imposter scams.

“While identity theft remains a huge issue, consumers should also keep a close eye out for imposter scams,” said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Whether it’s pretending to be the IRS during tax season, or making false promises of a lottery win, scammers are increasingly sophisticated in their efforts to deceive consumers, but the FTC will continue working to shut these scammers down.”

These complaints and more are detailed in the newly released Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, which includes complaints received by the FTC, as well as state and federal law enforcement agencies, national consumer protection organizations and non-governmental organizations.

In total, about 2.6 million complaints were received and logged into the network data book in 2014. Some states had more than their fair share of fraudulent activity, the FTC said.

Florida was the top source of complaints per capita both for identity theft and fraud and other complaints. For fraud and other complaints, Georgia and Nevada had the second and third highest per capita complaint rates, while Washington and Oregon were in the second and third position for identity theft complaints.

Other top consumer complaints received by the FTC were issues with debt collectors, phone and cable companies and banks.

There are ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft. Click here for 10 great tips.

Have you had any experience with identity theft? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.

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Article source: http://www.moneytalksnews.com/ftc-identity-theft-consumers-top-complaint-imposters-the-rise/

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Scammers are busy targeting government records to
steal your identity, according to a report from the Federal Trade Commission.

The
FTC report cites identity theft as the No. 1 consumer complaint of 2014, putting it at the top of the list for the 15
^th consecutive year. Of 2.6 million complaints made to the commission, state and federal law enforcement agencies, national consumer protection organizations and nongovernmental organizations, 13 percent were about identity theft, with debt collection and impostor scams accounting for 11 percent each.

Separately, the Identity Theft Resource Center
reported 783 data breaches in 2014, a spike of 27.5 percent from 2013.

Once again, the most common way for thieves to impersonate someone else was through misusing government documents and records. That type of identity theft has decreased, however, accounting for 46 percent of all complaints in 2012 compared with 39 percent of all grievances in 2014. Credit card fraud became a more common form of identity theft, increasing from 14 percent of all complaints in 2012 to 17 percent in 2014.

This relatively frequent fraud involving wage, tax and credit card records is likely why the FTC says Americans older than 20 and younger than 60 are most at risk of being impersonated by a scammer, since they are more likely to be steadily employed and to use credit accounts.

[READ: Silicon Valley’s Cybersecurity and Spying Headaches]

Florida was home by far to the most consumer grievances, tallying 200,000 for fraud and other complaints and 37,059 related to identity theft. Washington notched the second-highest number of complaints related to identity theft – 10,930 – followed by Oregon, Missouri and Georgia.

Georgia was
among the states that experienced an apparent spike in potentially fraudulent tax returns being filed through the TurboTax software. Such complaints led the
FBI last month to open an investigation into whether a data breach paved the way for scam artists attempting to steal tax refunds, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Identity theft, like many cybersecurity problems, can often be prevented by using better online habits to
protect your personal information.

Sharing government information like Social Security numbers online, outside of a protected site for a legitimate service like a bank, can make it easier for thieves to
obtain and misuse credentials. And Web advertisements or emails promising deals that sound too good to be true are often hoaxes designed to scam people into giving away vital information.

Tax returns also are a favorite target of online thieves, so be wary of services that make filing a return extremely easy, especially if they offer the use of
mobile or tablet applications that may have inferior privacy protections or security policies. The FTC recommends thoroughly researching a tax preparation service before using one.

Shredding correspondence like tax documents once they are no longer needed is another way to prevent identity theft, while
enacting a credit freeze that blocks people from accessing your credit report or opening an account without permission can prevent information from being misused if your wallet falls into the wrong hands.

Article source: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/02/identity-theft-remains-top-consumer-complaint-ftc-says

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Three suspects made initial court appearances Monday in connection to an alleged identity theft and forgery ring after an informant provided information to investigators.

Klayton Kidrick is charged with felony theft of identity, felony forgery and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Cody Smith is charged with accountability to forgery and identity theft, both felonies.

Wava Husemoller is charged with identity theft, forgery, felony drug possession and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to court documents, investigators with the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant for Husemoller’s residence Saturday and found personal information including credit card information, pay stubs, tax information, bank statements, student loan information and credit card receipts. They reported finding a printer with a fraudulent credit card inside, photocopies of credit cards, drug paraphernalia and baggies with residue that tested as methamphetamine.

Charging documents say the investigators also obtained a warrant for Kidrick’s residence where they reported finding additional receipts, a Social Security card, a military ID, a credit card, photocopies of other credit cards and more drug paraphernalia.

The report says Kidrick admitted to making fraudulent payroll checks and cashing them. He also said he was attempting to make credit cards, but was not successful, according to court documents. Court reports say investigators located all three suspects at Kidrick’s location, where it appeared credit cards were being made.

Court documents indicate all three suspects have multiple convictions on their records. The reports say Kidrick and Husemoller have previous forgery convictions, and Smith has previous drug-related convictions.

Kidrick posted the requested $25,000 bond. The state requested Husemoller’s bond be set at $25,000 and Smith’s be set at $10,000.

Article source: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2015/03/02/three-arrested-forgery-identity-theft-charges/24273439/

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Article source: http://www.gazettextra.com/20150301/tax_identity_theft_victim_8220if_it_can_happen_to_us_it_can_happen_to_anybody

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Robert Scott Jack took precautions most people never dream of to prevent tax identity theft.

Jack, a retired federal cybersecurity expert in Alexandria, Va., who now works as a consultant, shunned online tax-preparation programs that store data on the Internet. He researched the security features of different software programs and opted for a packaged—not downloaded—product. He checked the package for signs of tampering before loading it into his secure home computer.

Yet soon after he tried to electronically file his federal tax return through TurboTax

INTU, +1.08%

 on Feb. 14, the company told him it been rejected because someone already had filed using his Social Security number.

“I was disappointed and frustrated,” Jack says. He knew that “sweeping up the broken glass” would take three days of scrambling to lock down financial accounts, plus many more months of waiting for resolution.

Plenty of other taxpayers are feeling the same frustration.

In early February, a surge of fraudulent state tax returns forced Intuit , the maker of TurboTax—by far the most popular tax-prep program—to suspend state e-filings for 24 hours.

Several states, including Utah, Kentucky, North Dakota and Minnesota, suspended processing returns for a few days. State officials were alarmed because many of the false filings included data apparently drawn from taxpayers’ 2013 tax returns.

Since then there have been many reports of fraudulent federal returns linked to TurboTax that also apparently used 2013 information.

Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal division are probing the issues at TurboTax, according to a person familiar with the matter, and Congress is looking into them as well. A spokeswoman for Intuit says the company isn’t the target of an FBI investigation, and Chief Executive Brad Smith says that the company hasn’t had a data breach.

Much remains unclear about this year’s rash of fraudulent filings—especially how they compare in size or success to others, or whether they affected a disproportionate number of TurboTax users.

While the IRS publishes little data on tax identity theft, information released by others points to a serious issue. According to Government Accountability Office reports, the IRS lost an estimated $5.8 billion to fraudulent refund claims in 2013, the most recent data available, while blocking about $24 billion in attempts. In 2013 there were almost 2 million suspected tax identity theft incidents, compared with about 440,000 in 2010, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Curbing this type of theft may require multiple efforts by businesses, the IRS and Congress, says Neal O’Farrell, a cybersecurity specialist at the Identity Theft Council, a nonprofit advocacy group in Walnut Creek, Calif. But there are steps people can take to help prevent tax identity theft—and to cope after it happens.

Ask for an IP PIN. The IRS issues victims of tax identity theft a six-digit Identity Protection PIN for use in filing returns once cases have been resolved. Returns can’t be filed without the number, and the taxpayer receives a new one every year.

But you don’t have to be a victim to obtain such a PIN. Starting this year, an IRS pilot program is giving PINs to people who filed federal returns as residents of Georgia, Florida and the District of Columbia last year. (These are the areas with the highest percentage rate of tax identity theft.) To get one, apply at the IRS website.

The IRS also recently sent letters offering PINs to about 1.7 million people who were selected because the agency had seen suspicious activity in their accounts.

In addition, people who are potential victims of identity theft—be it from a stolen purse or a data breach—can notify the IRS by filing Form 14039, “Identity Theft Affidavit,” and checking Box 2. The IRS may or may not grant a PIN, but filing the form could qualify taxpayers for other heightened security measures, according to an IRS spokeswoman.

Andy Mattson, a certified public accountant at Moss Adams in Campbell, Calif., hasn’t been a victim of identity theft. But he received a PIN from the IRS after a 2012 data breach of South Carolina’s tax system exposed the information of 3.8 million individuals, including his—because he prepares corporate tax returns filed there.

Mattson urges everyone who is at risk to file Form 14039. “It only takes a few minutes and could save many hours of your time or a professional’s,” he says.

Shun email links and attachments. Realistic-looking emails can harbor malware that could steal your information—a practice known as phishing. The massive South Carolina data breach, for example, occurred after state tax employees opened links in phishing emails, according to an official report.

Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/protect-yourself-from-tax-identity-theft-2015-03-03

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CHICAGO (AP) _ Consumer debt issues and identity theft topped the list of complaints to the Illinois attorney general’s office in 2014.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan released the annual top-ten list of consumer complaints on Monday. Other top complaints dealt with the telecommunications, construction, home improvement and car sales industries.

Madigan also unveiled a legislative initiative proposing to update and strengthen Illinois’ data breach notification law, the Personal Information Protection Act, which was first passed in 2005. Madigan says more needs to be done to protect sensiive information in light of massive data breaches last year.

Madigan’s office received nearly 21,800 complaints last year. Consumer debt was the top concern for the seventh year in a row. It included complaints related to mortgage lending, debt collection practices and payday loan companies.

Article source: http://fox2now.com/2015/03/02/consumer-debt-identity-theft-top-illinois-consumer-gripes/

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As if tax season weren’t miserable enough, now there’s something else to worry about: thieves who steal your identity then file returns and take your refund.

The Internal Revenue Service, feared for its ability to come down hard on tax cheats, is proving an easy mark for fraudsters. In 2013, crooks succeeded in stealing $5.8 billion in fraudulent refunds on 1 million returns. (The IRS says it stopped or recovered $24 billion in refund theft.)

IRS commissioner: Congress can help

Criminals are often one step ahead of federal and, more recently, state tax collectors — leaving victims stuck with a costly, time-consuming mess.

Among the worst problems:

• W-2 scams. As crazy as this sounds, the IRS issues many refunds before it receives W-2 forms that establish a filer’s earnings, a procedure tailor-made for scam artists. They don’t need to know the filer’s income to pull off a fraud. Instead, they steal a Social Security number, invent an income number and claim a refund. The IRS spot checks to uncover W-2 problems but reaches only a tiny number of returns.

• Fraudulent preparers. Anyone with an “electronic filing identification number,” which is issued by the IRS to accountants and other tax preparers, can file taxes in bulk. The trouble is, the scammers steal the numbers or get one issued to them, set up shop and file scores of returns with stolen names and Social Security numbers. They load the refunds on debit cards, supposedly for “clients,” and make off with the cash without having to go to a bank, The Miami Herald reported recently. It’s “tax fraud on steroids,” a prosecutor told the newspaper.

• Cumbersome responses. The IRS has thrown thousands of bodies at the problem and streamlined its reaction, both good moves. Even so, the agency has repeatedly rejected a sensible approach recommended by the National Taxpayer Advocate: assigning victims a single contact person to shepherd their cases through to resolution. After reporting the theft and filing Form 14039, victims are often bounced among IRS employees each time they call to check the status of their case. A single contact could prevent duplication of work and help worried victims.

Blame for this mess is shared by Congress, which has slashed IRS funding, making it difficult to mount defenses that might prevent fraud. Accelerating W-2 deadlines would also require congressional action.

Even good ideas for combating refund theft sometimes fail in execution. The IRS ran a pilot program last year in Florida, Georgia and Washington, D.C., to provide PIN numbers not only to theft victims but to all taxpayers as a second way to validate identity. But the poorly publicized program drew less than 1% of eligible taxpayers.

If anything, tax identity theft is an expanding problem. Last month, thieves turned to state tax returns filed through TurboTax, and the company was forced to suspend service for a day.

Refund thieves have victimized millions of taxpayers, who are victimized again when they get tossed into the IRS bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, the government loses billions of dollars.

The IRS needs to step up its game, and Congress needs to give the agency enough resources to keep up with the criminals.

USA TODAY’s editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.

To read more editorials, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion e-mail newsletter.

Article source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/03/02/irs-identity-theft-taxes-w-2-social-security-editorials-debates/24282391/

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WASHINGTON — Florida remained the hotspot for fraud and identity theft in 2014, burdened by the highest per-person rate of consumer complaints in the nation.

Among metro areas, South Florida topped the list for ID-theft complaints for the fifth year in a row, according to figures released by the Federal Trade Commission.

But complaints from the region have dwindled from prior years, a sign that an intense federal and local crackdown has had an impact.

Florida — long known for flimflam, bogus swamp sales and Medicare fraud — was home to seven of the top 20 metro areas for consumer fraud complaints last year. The state is the third most populous with 19.9 million but has the highest fraud rate by far.

Still, the latest data on South Florida is a victory of sorts: The reported identity thefts are about half that of 2012, the peak of this ubiquitous crime in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

“The numbers are getting better,” said Cindy Liebes, FTC southeast regional director, who has traveled from Atlanta in previous years to warn of identity theft at town hall meetings throughout South Florida.

Computer hacking that exposed consumer information from companies such as Target and Home Deport has exacerbated the long-standing problem, the National Consumers League warned Tuesday.

“Data breaches regularly expose sensitive personal information about millions of Florida consumers on cyber-crime black markets,” said John Breyault, vice president of the Consumers League. “Without reforms in Washington to better protect consumers’ data, high identity-theft rates could become the ‘new normal’ for consumers in Florida and around the country.”

He said thieves and scammers apparently are attracted to Florida for a host of reasons: Its lack of state income tax means less scrutiny from state officials. Its transient population makes it easier for hit-and-run operators to blend in. Its large senior population provides a tempting target of savings and vulnerabilities. And its fast development “means a lot of new money floating around.”

What I learned when thieves stole my identity Mc Nelly Torres ‘Sun Sentinel’ reporter learns firsthand about identity theft ‘Sun Sentinel’ reporter learns firsthand about identity theft ( Mc Nelly Torres ) –>

More than 200,000 fraud-related complaints poured in from Floridians last year, the highest per-person rate in the nation, with 1,007 complaints per 100,000 of population. Florida’s high rate was followed by Georgia and Nevada.

More than 37,000 Floridians complained of identity theft, giving the state the highest rate — 186 per 100,000 — followed by Washington and Oregon.

Among metro areas, Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach had 18,428 ID-theft complaints, the nation’s highest rate of 316 per 100,000.

Next highest were Seattle, St. Louis, Tallahassee and the Naples area. Jacksonville had the ninth highest rate, Fort Myers the 11th highest, Port St. Lucie 12th, Lakeland/Winter Haven 13th, and Orlando/Kissimmee/Sanford tied with Tampa for 17th.

Many of the thefts are discovered when taxpayers are unable to file their returns because an identity thief had already sent a return using their names.

In early 2013, officials from the IRS called South Florida one of the “twin epicenters” in the state for tax-related identity theft and vowed to continue a crackdown. In a year, the federal agency tripled the number of investigations, doubled the number of IRS staffers working on tax-related identity theft and beefed up its computer software to ferret out fraudulent returns.

Florida is fertile territory for crooks making counterfeit credit cards William E. Gibson, The hottest scam in Florida, growing across the state and spreading nationwide, is the mass production of counterfeit credit cards embedded with account numbers of unwitting consumers. The hottest scam in Florida, growing across the state and spreading nationwide, is the mass production of counterfeit credit cards embedded with account numbers of unwitting consumers. ( William E. Gibson, ) –>

The IRS included two Florida cases in its top 10 identity theft prosecutions last year. Keven Cimeus, of Miami, was sentenced to 156 months in prison after federal agents found more than 2,400 Social Security numbers and names stored on thumb drives, laptops, an iPad and his email account. And Tanya Fox, of Orlando, was sentenced in October to 240 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $4 million for a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns using stolen identities taken from the Orange County Health Department.

Fighting ID theft also became the top priority for the FBI’s 800 employees who work between Fort Pierce and Key West.

Local law enforcement also stepped up. Last year, for example, the Hollywood Police Department launched an economic crimes unit that investigates crimes including identity theft and fraud.

The National Consumer League, a private nonprofit advocacy group, said the report shows the need for Congress to increase penalties for malicious computer hacking and to require companies to meet data-security standards to safeguard consumer information.

The group also provided these tips for consumers:

Resist clicking on suspicious links or attachments in emails, text messages or on the Web. These often contain malware that can hijack your computer and steal sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers, user-names, passwords and dates of birth.

File your taxes early. The FTC identified tax-related identity theft as a top source of identity theft complaints. Scammers file in someone else’s name early in tax season and collect fraudulent returns before the legitimate taxpayer has filed his or her return.

Create strong and unique passwords using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid using common words or names in your password and don’t use the same password across multiple websites.

Review your credit reports regularly and report any suspicious activity promptly.

Wgibson@Tribune.com, 202-824-8256

Copyright © 2015, Sun Sentinel

Article source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-florida-leading-fraud-id-theft-20150303-story.html

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CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids man who used another person’s identity to apply for a credit card pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court.

Terry L. Gantt, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of identity theft in U.S. District Court.

Gantt admitted in court he used the identity and social security number of “G.D.” to apply for credit with Western Sky Financial LLC in October 2012 through February 2013. He also falsely claimed he was G.D. in a telephone application to Western Sky Feb. 5, 2013, but the financial company didn’t approve the application.

Sentencing will be set after the court has received a pre-sentencing report. Gantt faces a mandatory, minimum sentence of two years and up to 22 years in federal prison, a $500,000 fine and four years of supervised release following any prison time.

Article source: http://www.kcrg.com/subject/news/cedar-rapids-man-pleads-guilty-to-wire-fraud-identity-theft-20150303

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An Arnaudville woman who was wanted by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office for 94 counts of identity theft turned herself in Tuesday morning, according to Capt. John Babin, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

LPSO released information Monday about Megan Danielle Dugard, 26, who faces 94 counts of identity theft with an aggregate monitory loss of $67,000.

She is being held at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center with a $237,500 bond. It is unclear how much jail time Dugard could face if convicted.

“Because there are so many victims, it’s hard to say,” Babin said. “It depends on whether each is charged individually or all together.”

A sheriff’s office investigation found that Dugard obtained personal information of victims and applied for loans using this information. Dugard was known to frequent theCoteauRodaire Highway in Arnaudville.

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Article source: http://klfy.com/2015/03/03/arnaudville-woman-wanted-for-identity-theft-turns-herself-in/

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IdentityTheftSolutionTips

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission released the list of top complaints received by it’s Consumer Sentinal Data Network – which gathers complaints not only directly from consumers to the FTC but also from law enforcement agencies (state and federal), and national consumer protection agencies. Leading the pack for the 15^th consecutive year: Identity theft.

In 2014, 12.7 million U.S. consumers were victimized to the tune of $16 billion, according to a report released this week by Javelin Strategy and Research (which is backed by Lifeblock, which I work with to educate consumers on ID theft). The firm’s 2015 Identity Fraud Study notes that this represents a 3% drop in victims, from last year.

So here’s my question: Are we making progress in the fight against ID theft? Or not?

The answer is decidedly wishy-washy and somewhat disappointing: Sort-of. Yes, fewer people were taken advantage of, says Al Pascual, director of fraud and security for Javelin. But you have to consider everything that happened in 2014. “Last year wasn’t a record for breaches,” he says. “But it captured the public’s attention. In the Target


TGT



breach, 95% of [debit and credit] cards were replaced. You had state attorneys general coming out of the woodwork demanding credit monitoring and other protection for victims.” With all of that, he points out, the best we could manage was a 3% decline.

In the details of both of these batches of data, however, lie new ways consumers should be on their guard. (And note: If you’re tired of this, that’s just too bad. You’re tired of commuting to work and ordering salad when you really want a burger, too. Welcome to 2015.)

Credit monitoring isn’t a cure-all. ID theft crimes fall into two distinct buckets: Hassle and heinous. Card fraud, where someone steals your credit card or debit card number and uses it to make purchases, is the first. It’s a pain, but you can shut it down and even if money was pulled out of your checking account, you’ll get it back. New account fraud, where someone uses your identifying info to take out a loan, is the second. Unfortunately, the Javelin research found that victims are three times as likely to take a year or more to discover what’s going on. That opens the door for the fraudster to use the identity for other illicit purposes – like applying for a job (as you) or filing for your tax refund. Credit monitoring services can help you keep your eye on the ball, but it’s important to note that they don’t all work the same. You want to be notified if someone is applying for a loan in your name in minutes or hours, says Pascual, rather than weeks or months.

Impersonation theft is on the rise. According to the FTC, there has been a rise in so-called impersonation crimes. A close cousin of phishing, but with a governmental bent, you’ll typically receive a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS. This person may know all or part of your Social Security Number as well as other identifying details and the call may look like it originates from a Washington, DC area code. The upshot is always: You owe taxes or penalties. How would you like to pay? Hang up. The IRS will not reach out to you for payment over the phone. It’s old school and sends letters instead. (And keep in mind, phishing is still a problem, too. If you’re contacted by any institution that you do business with asking for a payment or identifying information, hang up. If you suspect that it may be legitimate, call the credit card company – or whomever – directly. You should always be the initiator, not the recipient, of these interactions.

Chip cards aren’t going to solve everything. Perhaps you’ve already been issued a credit card with a shiny metal chip. If not, it’s coming soon. “We’re expecting broad penetration [of this technology] by 2018,” Pascual says. That will decidedly reduce the Target-like breaches because thieves will no longer be able to steal your credit card data and print it on fake cards. As a result, he predicts, breaches like the recent Anthem Health


WLP



theft – where millions of Social Security Numbers were pilfered – “will explode.” That will likely lead to growth in new account fraud. Which brings us back to the number one piece of advice for consumers. Protect your credentials — the fewer people and institutions you can give your Social Security Number to, the better – and your mobile devices. Passwords, please.

Give the students in your life a heads up. We like to think of millennials as being more tech-savvy, says Stephen Coggeshall, Chief Analytics and Science Officer for ID Analytics. The darker side of that is that they’re more open with their personal information. Young people engage in what Coggeshall calls “bad social network behavior” like broadcasting their dates of birth on their Facebook accounts. Perhaps that’s one reason that despite being less concerned with protecting their identity, they’re more likely to be victimized. In particular, they’re five times more likely to be victims of “familiar fraud” or being taken advantage of by someone you know. “Students are not doing a good job of protecting their information from dorm mates or other fast friends,” he says.

Article source: http://fortune.com/2015/03/04/identity-theft-4-trends-to-watch/

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IdentityTheftSolutionTips

It’s tax season — which means payday for many criminals.

The Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday that tax-related identity theft is on the rise. In 2014, the IRS conducted over 1,000 identity theft-related investigations. There were also 748 sentencings connected to identity theft crimes, representing an increase of 75 percent over 2013.

The IRS also released its list of the “Top Ten Identity Theft Cases” in 2014. Many relied on scams that tricked victims into revealing sensitive personal information. One Ohio man, for instance, set up an online charity website and got victims to provide their names and Social Security numbers, which were then used to file more than 500 false tax returns. Then last month, the IRS warned of a phishing scam in which a bogus email asked tax preparers to provide identification numbers that could then be leveraged to steal more personal information.

Cyber-security expert Dan Feekes, of mobile security firm IdentaChip, says phishing scams like these are all too common and it’s getting increasingly easy for criminals to steal people’s information.

“Nothing prevents anyone from going and using your TurboTax or something to go file under a different name and have the federal return – your refund – wired to a bank account that’s not yours,” Feekes said.

While personal data stored by companies in the cloud could be hacked and stolen, Feekes says many individuals are not taking as many precautions as they could to protect their data.

“The analogy I’d use is that there’s a bear in the woods and there’s two people standing there. You kind of just need to be faster than the next person standing beside you to get away from the bear,” Feekes said.

Translation? The more challenging a person makes it for hackers to obtain personal information, the more likely they are to just move on to an easier target.

Here are some of the tips Feekes shared on how to better protect your personal information:

1) Create stronger passwords.

Feekes and other experts say the most secure passwords are ones that use a long string of characters, often featuring made-up or non-English words. Then, create more complexity by using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as adding numbers and symbols.

2) Vary passwords, and change them frequently.

The strongest password in the world isn’t very good protection at all if it’s used for 95 different sites over a number of years. Feekes says people are best off if they change their passwords frequently (monthly or quarterly), and if they use different passwords for different websites and log-ins.

3) Use anti-virus and anti-malware software.

The anti-virus software available to the public doesn’t catch every bug (Feekes says most are based on relatively dated technology), but they’re better than nothing.

4) Encrypt your data.

Feekes described encryption as “scrambling data,” making it harder to read. Using encryption software to safeguard the personal information on your devices will add another layer of protection, though Feekes warned that even encryption technology won’t always work against sophisticated hackers.

Article source: http://www.news10.net/story/news/2015/03/03/irs-identity-theft-tax-refund-scams-on-the-rise/24339045/

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A Roseville woman has been convicted by a federal jury in Sacramento for her role in a bank fraud and identity theft scheme.

Rachel Siders, 39, on Monday was found guilty of bank fraud, making a false loan application and committing aggravated identity theft, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release. The verdict followed a weeklong trial before U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez.

According to evidence presented during the trial, in 2008 Siders and co-defendant Theo Adams applied for a home equity line of credit in the name of Adams’ relative on a underwater property that Adams owned in Roseville. As part of the false loan application, Siders and Adams submitted false tax returns for the relative with significantly inflated income.

They also submitted mortgage application documents with forged signatures. Siders, a notary public at the time, falsely notarized the loan application documents, which were sent to Washington Mutual Bank as part of the mortgage application. The bank relied on the falsely notarized documents and false tax returns in deciding to provide a $250,000 line of credit. Siders received $170,000 of the proceeds and Adams received the rest. They made minimal payments on the line of credit and the loan defaulted.

Federal prosecutors said Siders was convicted of counts related to this transaction. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on counts related to a second transaction.

Siders is to be sentenced June 9 by Judge Mendez.

Adams pleaded guilty on Sept. 3 and has yet to be sentenced.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the FBI.

Call The Bee’s Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article12341846.html

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