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Posts Tagged “
Theft
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Bad Consumer
Google now helps catch criminals. The FBI identified a Citibank PIN thief by cross-referencing security camera footage with an ICQ handle and personal photos on ham radio enthusiasts sites. [Information Week]
citibank
Here's What The World Of ATM Hacking Looks Like
Wired has been covering the ongoing investigation into recurring ATM pin thefts from Citibank accounts, and their latest article tracks how Ukrainian immigrants, a ringleader back in Russia, a hacked company named Fiserv that runs Citibank-branded ATMs in 7-Elevens, and an online payment service that also offers money laundering for a small fee all come together to steal your money. It's an amazing look at how the U.S. tries to combat the threat of ATM-related theft.
[The] undercover operation... at one point had Eastern European hackers chasing a female FBI agent through the streets of New York, trying to mug her for ATM-card-programming gear.
"Stakeouts, Lucky Breaks Snare Six More in Citibank ATM Heist" [Wired Threat Level] (Thanks to Robbie!)
(Photo: Getty)
rite-aid
Rite-Aid Made My Mom Think I Got Married Behind Her Back
Rebecca got one of those calls from her mother that everybody dreads. "Is there anything you think you should tell me?" her mother wanted to know. Rebecca's mom got a piece of junk mail with Rebecca's first name and her boyfriend's last name and was under the impression Rebecca had snuck off for a Vegas wedding. She hadn't. After Rebecca calmed her mother down, she tried to figure out how Rite-Aid, where both had worked for a time, had merged her name and her boyfriend's. When Rite-Aid gave her the run around, we advised Rebecca to try an EECB to get some answers. Read her email, inside. More »
Here's a new excuse for bad service: AT&T is being plagued by copper thieves in Tennessee. The thefts of copper cables "has caused disruptions to voice and data communications, as well as emergency calls, company officials said." [The Tennessean]
overdrafts
Bank of America charged Jason three overdraft fees for the hell of it, even though his account balance never approached $0. Jason called the bank for an explanation, and was told that due to some mathematical wormhole controlled exclusively by Bank of America, he now owed $105. Tired of the bank's nonsensical jibber-jabber, Jason printed out his statement and headed to the local branch...
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Bank Of America: Let's Charge Three Overdraft Fees To The Account Flush With Cash!
Bank of America charged Jason three overdraft fees for the hell of it, even though his account balance never approached $0. Jason called the bank for an explanation, and was told that due to some mathematical wormhole controlled exclusively by Bank of America, he now owed $105. Tired of the bank's nonsensical jibber-jabber, Jason printed out his statement and headed to the local branch...
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food
Nation's Largest Kosher Meat Packing Plant Raided On ID Theft Concerns
You might have a harder time finding kosher meat in the coming weeks, because the country's largest kosher meat packing plant, Agriprocessors, was raided this past Monday. At least 300 of its nearly 1000 employees were arrested for using fraudulently obtained Social Security numbers, and immigration officials have said they expect the number to go as high as 700. More »
sad
Tim Horton's Fires Single Mom For Giving A Free Donut Hole To A Baby
We pause this blog to bring you a message from Canada: A single mother has been fired by the iconic Canadian donut chain Tim Horton's for giving a free donut hole to a fussy baby. The chain said the worker was caught on video "stealing" the donut hole, which, in the mysterious Canadian language, is apparently called a "Timbit" and looks freaking delicious. Reader Chris, who alerted us to this story, explains: "It's important to understand that Tim Horton's is a Canadian national icon. That makes this story so much sadder." More »
sad
Reader Matt CC'd us on this sad email to Steve Jobs. It seems that some #$!@#$ at FedEx stole his Mother's Day gift right out of the box. Now he's asking Steve Jobs to help him get the stolen iPod replaced in time for Mother's Day.
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Dear Steve Jobs: FedEx Stole My Mom's Mother's Day iPod, Please Help!
Reader Matt CC'd us on this sad email to Steve Jobs. It seems that some #$!@#$ at FedEx stole his Mother's Day gift right out of the box. Now he's asking Steve Jobs to help him get the stolen iPod replaced in time for Mother's Day.
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scams
More Info On The $9.87 Credit Card Scam
MGD at dslreports read our post last night about Prophotosland.com and its fraudulent charge to reader Megan's credit card. He's been following the scammers—"an organized crime syndicate operated from Eastern Europe"—for nearly three years now, and has a ton of highly valuable information on them, including their recent targeting of military personnel stationed overseas. Bottom line: cancel your credit card, Megan, because they've got access to it now—and report the charge as fraudulent rather than dispute it. More »
scams
Watch Out For $9.87 Credit Card Scam From Prophotosland.com
A reader named Megan noticed an unfamiliar charge for $9.87 from prophotosland.com on her WaMu credit card statement, so she began to investigate it. Not only had she never heard of it, but there was no website that domain, and a Google search turns up hit after hit of scam and fraud reports at various websites. It seems to be but one of numerous fronts charging fraudulent $9.87 fees to credit cards. Read Megan's story below and be sure to check out this page for a list of other bogus companies to watch out for.More »
Copies of the new "Grand Theft Auto" game are being stolen by UPS drivers en route to retailers. Guess this game causes crime after all. [ArsTechnica]
security
FreeCreditReport.com Doesn't Practice Good Security Hygiene
You'd think a credit monitoring service—even one as skeevy as freecreditreport.com—would take great pains to keep up the appearance of security and confidentiality. You'd be wrong. When Brian called to cancel their service he was asked to call out his social security number and his mother's maiden name, even though it turned out they could easily access his account and cancel his service with only his phone number and birthday. Oh, and the first CSR hung up on him, but (sadly) that's not really very newsworthy anymore. More »
complaints
Microsoft Keeps Your Repaired XBox For 4 Months, Calls You A Thief For Wanting It Back
Microsoft hasn't returned Tiffany's XBox 360 for four months because they think she is a thief, even though she has her original receipt and a credit card statement proving that she is the console's rightful owner. Microsoft repaired the XBox back in January and tried to return it via FedEx, but a shipping snafu landed the box back at Microsoft's service center. Tiffany has called repeatedly. She even sent a letter to Microsoft's legal department, after sending her receipt and statement, asking how else she could prove ownership. That was 22 days ago. She has yet to receive a response. More »
identity theft
Collection Agency's Server Stolen; Had 700,000 Accounts On It
Indiana broke its own record for computer security breaches last month, when a server containing personal data on 700,000 people was stolen from the offices of Central Collection Bureau, a debt collection agency. The stolen data included names, personal billing information, last known addresses, and social security numbers of people who hold delinquent accounts with a variety of companies, including utilities and hospitals. The company said the server was behind "three locked doors" and "was protected by two passwords, but was not encrypted." More »
readers
Wal-Mart Holds Your Credit Card and ID Hostage When You Complain
When reader Steve went to Wal-Mart to buy Rock Star for his daughter, he reluctantly presented the cashier with a state issued ID containing just his picture, name and signature. Steve's job is to consult with law enforcement about identity theft, so he's more careful than the average bear. For one thing, he only likes to show his state issued-ID. The cashier, however, refused to accept it as a valid ID, and tense negotiations ensued. When Steve said he'd call corporate about their ID checking policy, the cashier refused to hand back Steve's credit card or ID until Steve spoke to an in store CSM. That's right, after he complained, the cashier held his credit card hostage. Check out the gory details, inside.More »
data theft
Data On Over 40,000 Patients Stolen From NYC Hospital
The New York Times is reporting this morning that an unnamed employee stole personal data on over 40,000 patients from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The theft "occurred over the past several years and included patients' names, phone numbers and Social Security numbers." As we've come to grimly expect in these cases, the hospital was made aware of the theft in January, and announced it publicly on Friday after an internal audit. "We obviously deeply regret that this has happened," said the hospital's spokeswoman, Ms. Manners. She also said that investigators are "looking into the possibility that the theft could be part of a larger criminal scheme." More »
good business practice
Redbox rents DVD movies via vending machine in drugstores and supermarkets throughout the country, and on Friday they announced that they'd found credit card skimmers attached to three of their kiosks. What's surprising is that they 'fessed up so quickly, and in a highly public manner—they've got the text "SECURITY ALERT" at the top and bottom of their website, and the email they sent to their members is detailed, forthright, and helpful, and reposted in its entirety—along with photos of sample card skimmers—on their site. Attempts at identity theft no longer surprise us, but a competent handling of the issue by a company is pretty amazing.
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Redbox Shows Businesses How To Properly Handle A Data Breach
Redbox rents DVD movies via vending machine in drugstores and supermarkets throughout the country, and on Friday they announced that they'd found credit card skimmers attached to three of their kiosks. What's surprising is that they 'fessed up so quickly, and in a highly public manner—they've got the text "SECURITY ALERT" at the top and bottom of their website, and the email they sent to their members is detailed, forthright, and helpful, and reposted in its entirety—along with photos of sample card skimmers—on their site. Attempts at identity theft no longer surprise us, but a competent handling of the issue by a company is pretty amazing.
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