theft
Maybe this is why stores seem to be getting
more and more aggressive about
shoplifting: CNN says that retail theft in the US
jumped 8.8% over the past year, versus only 1.5% in the prior year. But you may be surprised (only if you've never worked retail) to see where most of the theft occurs.
More »
wire transfer fraud
MoneyGram International announced today that it would pay $18 million to the FTC to settle charges it allowed wire fraud to happen between 2004 and 2008. MoneyGram's press release notes that
they disagree with the FTC's view of the matter, but $18 million is a hell of a lot of money to pay if you don't think you were in the wrong. The press release from the FTC, on the other hand, provides plenty of
detail illustrating MoneyGram's negligence, as well as the criminal behavior of some of its employees who were in on the frauds.
More »
banned
Hey, we helped get an
Ameriprise customer banned from the financial company's consumer advisory panel! Sorry about that, Brendan.
More »
busted
When Florida businessman David Krop's two laptops were stolen from his car back in February, he didn't have much hope of getting them back. But he decided to try to log in using some remote access software he had installed on one of the computers. The software, LogMeIn, let him in, and he soon found himself seeing the world through new eyes. "Unaware that Krop was spying on his activities, the user of the Toshiba laptop visited porn site after porn site, taking breaks to check e-mail ... and place ads to Craigslist.com for what Krop said appeared to be some kind of female modeling business, " PC World reports. "My eyes just lit up," Krop says. "Just the fact he was online at that moment was amazing."
More »
crime
LiveLeak has posted surveillance
video footage from earlier this month of a guy in Brazil
installing a skimming device onto a bank ATM. The second half of the tape shows him being arrested and officials revealing the device, which just reminds us that the next time we use an ATM, we're first going to take off a shoe and hit everything on it like it's covered in giant ants. See the video below.
More »
bad neighbors
Fedex delivered a Florida woman's new laptop computer when she wasn't home. It was okay, though—her neighbor signed for it. Then, allegedly, he pawned it. Somehow, authorities tracked him down. Maybe it was the part where he signed his name.
More »
theft
Some last names are hard to live up to, such as "Rockefeller" or "Kennedy." Others...well, it's not so much of a challenge. For example, take UPS loader/unloader Brandon Loser of Florida, who is charged with stealing $53,000 worth of sunglasses while at work.
More »
skimmers
Credit card skimmers aren't just on ATMs and in grocery stores, apparently they're at
Taco Bell. The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that a ID
theft ring was busted for skimming credit card numbers at a Taco Bell as well as stealing cards from people's gym lockers.
More »
Really enthusiastic reporters
I've always found Apple Stores to be open and inviting. A team of thieves in New Jersey evidently agree with me. They smashed the front window of the Promenade at Sagemore store in Marlton, N.J. and cleaned out the display models. How long did it take them to steal 23 Macbook Pros, 14 iPhones, and 9 iPod Touches? Thirty-one seconds. Yes, there's surveillance video.
More »
negligence
[Note: The original headline for this post mistakenly identified Ameritrade as the subject of the post. It is actually Ameriprise Financial. I deeply regret the error.] Since March of this year, security expert Russ McRee of
HolisticInfoSec.org has sent 6 messages to Ameriprise Financial warning them of
easily exploitable security holes on their website. They ignored every request, while at the same time reassuring customers that "No one without the proper web browser configuration can view or modify information contained on our systems."
More »
don't be a hero
It's all well and good to be a hero. Just, if you're an employee of a Randalls grocery store, do it on your own time. That's what an employee at their Round Rock, Texas store learned when he was fired for recovering a customer's stolen purse.
More »
skimmers
Two men "of no fixed address" were
charged in Maryland earlier this month with tampering with an ATM and skimming funds. The men, currently in custody in Oklahoma for similar crimes, allegedly added a skimmer and camera to an ATM at a Maryland PNC bank in April, but police weren't notified of the tampering until May 20th.
More »
it's a trap
Two workers at JFK airport fell into a trap set by Delta Airlines and the
TSA, says the
Daily News. The two men are accused of stealing a Macbook Air and a T-Mobile Sidekick from decoy luggage. The first man, a TSA officer, was videotaped rummaging through a Miami-bound suitcase in an airport screening room while a baggage handler watched.
More »
crime
Hey dumb crooks, if you're going to rob a place be sure not to wear a uniform with your company's name on it and drive a van plastered with a nationally recognized logo. It makes it really easy for the police to catch you. On second thought, do just that, please.
More »
protection
Brian bought a new bike lock recently. What led him to purchase a nice, expensive lock from
On Guard was the package's promise that the lock came with insurance—if his bike was stolen while using the lock, the company would pay for a replacement. He asked a salesperson, who verified the information. Sweet! Then he went online to register his new lock, and learned how the bike lock "protection" really works.
More »