According to new court papers, Visa and Mastercard are saying that the TJ Maxx security breach actually affected 94 million accounts—more than double the amount that TJ Maxx reported.
ID theft
Verizon Worker Stole Customer's IDs
By 10.25.07
A woman who worked at a Verizon store at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, NY is accused of stealing the identities of more than 25 customers and using their personal information to obtain credit cards.
Mortgage Office Manager Charged With ID Theft, Grand Larceny
By 10.17.07
A branch manager of a Queens, NY mortgage company has been caught opening fake Home Depot accounts using personal information obtained from loan applications and has been charged with grand larceny, says the NYT.
Mr. Milton is an immigrant from Bangladesh who was granted political asylum by the United States who had a cable television program in Queens for fellow immigrants from his homeland, the police said.
Gap Says Laptop Containing Job Applicant Data Stolen
By 9.28.07
Gap is disclosing that a laptop filled with job applicant data has been stolen. The laptop contained the personal information of 800,000 job applicants, including social security numbers.
Guess Who's Not Getting Anything From The TJ Maxx Settlement? You!
By 9.25.07
Mouseprint.org has read the fine print and they say you’re probably out of luck when it comes to the TJ Maxx Settlement:
So, it is primarily shoppers who returned goods without a receipt during the relevant period who qualify for that part of the settlement. That amounts to some 455,000 people, a mere 1% of the total number possibly affected. These people have already received a direct notification of the breach from TJX, and will also be entitled to other compensation if they experienced actual losses.
TJ Maxx Settles Class Action Lawsuits
By 9.22.07
The announcement did not specify the settlement cost, but noted that its estimated costs were included in a $107 million reserve included in its second-quarter report for fiscal 2008 and its estimate of $21 million in costs expected in fiscal 2009. The $107 million figure includes costs from other lawsuits not included in the customer class actions, the Framingham-based company said.
Best Buy Sends The Police After You For Taking Your Loan Application Home
By 9.19.07
Here’s a weird situation from Orland Park, IL. Mike Quilty, who works for a subcontractor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, went to Best Buy to purchase a refrigerator.
Best Buy Employee Caught Stealing $13,000 In Gift Cards
By 8.31.07
Best Buy employee Olivia Bailey, 18, was accused last week of stealing $13,000 from a Best Buy store in Lawrence, NY by using fraudulently obtained credit card numbers to purchase gift cards.
IRS Still Warning People About Email Phishing Scams
By 8.28.07
The new IRS email phishing scam involves a fake customer satisfaction survey that asks for sensitive personal information such as your SSN, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and even the security code from the back of the card.
Notorious "ID Theft Gang" Arrested
By 8.17.07
We weren’t quite sure there even was something called an “ID theft gang,” but there must be because the ringleader of one has been arrested. A Russian con artist was caught posing as Charles J. Wyly Jr., friend of President Bush and former head of the craft-store chain Michael’s. The con artist was trying to pass a $7 million dollar check to a New York gold dealer.
You're Never Too Young To Have Your Identity Stolen
By 7.25.07
The NYT has an article about Gabriel Jimenez, a 25-year-old who has been battling an identity thief for half his life. His SSN was stolen and used by an illegal immigrant when he was 11, and it’s been a nightmare ever since.
Defense Contractor Suffers Potential Data Breach
By 7.22.07
Defense contractor SAIC Inc. transmitted personal information about US Military personel over the internet without encrypting it first, according to the LA Times.
Botnet Targeting Consumers Interested In iPhone
By 7.11.07
Ars Technica is reporting that a there is a 7,500-computer (and growing) botnet infected by a Trojan called Aifone.A.
Should Consumers Be Notified Of Every Data Breach?
By 7.10.07
The report claims that it has “no recommendations,” but the language of the report suggests otherwise. Consumer advocates are taking issue with the GAO’s “not-a-recommendation” of a risk-assessment plan, in part because they believe that every consumer who has been the victim of a data breach should know about it, and also because the connection between data breaches and ID theft is difficult to assess, thus making it somewhat unbelievable that an accurate and useful risk-assessment program could be created.
What's A Credit Freeze And How Can I Get One?
By 7.5.07
A credit freeze is a tool to prevent ID theft for those people who believe that their information has been compromised. If an ID thief applies for credit and your report is frozen, the thief will be denied.
AT&T Cold Calls You, Demands 4 Digits Of Your SSN, Disconnects Your Phone
By 6.20.07
Dustin paid the price for following Consumerist’s advice and never giving personal information to people who call and claim to be from your phone company or your gas company or your bank. Someone called Dustin claiming to be AT&T and demanding that he confirm the last 4 digits of his SSN. Dustin honestly thought, as we would, that it was a meth-addict trying to get his SSN.
Success Story: Woman Captures Her Own Identity Thief
By 6.15.07
Readers alerted us to a great story in today’s San Francisco Chronicle. A woman who lost $30,000 in business and six months of her life to a local identity thief captured her tormentor… on foot.
FBI: 1 Million US Computers Have Been Taken Over By Botnets
By 6.14.07
The FBI has tells us that they’ve found 1 million US computers that have been compromised and are being controlled and used for evil.
