John at Needcoffee.com writes that he’s come to expect the occasional “damaged in transit” theft of items from packages he ships or receives, at least through the U.S Postal Service. With private carriers, however, he notes that he’s always had better luck. But last week he opened a box of DVDs shipped to him via FedEx to discover a rusty can of $5 house paint.
theft
DirecTV Installer Faces Seven Years Behind Bars After Stealing $5,400 From A Customer
By 7.20.08
21-year-old DirecTV installer Arthur Christian faces felony grand larceny charges after allegedly stealing $5,400 from a locked safe while working unsupervised in a customer’s basement.
Did UBS Help Rich Americans Hide Billions Of Dollars In Liechtenstein?
By 7.16.08
Following up on yesterday’s story about a disgruntled computer technician who turned over the bank records from the LGT Bank of Liechtenstein, ABC News says that UBS Bank may have helped set up the secret accounts and been responsible for hiding as much as $20 billion dollars of U.S. money.
Meet The Man Who Faked Heart Attacks To Escape Dinner Bills And Cab Fares
By 7.6.08
Police arrested Robert Farnham for “habitual criminality” and “fraud on a restaurant” after his doctor reported him for faking heart attacks to avoid paying bills. The Wisconsin resident, who has been caught pulling the same routine five times this year, most recently keeled over in Applebees to avoid paying $22.66 for a “steak, salad, mashed potatoes, a soda, a strawberry smoothie and a brownie.”
By 7.3.08
../../../..//2008/07/03/google-now-helps-catch-criminals/
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]
Here's What The World Of ATM Hacking Looks Like
By 6.26.08
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.
Bank Of America: Let's Charge Three Overdraft Fees To The Account Flush With Cash!
By 5.31.08
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 $105. Tired of the bank’s nonsensical jibber-jabber, Jason printed out his statement and headed to the local branch…
Tim Horton's Fires Single Mom For Giving A Free Donut Hole To A Baby
By 5.8.08
We pause this blog to bring you a message from Canada: A single mother has been fired by the iconic Canadian donut chain Tim Horton’s for giving a free donut hole to a fussy baby. The chain said the worker was caught on video “stealing” the donut hole, which, in the mysterious Canadian language, is apparently called a “Timbit” and looks freaking delicious. Reader Chris, who alerted us to this story, explains: “It’s important to understand that Tim Horton’s is a Canadian national icon. That makes this story so much sadder.”
Dear Steve Jobs: FedEx Stole My Mom's Mother's Day iPod, Please Help!
By 5.7.08
Reader Matt CC’d us on this sad email to Steve Jobs. It seems that some #$!@#$ 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.
More Info On The $9.87 Credit Card Scam
By 4.29.08
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.
Watch Out For $9.87 Credit Card Scam From Prophotosland.com
By 4.29.08
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.
By 4.28.08
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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]
FreeCreditReport.com Doesn't Practice Good Security Hygiene
By 4.25.08
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.
Microsoft Keeps Your Repaired XBox For 4 Months, Calls You A Thief For Wanting It Back
By 4.19.08 — Updated: 3.10.13
[protected-iframe id="b8f18f624db3162ddc3edeca28b1ece8-40783744-40309798" info="http://digg.com/api/diggthis.php?u=http://digg.com/xbox/Help_Microsoft_Thinks_I_m_A_Thief_For_Wanting_My_XBox_Back" width="55" height="82" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"]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.
Collection Agency's Server Stolen; Had 700,000 Accounts On It
By 4.19.08
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.”
