identity theft
OPM: hackers accessed more than 5 million government workers’ fingerprints
individuals’ background check and security clearance data from as long as three decades ago. Last week, OPM admitted that during that breach, hackers accessed up to 5.6 million government workers’ fingerprints. Though the department did not disclose whose fingerprint data was compromised, the fingerprints are suspected to belong to military and intelligence personnel that maintain…
Read MoreBest way to prevent company cyber crime? Background screening, says study
In a recent study regarding cyber crime and company security, business professionals were asked what factors they deemed most important when it comes to protecting their companies against hacks, stolen data and other cyber crimes. While survey respondents had the option to choose from a variety of factors — such as physical security, access control…
Read MoreUber ‘safe ride’ fee getting taken to court
Uber introduced a “safe ride fee” of $1 per ride, intended to go toward improving safety for riders and pedestrians through driver background checks and drug screening. Two California residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber regarding that safe-ride fee. This suit is just one more thing in light of continued problems for the…
Read MoreCorporate screening services not utilized, resulting in IRS contractor scandal
The Internal Revenue Service became the subject of public scrutiny when a government investigation by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration revealed that the IRS had turned over the names, social security numbers and addresses of more than 1.4 million U.S. residents to a government contractor whose employees had not undergone background checks back…
Read MoreThe Secret Service Agent who sold cybercrooks fake IDs
In addition to being a talented ID forger, Celtic was a Secret Service agent. The government calls it “Operation Open Market,” a four-year investigation resulting, so far, in four federal grand jury indictments against 55 defendants in 10 countries, facing a cumulative millennium of prison time. What many of those alleged scammers, carders, thieves, and…
Read MoreFBI busts alleged, multi-state identity theft ring
With the aid of a confidential source, the FBI has arrested members of an alleged identity theft ring that stole more than $1.1 million while operating in California, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana and Texas. From its Southern California base, the group of seven individuals led by a convicted burglar/drug dealer/forger obtained bank customer identities…
Read MoreCouple orders a tie, receives employee social security numbers instead
What the couple actually got in the mail should is a cause for concern for all Gap employees: the confidential files of about 20 former employees, including Social Security numbers and W4 tax forms. “We totally laughed,” Dreyfuss, 29, said on Friday from her home in Cambridge, Mass. She had misgivings about the package as…
Read MoreLinkedIn keeping hackers at bay with two-step verification
Users of the professional social-networking site now have the option to add two-step verification to their accounts, which is designed to add another layer to the sign-in process when logging in from a new or unknown device. Those who opt in will have to enter their regular password, plus a numeric code that is sent to…
Read MoreIRS offers tips on identity protection
website recently, in order to protect taxpayers at this critical financial period of the year. We’ve re-purposed them and published below; take a look: 1. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or social media tools to request personal or financial information. The IRS does not send emails stating you are being electronically audited…
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