Mitch Lipka reports: McDonald’s is warning its customers of the theft of a database of customers who signed up for promotions, such as its Monopoly game. The data breach makes them vulnerable to phishing attacks and other scams and identity theft. McDonald’s stressed that its records don’t include financial information or Social Security Numbers. But it would…
Author: Dissent
Feds: Former dean hacked into system, sent students e-mail threats
Natasha Korecki reports on a wild case in the federal courts: It was 2007 when Kaplan University students received a disturbing message in their e-mail inboxes. “YOU ARE F—–!” was the subject heading. And it was signed by the head of the online school. “Your schools (sic) Web site has been Hacked!” the e-mail threatened….
NY: Flushing man sentenced for credit card scam
This story from the Buffalo News is the kind of story that I find frustrating in terms of reporting: A Flushing man was sentenced to a year in prison for stealing credit card numbers that were used to withdraw more than $510,000, U. S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. said. Cheng Si Chen, 58, was…
CA: Elk Grove man pleads guilty to card fraud
Richard Nuwintore, 42, of Elk Grove, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge William B. Shubb to one count of access device fraud. The plea was announced by United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner. According to court documents, Nuwintore used other people’s credit cards without their authorization to purchase airline tickets for himself and others….
VA: Alexandria Man Sentenced To 120 Months For Conspiracy and Aggravated Identity Theft
James S. Mooney, 44, of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced today to a total of 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Mooney was also ordered to forfeit and pay restitution in the amount of $40,762.26. Mooney initially pled not guilty and…
Simple fix to bank security breach: Close the blinds
Ivan Penn reports: Major financial institutions spend millions of dollars protecting private information from falling into the wrong hands. But even with all the high-tech gadgetry and sophisticated computer firewalls, sometimes they miss the simplest safeguards — like closing the blinds. Take the Bank of America branch office on the high pedestrian and vehicle traffic…