Diane Krieger Spivak of the Post-Tribune reports that a laptop containing Social Security numbers and other personal information on approximately 50 victims of the September’s floods was stolen from a housing inspector’s car on November 4. There was no explanation of why a housing inspector was in possession of the laptop. A FEMA spokesperson acknowledged…
Author: Dissent
Rental Research Services, Inc. settles FTC charges that it sold credit reports to ID thieves
Rental Research Services, Inc. , a consumer reporting agency, and its principal, Lee Mikkelson, settled FTC charges that they failed to properly screen prospective customers and sold at least 318 credit reports to identity thieves. Under the settlement, the company and its principal must ensure that they provide credit reports only to legitimate businesses for…
AU: Bank confirms credit card fraud from Bottle Domains hack
On February 10, the Australian Domain Name Administrator (AuDA) reported that it had been notified by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) of a security incident involving domain registrar Bottle Domains. Another report at the time can be found here. Now eCommerce Report is reporting that one bank has confirmed fraud on some of the credit-cards…
Bits ‘n Pieces
In the justice system: John Shiefer, the Los Angeles computer security consultant who turned thousands of computers into zombies, was sentenced to four years in prison. More. Four Arizona men accused of spending more than $1 million using stolen credit cards are being held in a Maricopa County jail; they allegedly obtained the card numbers…
UK: Hospital sent private patient notes to electrician
Nick Hyde of The Blackpool Gazette reports that Blackpool Victoria Hospital has launched an investigation after sensitive and confidential details of dozens of patients were sent to the home of a Blackpool businessman. This is apparently not the first time this happened, either. The referral forms sent to him last week relate to patients…
Ca: Tenants’ private data available on Internet
John Goddard of The Toronto Star reports that private information about 1,393 tenants — including names, addresses, phone numbers, social insurance numbers, mental health issues, children’s names, ages, where the children go to school, and landlord disputes — could be accessed online in a database maintained by Landlord’s Source Centre. A tenant discovered the problem…