Sherelle Pratt, 49, of Philadelphia, was charged by Indictment, unsealed this week, with filing false tax returns, aiding and assisting other individuals in preparing and filing false tax returns, theft of government property, and aggravated identity theft. According the Indictment Pratt is an IRS employee. Pratt, according to the indictment, is alleged to have prepared…
Category: Breach Incidents
Broward County Resident Sentenced In $2 Million Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Scheme
Lee Ervin Dale, 31, of Fort Lauderdale, was sentenced for his participation in a tax refund scheme using stolen identities. United States District Judge Kathleen M. Williams sentenced Dale to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered restitution in the amount of $275,740. Dale was indicted in October 2012 was convicted in…
‘Ugly’ computer hack named the largest ever
John Glenday reports: The largest computer hack ever conducted has reportedly taken place after servers across Europe were inundated with spam in a concerted effort to bring them down. Exploiting loopholes in the Network Time Protocol, a system used to synchronise the internet, attackers were able to flood servers with around 400 gigabits of data…
Anonymous Italy starts #opCannabis and hacks state anti-drug websites
On Saturday 8th of February, Anonymous Italy initiated #opCannabis, in order to show their support for the demonstration for cannabis legislation reform held that day in Rome, calling for an end to cannabis prohibition and the persecution of users and growers. The first attack started on the 8th and targeted the website of the Italian drug…
NC: Cryptolocker scambles US law firm’s entire cache of legal files
John E. Dunn reports: A small US law firm has bravely admitted losing its entire cache of legal documents to the Cryptolocker Trojan despite attempting to pay the $300 (£180) ransom in a bid to have them unscrambled. According to TV reports, Goodson’s law firm in the North Carolina state capital Charlotte [The Law Offices of Paul M. Goodson, P.C.] became the…
Weather Shield employees continue to experience difficulties with IRS after data theft 3 years ago
Since April 2011, this blog has covered the continuing – and concerning – saga of Weather Shield employees who became victims of ID theft and who continue to have problems filing their tax returns, year after year. And now it’s happening again. I thought the IRS was supposedly getting its act together on helping victims of…