The News & Observer reports that Melissa Swain Parrish, a contract insurance agent with Miracle Insurance Co., has been arrested and charged with ID theft and obtaining property by false pretenses for allegedly stealing the identities of more than 100 people and collecting commissions by enrolling them in Medicare Advantage plans. Some of the people…
Category: Business Sector
Bits ‘n Pieces
In the justice system: Laura Bustamante, who worked for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, was sentenced to three years in prison for her role in an ID theft ring. Previous coverage here. Tiina Eldridge and Jean Paul Rudahunga were arrested after they were found in possession of fraudulent credit cards and credit card data…
Ca: Retailer resells computer drive full of personal files
Sarah Schmidt of Canwest News Service reports that a Staples Business Depot store in Ottawa sold a returned computer hard-drive on clearance that contained hundreds of personal files on it. Although businesses have responsibility to protect information under PIPEDA, Staples has a warning on all of its receipts that says, “Customers are responsible for the…
Overseas card fraud scam exposed
Alan Little of BBC News reports: A criminal gang selling UK credit card details stolen from Indian call centres has been exposed by an undercover BBC News investigation. Reporters posing as fraudsters bought UK names, addresses and valid credit card details from a Delhi-based man. The seller denied any wrongdoing and Symantec corporation, from whom…
Bits ‘n Pieces
In the justice system: Diane Michelle Nicholson, a former employee of the Holladay Park Plaza retirement care facility, is accused of stealing credit cards and checks from multiple elderly tenants and patients. Read more. Dr. Lisa Michelle Barden, the physician accused of stealing patients’ identities and faking other doctors’ signatures to obtain thousands of prescription…
EPIC asks FTC to investigate Google’s cloud computing security
Alexei Oreskovic of Reuters reports that EPIC has asked the FTC to investigate the adequacy of Google’s cloud computing security after a problem resulted in unintended file sharing last month. EPIC’s request (pdf) includes Gmail, Google Docs, and Picasa.