Molly Crane-Newman reports: An Alabama man accused of stealing more than $150,000 in cryptocurrency through a large-scale SIM swapping scheme that targeted Manhattan residents was hit with a host of charges on Wednesday. Joseph Chase Oaks, 22, faces grand larceny, identity theft, computer trespass, computer tampering, scheme to defraud, and other related charges for his…
Category: ID Theft
NY: Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Nude Photos of Dozens of Victims
A New York man pleaded guilty Monday to computer fraud and aggravated identity theft related to his hacking of online social media accounts and theft of nude images of dozens of female victims. Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon of the Northern District of New York, Special Agent…
Taiwan Mobile operator’s security breach hits headlines
Arthur Shay of Shay & Shay writes: On 15 January 2021 the National Communications Commission (NCC) issued an official order of recall against Taiwan Mobile, one of the country’s top three mobile operators. The order concerned Taiwan Mobile’s self-branded smartphone (the Amazing A32), which had been supplied by a Chinese company and was sold to…
Boise Man Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Federal Prison for Health Care Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft
When people talk about medical identity theft, they are generally referring to the patient’s identity information being stolen and misused to seek and obtain medical care or for similar purposes. But healthcare fraud may also involve stealing the identity information of providers so that fraudulent bills can be created to defraud the government. Here’s a…
Unemployment fraud in one state and a breach while investigating unemployment fraud in another state
Unemployment fraud is a rampant problem these days. Even investigating it can increase the risk of fraud, it seems. Betty Lin-Fisher reports that hundreds of thousands of Ohioans have become victims, and they generally are first finding out because the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) started sending out 1099 tax statements showing…
CA: Serious Prison Time for Hackers Behind Wolf & Associates Breach
Tyler Hayden reports: A pair of habitual offenders behind one of the biggest data breaches in Santa Barbara County history pleaded guilty last week to multiple felony counts that will send them to prison for a combined 33 years. San Diego residents Gordon Welterlen, 37, and Nicole Milan, 31, admitted to hacking a computer network…