I came across two cases in the news this morning, both involving Zillow, that allege insider data theft/trade secrets theft: Move and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) filed additional court documents Friday following receipt of a letter from an anonymous whistleblower, presumably a Zillow employee, who alleges widespread misappropriation of trade secrets and data theft by…
Category: U.S.
U. New Hampshire notifies 26 students after professor’s computer accessed by unauthorized individual
The University of New Hampshire has notified the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office of a breach that occurred on March 16. According to the letter, a professor’s computer was accessed by an “unauthorized non-UNH agent.” It’s not clear from the letter whether someone had physical access to the computer or if this was a hack, but…
Miami Dade College Student Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Scheme Involving Student Financial Services Accounts
A Miami Dade College student was sentenced to 51 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $29,289, for his participation in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme involving student financial services accounts. Smith Jean, 23, previously pled guilty to one count…
Ex-Virginia Wesleyan student sentenced for ID theft
There’s a follow-up to a case previously noted on this site. Scott Daugherty reports: A former Virginia Wesleyan College student was sentenced Monday to two and a half years in federal prison for stealing the identities of several classmates and applying for more than 100 credit cards. Upon her release, Katecha “Tisha” Thomas will have…
Homebridge (formerly IHSS) notifies home service providers of data compromise and possible misuse of their information
In May 2012, California’s Dept of Social Services notified over 700,000 In-Home Supportive Services providers and recipients that their payroll data, including Social Security numbers, had been lost in the mail. In December 2012, 14,000 In-Home Supportive Services were notified that their personal information, including Social Security numbers, had been exposed on the Internet. Now Homebridge (formerly…
Debt Brokers Settle FTC Charges They Exposed Consumers’ Information Online
Two debt brokers have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they exposed highly sensitive information about tens of thousands of consumers while trying to sell portfolios of consumer debt on a public website. The agreements with the FTC require the defendants to abide by strict new requirements to protect consumers’ sensitive information. In…