Gary Craig reports: A 19-year-old former Monroe Community College student maintains he stole from other college students via identity theft because he wanted to find a cure for the AIDS virus, authorities allege. Rochester resident Terry Zimmerman, who assisted other MCC students with computer problems, used his access to steal their financial aid refunds, court…
Escrow Co. Sues Bank Over $440K Cyber Theft
Brian Krebs writes: An escrow firm in Missouri is suing its bank to recover $440,000 that organized cyber thieves stole in an online robbery earlier this year, claiming the bank’s reliance on passwords to secure high-dollar transactions failed to measure up to federal e-banking security guidelines. The attack against Springfield, Mo. based title insurance provider…
Should HHS follow the ICO's lead?
Yesterday, the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office used its authority to issue fines for breaches of the Data Protection Act and issued its first fines ever. Neither breach involved a healthcare facility, despite the large number of breaches experienced by the NHS. But in what may be a warning shot, the ICO fined Hertfordshire County Council…
(follow-up) Tulsa woman’s sentence nearly 4 years for credit-card fraud
David Harper reports the follow-up to a case previously reported here and here: A Tulsa woman was sentenced Tuesday to three years and nine months in prison for her role in a credit-card fraud case that involved personal identifying information being taken from St. Francis Hospital’s computer system. Teresa Browning, 36, also was ordered by…
KY: Broker Accused Of Using Clients’ Credit Cards
A Louisville mortgage broker is accused of using his clients’ credit cards to make thousands of dollars in purchases. Brett Howard spoke with WLKY News about the charges filed against him on Tuesday. Howard said he started working as a mortgage broker for Homequest Mortgage in May 2009. He said that by mid-August, he wasn’t…
UK: First monetary penalties served for serious data protection breaches
The Information Commissioner today served two organizations with the first monetary penalties for what he characterized as serious breaches of the Data Protection Act. The first penalty, of £100,000, was issued to Hertfordshire County Council for two serious incidents where council employees faxed highly sensitive personal information to the wrong recipients. The first case, involving…