A Maryland man who was the third leader of a card-skimming ring victimizing Washington, D.C.-area restaurants was sentenced in federal court last week to 81 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Erick V. Burton, age 38, of District Heights, Md., was also ordered to pay $814,673.20 in restitution, as were his…
Former nurse sentenced for stealing patients' identities
As a follow-up to a case reported previously, WSLS reports that former Lynchburg nurse Karen Priscilla Jones was sentenced in federal court to 34 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and $9,132 in restitution as well as $800 in special assessment fees. Jones had pleaded guilty to three counts of identity theft, two…
France advises businesses of employee data collection in light of swine flu epidemic
In anticipation of the Swine Flu and the consequences that it may have upon the continuity of the business of companies, the French Data Protection Agency (known under the acronym “CNIL”) recently issued recommendations regarding employers’ collection of employee data in connection with their swine flu business continuity programs. […] Such plans of action may…
Study: 600K campus records hacked this year
Dennis Carter reports: Computer hackers reportedly have stolen identifying information and credit card numbers from more than half a million — some 600,000 — college students, faculty, and alumni this year. This is prompting some campus IT officials to call for a “total overhaul” of computer security protocol. Identity Theft 911, an Arizona-based company founded…
Civil servant jailed for accessing DWP systems for fraud
Tom Young reports: A civil servant was imprisoned on Friday for accessing 2,500 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records and diverting other people’s tax credit claims to his own bank accounts. John Brian Agdomar, 42, used his job at the DWP as a cover to illegally access records to obtain personal information on a…
South Africa's plan to make HIV testing compulsory 'breaches patients' human rights'
A controversial plan to make HIV testing compulsory in South Africa has been criticised by campaigners who argue it would breach patients’ human rights. Politicians proposed that anyone visiting a doctor would be automatically tested for the virus. Western Cape health minister Theuns Botha said the system would be a ‘major onslaught’ in the battle…