NewsChannel9 in Chattanooga Tennessee reports that a man in Harrison (TN) received a priority package that contained hundreds of patients’ insurance papers from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia. The documents contained account numbers, patient names, member numbers, service dates, charges and tax id numbers. There was also a check enclosed from the insurance company…
Bits ‘n Pieces
In the justice system: Four Romanian men were arrested in Florida after being accused of skimming a Chase Bank ATM in Cicero, NY. They have been linked to similar schemes around the country. More. In Utah, Frank Miranda and his wife Valerie Pena were sentenced for conspiracy to commit access device fraud. Some of the…
Minn. judge rules teen must see cancer doctor
Amy Forliti of the Associated Press has an excellent report on a court ruling that has significant implications for medical privacy and decision-making. In this case, parents of a 13-year old boy diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma — and the boy himself — refused to complete a recommended course of chemotherapy, opting instead for natural healing…
Ie: 3,000 email accounts compromised by hackers
Conall O Fátharta of Irish Examiner reports: Up to 3,000 Irish people have had their email accounts compromised by international hackers, it has emerged. The hackers managed to access the private emails of thousands of individuals whose details were then put on an Arabic website. A number of Irish banking institutions, county councils, universities, the…
ID thief posing as Black & Decker sentenced to prison
Cal Fizer, a Detroit resident who used fake 1-800 numbers to steal hundreds of credit card numbers and other personal identity information, has been sentenced to 70 months’ imprisonment on the charges of credit card fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The sentencing was announced (pdf) by Terrence Berg, United States Attorney for the…
Prospects Gloomy for Texas Data Security Bill
Jim Rubenstein of Credit Union Times reports that it’s unlikely that the Texas legislature will pass an ambitious data security bill before the current legislative session ends on June 1. H.B. 345 and the companion S.B. 327 have support from the financial sector and the state’s Attorney General, but have been strongly opposed by retailers…