How do hackers grab your personal data out of thin air? Agent Peterson said one of the most common types of attack is this: a bogus but legitimate-looking Wi-Fi network with a strong signal is strategically set up in a known hot spot…and the hacker waits for nearby laptops to connect to it. At that point, your computer—and all your sensitive information, including user ID, passwords, credit card numbers, etc.—basically belongs to the hacker. The intruder can mine your computer for valuable data, direct you to phony webpages that look like ones you frequent, and record your every keystroke.

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The FBI warns consumers of recently reported spam e-mail purportedly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which is actually an attempt to steal consumer information. The e-mail advises the recipient that direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way to receive their economic stimulus tax rebate. The message contains a hyperlink to a fraudulent form which requests the recipient’s personally identifiable information, including bank account information. To convince consumers to reply, the e-mail warns that a failure to complete the form in a timely manner will delay the issuance of the rebate check.

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This started out as a humorous thought when I heard of the bridge being stolen in Bosnia. That’s right, a bridge! It seems that on a seldom used roadway, a crew showed up and just started dismantling a bridge. They looked legitimate, so no one paid any attention. The crooks ended up selling it to a salvage yard! So, naturally my curiosity got the better of me and I had to dig a little deeper. Read more…

What happens when you combine identity theft and mortgage fraud? You get a brand new type of crime most people have never even heard of: house stealing.

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Internet auction fraud is a growing epidemic worldwide, as online shopping has grown significantly every year that online shopping has been available. 51,000 cases of internet fraud cases were reported in 2002. In 2006, that number ballooned to 97,000. The numbers are staggering, but everyone can lower their risk by knowing what auction fraud is, how to detect it, and how to prevent falling for it. Read more…

Kroll Risk Consulting has released it’s “hit ratio” report and trends seem to be pointing upward when finding discrepancies in employment screening. For instance criminal record hits are up from 8.5% to 9.1% from last year. Is it because more people are committing crimes? That could be part of it. It could also be that from year to year better and more information becomes available. It also seems that driving record and employment verification hits are up as well. Nearly 50% of all applicants had at least one discrepancy on their previous employment list. This just goes to show you can never be too careful.

The following is an article written by Ted Moss of Crimcheck.com

• Did you know?
• 50 Billion Dollars is the annual cost of workplace violence
• 50 Billion Dollars is lost because of workplace drug use
• 100 Billion Dollars is what American businesses loose due to employee theft
• Identity theft for employment purposes is on the rise
• Employment screening is a critical component to combating these issues

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