Posted on 10/22/2001 5:19:47 PM PDT by callisto
Computer intrusions, extortion, spam also on the rise
The number of identity thefts reported by banks and other financial institutions is on the upsurge again in 2001 after more than doubling last year, according to a new report released Monday. From January to the end of April this year, the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network received 332 reports of identity theft, compared with 637 cases over the whole of 2000 and 267 cases in 1999.
“THAT AMOUNTS TO a 50 percent increase from the same period a year ago,” the agency noted in its semiannual review of trends in so-called suspicious activity reports (SARs) — which banks must file with the government on transactions that appear to be linked to money laundering or other criminal activities.
The number of SARs specifically related to identity theft has grown fast in recent years from just 44 cases in 1997, the first full year the reports were required.
In its latest review, the agency also highlighted the addition last year of “computer intrusion” as a category of suspicious activity for banks to monitor and report on. The term is defined as gaining access to banks’ computer systems to steal funds or data, or to try to damage the systems.
In the first year of the new requirement, the Treasury received 83 substantiated reports of computer intrusions, with 60 percent of the cases involving banks’ own employees trying to embezzle funds or perpetrate other frauds.
Other schemes uncovered included: virus intrusions, attempted “spam” e-mail attacks, the creation of phony replicas of banks’ Web sites to try to steal customer data, and the hacking and attempted extortion of at least four banks earlier this year by a Russian programmer.
The 50% increase is referring to the first four months of this year as compared to the same period last year when the full year rate more than doubled from 1999.
Same here. I used to dump my trash into a common dumpster until they found that people were dumpster diving.
A few years ago, had someone tried to open up a credit card in my name and I found out about it when the card issuer called my work and asked to speak with me, as they pulled a credit report and noticed that where I work on my credit profile was not what was put on the card application. It was a smaller outfit that called - I could see where big Mega Companies would not do that.
Now, all paper that has name or any other information gets burned out at my parents, in a large burn barrel.
To lure security into complacency when a profiled terrorist shows a fake ID.
The National ID is a scam - this thread only confirms it.
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