By Harriet Ryan

The police sought a person who claimed to be Bree Condon and who had bilked thousands out of men in an online scam. They were surprised to meet Justin Brown.

Postings over the last two years on the website Who’s Dated Who hint at the number of men who may have been scammed. After the site authors listed both actor Colin Farrell and professional basketball player Marko Jaric as dating Condon, a visitor calling himself Michael Curry wrote, “love the gossip but bree and i have been dating for months.” Others replied with warnings.

“She is bad news,” read one typical posting.

Interestingly, another user disparaging Condon identified himself as Justin Brown.

“I dated her too. Really sweet at first then it’s $5,000 a month just to be one of her boyfriends,” the posting read.

Brown remains in jail, and his court-appointed lawyer did not return calls seeking comment. Satterlee, the detective investigating the Austin case, described him as “cooperative” in an interview with police.

“He made statements that substantiated the information,” Satterlee said.

Jason Boone, a researcher at the National White Collar Crime Center who has studied Internet scams, said Condon’s case stood out as an unusual “true case of identity theft” among the more common schemes targeting bank accounts or credit card information.

“Here you are actually stealing someone’s name and likeness,” he said. As a criminal operation, it is rarer than viruses or e-mail con letters that aim to steal financial information, likely because those require less work, he said.

Impersonating someone else “takes a little more attention and a lot more motivation on the part of an individual to create this type of attractive profile to lure people in,” Boone said.

Austin police are investigating whether Brown created a fake “official” website for Condon as well as Facebook and MySpace profiles in her name. According to the arrest warrant, his days impersonating the model came to an end after he sent a message to Carbona, the Fort Myers investor.

“It opens to this picture of a beautiful woman. A damsel in distress,” Carbona said of the message he received this fall through a networking application on his iPhone. The sender claimed to be Condon and to know Carbona through a friend. She said she was in dire financial straits after an airline had lost her luggage, he recalled.

After several phone conversations, however, Carbona concluded, “I think I have someone who is full of baloney.” He tracked down the real Condon on a film shoot in Wales and said she told him it was a long-standing problem and referred him to her private investigator. Carbona, whose father and grandfather were police officers, said he cooked up a sting operation to pinpoint the fake Condon’s location by offering to pay her motel bill.

He passed the address to the private investigator who notified authorities. He was stunned when the person arrested was male.

“I’d been talking to this person for three months,” Carbona said. “I’m telling you this guy has either had his gonads removed or he is talking through a voice synthesizer.”

“He has a very feminine voice,” Satterlee, the case detective, confirmed.

Brown’s arrest went unnoticed online, where questions about Condon’s real identity and love life linger.

Source: The Los Angeles Times

By Joe Campana

Beware of identity thieves that are students of social engineering. They can exploit your holiday cheer or drear by duping you into becoming another victim of identity theft. The term, social engineering, may sound innocuous, but it actually refers to trickery and deception. Social engineers manipulate people into giving up valuable information, and even money by playing to human emotions.

Most often social engineering refers to turning over sensitive information such as a Social Security number, credit card number, credit card id number (CCID, CSC, CVC, etc.), account or building access code or other confidential information that can be used by the thief for identity theft, fraud, espionage, and other crimes. Victims can even be duped into handing over money directly to sinister social engineers.

Holidays are advantageous to identity thieves that practice social engineering and pickpocketing. Consumers in the holiday mood are likely to have their guard down. Consumers in a heightened emotional state can be taken advantage of more easily. Social engineering identity theft grinches can nab your identity in person, over the telephone, by mail, email and through websites including social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Pickpockets may even use social engineering to engage and distract you emotionally, while another thief snatches your wallet or purse.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. So be cautious of offers to earn additional income over the holidays or to obtain huge discounts on gift items. With the dreary economy and many people out of work, offers for making a quick buck or saving money are attractive. Some schemes scam consumers into giving out their Social Security number in the hope of getting work. Others may steal financial account information when consumers provide payment information thinking they are covering fees associated with bogus “make money now” schemes.

Look out for too good to be true prices on products advertised over the Internet. If the sale is on a popular retailer website that you got to by clicking on a link, how can you be sure they are at the authentic website of a retailer? The website may be a spoof (a clone or lookalike site). The sole purpose of a spoof website is to snatch your financial account information when you think you placed an order with the retailer. To be sure you are at the retailer’s authentic website, search for the retailer website with your search engine, don’t trust a link in an unsolicited email or one posted on social networking website.

Do your homework before doing business or making purchases online. Search the name of the company and look for complaints, alerts and warnings. Internet advertisements that appear on legitimate websites can be dubious if not completely fraudulent. It’s always worth an extra five minutes of online research instead of making an impulse purchase that you may later regret.  Research may not only save you from becoming a victim of identity theft, but you may find a better deal with a reputable retailer by doing your homework.

A recent e-Week Security Watch article lists many common e-scams such as phony charity scams, bogus social networking friend requests, holiday e-cards, super sale pitches, malware ridden Christmas carol websites, job and work from home scams, password stealing scams, e-banking attacks and others. These scams may involve phishing, pharming or malware downloads that infect your computer with not only viruses but also keylogging software that allows fraudsters to capture your keystrokes particularly when you are logging into an online financial account.

Social engineering schemes don’t just involve the Internet. They can occur by phone or by mail. Beware of telephone calls from financial institutions, credit card companies, law enforcement, government agencies and charitable organizations that ask you to provide sensitive information such as your Social Security number or financial account information over the phone. Don’t trust what you see on your caller id, because caller id’s can be faked through a practice called vishing.

Received a notice in the mail that you won the lottery? To collect the $100,000 prize, just wire $1,500 to an offshore agent to cover the taxes before cashing the $2,000 bogus advance check you received with the notice. It was a coincidence that just before a financially needy consumer and very happy prizewinner was going to wire money to the lottery agent, I asked, “Did you enter the lottery?”  That was an “Ah-ha” moment, when they realized they were about to be scammed. You can’t win, if you didn’t enter!

Recently a Madison, Wisconsin woman was taken for nearly $20,000, a laptop computer and a cell phone.  She met a man, an identity thief, through an online dating service. Crafty social engineers play on our strongest emotions, even love.

Whether it is a holiday, a commemorative day, a tragedy, or any day or situation when you may be vulnerable beware of social engineering.

Source: examiner.com

by Stan Schroeder

The latest research conducted by IT security firm Sophos shows that it’s very easy to convince Facebook users to reveal their personal info to complete strangers.

This is nothing new, mind you – after all, many users see Facebook (Facebook) as a possibility to make new friends – but it is worth noting that simply friending someone you don’t know nothing about can result in identity theft.

Here’s how Sophos conducted their research:

“Sophos created two fictitious users with names based on anagrams of the words “false identity” and “stolen identity”. 21-year-old “Daisy Felettin” was represented by a picture of a toy rubber duck bought at a $2 shop; 56-year-old “Dinette Stonily” posted a profile picture of two cats lying on a rug. Each sent out 100 friend requests to randomly-chosen Facebook users in their age-group.

Within two weeks, a total of 95 strangers chose to become friends with Daisy or Dinette – an even higher response rate then when Sophos first performed the experiment two years ago with a plastic frog. Worse still, in the latest study, eight Facebookers befriended Dinette without even being asked.”

At Sophos, they call it the “rubber duck attack”. The moniker is silly on purpose, as it shows how you can gather someone’s personal info without any technical expertise, simply by working within the social network’s rules.

It’s important to point out that Facebook gives very extensive privacy options for every profile; you can read the details on how to protect your data in our Facebook privacy primer. While there’s nothing wrong with being friendly, even with strangers, Facebook users need to understand that this friendliness can cost them, and the price of identity theft can be very high.

Check out a video showing how the “rubber duck” tactic can be used for identity theft below.

Source and Video: mashable.com

With the economy downturn this year, merchants have more ads and sales to entice people to get out and shop this holiday season. Whether you are shopping in the store or online, be sure to use the following tips to be safe.

Black Friday
Starting the Friday after Thanksgiving, malls, large retailers like Target and Best Buy, and grocery stores are more crowded than usual with shoppers – and thieves. Security in most places have been increased for the holiday season, but if you are out and about, ensure your safety with these tips from the National Crime Prevention Council:

Keep careful track of your bags and packages. Do not carry more than you can handle. Make frequent trips to your car to unload, and put the bags in the trunk or in a hidden place in your car. If you purchase a large or expensive item, it may be well worth it to drive the purchase home and return to the store for more shopping, instead of risking a break-in.

If you see unattended bags or packages, do not try to take the package back to the retailer on the bag or find the owner. Tell a security guard or store employee, and they will secure the package.

Check your receipts for accurate information. Your full credit card number should not appear on the receipt, but if it does, put the receipt in a safe place so you don’t accidently drop it while shopping. Someone could pick this up and use the information to make unauthorized purchases.

If you shop with children, have a plan in case you are separated. Have a central meeting place, and review with your children who is a safe person to approach, such as a mall security guard. Ensure that each child knows your cell phone number – you may want to print a card with emergency information and put it in your child’s coat or pants pocket.

Guard your money. Take only as much cash as you think you will need, and only take one or two credit cards. Keep your wallet close to you, and not in a large purse that you have to shuffle through every time you make a purchase. Keeping your wallet under your sweater, instead of in a coat pocket, can prevent pick-pocketing.

When getting cash from the ATM or using your debit card at the counter, be sure to guard your PIN number. Stand close to the keypad to block anyone who may be looking over your shoulder.

Be aware of your surroundings and do not walk in abandoned areas alone. Park under a light if possible, and walk in a well lit part of the parking lot if you are shopping after dark.

Cyber Monday
SafeShopping.org is an informational site created by the American Bar Association to help you order safely while shopping online. They offer these tips to prevent identity theft and shopping mishaps:

You can tell the internet connection is secure when there is a picture of an unbroken key or closed lock in your browser window. Either icon indicates that the merchant site is secure and your sensitive information, such as your credit card number, cannot be read by anyone else but the retailer. Make sure that the web address that asks for personal information starts with “https” instead of “http”. Some websites may use a pop up box that indicates a secure area or uses the term “Secure Sockets Layer” (SSL).

The safest way to pay online is by credit card. If your information is stolen and you have an unauthorized charge on your credit card, under federal law your liability is limited to $50. If you do have an unauthorized charge, you should give written notice to both the merchant and the credit card company within 60 days.

Unless you are sure of the address, do not send personal information via email. Email does not offer the same protection as these secure websites. Identity thieves can make up emails that look like secure websites, so if you receive an inquiry for personal information from someone you do not recognize, do not send personal information.

If you are more comfortable giving information over the phone rather than the web, most merchants offer this option. Be sure you record the phone number, company name, date and time of your call, and the name of the person who recorded your credit card number.

If you use a password for orders, make it different than the one you use to log into your computer or network. You may even want to create a special, stronger password that is harder for hackers to crack for web purchases. Do not use birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, recognizable words, or children’s names as passwords, as these are too easy to figure out.

To avoid computer viruses, do not open an attached file that ends in “.exe” as they could activate a computer virus and damage the information stored on your computer. Use a reliable anti-virus software program as well.

Web retailers are not yet required by law to maintain the privacy of people who order from their sites, so they may collect names, addresses, and other information and use these for marketing, or they may sell the information to other merchants and telemarketers. Check to see that the site you are ordering from has a privacy policy that ensures your name does not get sold for spam.

Source: emaxhealth.com

Source: www.bbb.org

Jacksonville, FL – For years, Better Business Bureau has educated consumers about not giving out personal information over the telephone or to anyone who shows up at their front door. With the U.S. Census process beginning, BBB advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft.

The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race and other relevant data.

“Most people are rightfully cautious and won’t give out personal information to unsolicited phone callers or visitors, however the Census is an exception to the rule,” said Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson. “Unfortunately, scammers know that the public is more willing to share personal data when taking part in the Census and they have an opportunity to ply their trade by posing as a government employee and soliciting sensitive financial information.”

The Census data will be used to allocate more than $300 billion in federal funds every year, as well as determine a State’s number of Congressional representatives. Households are actually required by law to respond to the Census Bureau’s request for information.

During the U.S. Census, households will be contacted by mail, telephone or visited by a U.S. Census worker who will inquire about the number of people living in the house. Unfortunately, people may also be contacted by scammers who are impersonating Census workers in order to gain access to sensitive financial information such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers. Law enforcement in several states have issued warnings that scammers are already posing as Census Bureau employees and knocking on doors asking for donations and Social Security numbers.

* The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice: If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.
* Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, it will not ask for Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers nor will employees solicit donations.
* Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail or in person at home. However, they will not contact you by e-mail, so be on the look out for e-mail scams impersonating the Census. Never click on a link or open any attachments in an e-mail that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit www.bbb.org

About BBB

BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Businesses that earn BBB accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization’s high standards of ethical business behavior. BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Reliability ReportsTM and charity BBB Wise Giving ReportsTM, and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. To further promote trust, BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints. The first BBB was founded in 1912. Today, 125 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than four million local and national businesses and charities. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information about BBB.

By Jessica Walker

Segment 2

Jessica: What are the steps that someone should take if their identity or financial information is stolen?

Linda: If you or someone close to you has been a victim of Identity theft, go to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft site to find out what steps to take and how to report it. In addition, consider:

Report the crime to your local law enforcement agency. This may be a necessary first step to freezing your accounts to prevent further attacks.

Inform family members and friends that their risk could be heightened if the information was stolen from a computer or mobile phone where your address book may have been compromised.

Notify your health insurance company as medical fraud using stolen information is on the rise.

If you know the Website from which your information was stolen, contact the company (if it is reputable) or contact the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint.

Get support. Depending on the circumstances ID theft can be very emotionally draining – your sense of security has been violated. It may leave you suspecting everyone around you, and unsure who you can trust. Recognize that this is a case of broken trust, not just financial loss and a real pain to clean up. Often people are sympathetic when it first occurs, but aren’t as supportive throughout the process. Feelings of abuse or betrayal may come in waves as each step in the process triggers new frustrations (often aggravated by the lack of helpfulness of government agencies and companies).

Jessica: How can the local police help with identity theft or when a credit card or debit card number is stolen online?  Does online fraud fall under the local authorities jurisdiction or a federal agency?

Linda: Online ID theft may fall under both local and federal (possibly even international) jurisdiction. You should always report crimes against you to your local law enforcement agency. They will determine what other agencies need to be involved. Often you need to show you have filed a police report in order for companies to begin removing charges from your account.

Jessica: Your book really opened my eyes to the fraud associated with an individuals medical information.  Please give our members examples of medical identity theft and ways that they can safeguard against it.

Linda: Thank you. Medical identity theft is a very lucrative form of crime. With medical costs skyrocketing, criminals are quick to leverage the opportunities this enables. With a stolen medical identity, criminals can alter the records to show that the person needs prescription drugs – and have them sent to another address. They can indicate the patient needs hip replacement (for example) and ‘resell’ that operation to someone who needs the replacement but can’t afford the full price, pocketing the under-the-counter payment, and so on. While the point is to scam the insurance company, the consequences to you of having your medical records altered may be serious – even fatal – to you in an emergency medical situation.

Segment two question: What government website can help you find the steps to take if you become a victim of Identity theft? To submit your answer, click on the contact link found on the upper left side of the blog.

By: Rebecca Camber

August 27, 2009

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Users of social networking websites could face higher insurance premiums because burglars are using them to ’shop’ for victims’ personal details.

Experts from leading insurer Legal & General warn that parents could eventually see their premiums rise even if only their children are members of popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Many of the millions of users of these sites post details about their home, whereabouts and holiday plans on them - effectively an invitation to a burglar.

The warning comes in the wake of a report called The Digital Criminal, commissioned by Legal & General and prepared by reformed thief Michael Fraser, star of the BBC’s Beat The Burglar series.

Mr Fraser said: ‘There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that burglars are using social networks to identify likely targets.

‘They gain confidence by learning more about them, what they are likely to own and when they are likely to be out of the house.

‘I call it “internet shopping for burglars”. It is incredibly easy to use social networking sites to target people, and then scope out more information on their actual home using other internet sites like Google Street View, all from the comfort of the sofa.’

A burglar might look out for alarms or security lighting on any pictures of the home, as well as any photos of pet dogs who might be guarding it.

There are now 8.5million Facebook users in the UK and at least 2.4million Twitter users.

Graham Cluley of web security firm Sophos said: ‘It is staggering what people are putting on the web.

‘Our research shows that 41 per cent of people are divulging personal and private information to complete strangers on Facebook, such as their date of birth, where they worked, where they lived and what they were doing.

People are boasting about how they are having a fantastic time on a beach in Mexico on a web page that has their home address.

‘Criminals who put together the jigsaw can use it for identity theft or burglary. It is just as dangerous as leaving your windows or doors open at home.’

The Digital Criminal report, which polled 2,000 social network users, found that nearly four in ten had posted online updates detailing their holiday plans.

One in seven had seen other users’ home addresses posted on pages that could be viewed by strangers.

Teenagers are the worst when it comes to giving away personal information, with nearly two-thirds of 16 to 24-year-olds sharing their holiday plans online.

But the report found that nearly half of all respondents were unconcerned about the security of social networking sites. In an experiment, 100 friend requests were issued to strangers selected at random.

On Twitter, 92 per cent accepted the stranger as a friend, as did 13 per cent of Facebook users, potentially allowing the stranger to learn about that person’s interests, location and movements.

Plans being considered by Legal & General include questioning customers about whether any of their family members belong to any social networking sites.

But yesterday privacy groups accused insurers of using the popularity of social networking sites as an excuse to increase premiums.

Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, said: ‘This is a disgraceful attempt to leverage yet more from customers.’

Malcolm Cooper, director of pricing and underwriting at Legal & General, admitted: ‘It’s a challenging one for the insurance industry. Just because someone is burgled, you can’t prove that it’s down to details posted on Facebook.

‘It could be that we start asking how many youngsters are in the home for example.’

Burglaries rose in 2008-09 for the first time in six years. Police recorded 284,445 house break-ins, up 1 per cent on the previous year.

Deputy Chief Constable of Cheshire Graeme Gerrard said: ‘People should make use of the security facilities available on social networking sites to restrict access to their personal information and do their best to protect themselves while online by using firewalls and the like.’

Case study: How Josephine Knight’s Glastonbury posting ended on a sour note

When Josephine Knight got tickets for this year’s Glastonbury Festival, she rushed to post a jubilant message online. continue reading

Wednesday, June 24, 2009
By Alissa Atkinson

Internet scams have been around for years, but the Federal Trade Commission’s recent crackdown on robocallers pushing car warrantees has put a spotlight on the thousands of tactics used by scammers to bilk Americans out of millions.

So why are they so successful?

One of the keys to scammers’ success is a constant flow of unsuspecting victims. Another, experts say, is that scammers are targeting specific demographics, whether it’s by age, race or sex.

“The problem now is that so much information is available on the Internet,” FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told FOXNews.com. “Before [scammers] might have known your name. Now they [can access] your name, address, place of employment and parents’ names, because it is all readily available.”

And as fast as investigators try put a stop to the schemes, scammers are reinventing their tricks and staying one step ahead of authorities and the public.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has received 1 million complaints related to scams in the past three years, and the Federal Trade Commission received over 350,000 complaints about identity theft and Internet services.

“Everyone is a target,” said Kolko. “Whether you’ve been affected directly by the scams or not, everyone in this country is affected,” he said, pointing out that it drives up retail prices across the board.

Here’s a list of nine of the nastiest scams in the business — some you’ve heard of, some you haven’t — but none that you can afford to be in the dark about.

1. Asian Invasion: The “Asian Extortion Scam” targets business owners, mostly of Asian decent, with death threats and other violence. Scammers pluck personal information about their targets from online searches and use the sensitive data to make victims feel vulnerable. The extortionists, who appear to be calling from outside the U.S., generally demand between $10,000 and $30,000 — though the FBI says there have been no reports of actual violence stemming from the schemes. continue reading

By Jessica Walker

The main reason why I accepted the position as columnist for the Safer Dates Blog was to help showcase why Safer Dates exists and to be a reliable resource that empowers the online community to defend against becoming a victim of crime.  Becoming cognizant of various safety tools is more important now than ever before due to the recent recession boasting an increase in various types of theft on and off-line.  Which is why I choose to interview Tad Camp (Safer Dates professional Online Safety & Security Expert) for my second article, “Don’t Become Lax for Criminals Come from Many Directions”.  Scroll down to read it now.

Tad has an extensive background as a highly trained former Law Enforcement Officer and Detective.  Before relocating to Florida, Tad previously served as Acting Chief of Police in Ohio.  While serving the citizens of Pinellas County Florida, he was elected to the American Police Hall of Fame.

Tad entered the private sector in 2005, after an on-duty injury caused him to no longer physically perform his duties.  Instead of retiring, this juggernaut started Tad Camp Investigations, Inc. which has provided services for celebrities, foreign dignitaries, worldwide religious organizations, and various corporations.  His wealth of knowledge in security investigations earned him the reputation as one of the best known and respected individuals in his field.

Tad has also channeled this expertise into an entrepreneurial endeavor by inventing the True Tracker Pro GPS personal security device.  The device has an SOS button that sends alerts via email or phone to three friends or family members.  The alerts are continuously transmitted every 15 seconds to ten minutes (depending on the service plan) and tells them your exact location.  To learn more about the True Tracker please visit  www.truetrackerpro.com.

Also, don’t miss the second Safer Dates safety video.Watch as I reenact a real life scenario submitted by a member that was recently a victim of a potential home intruder.  With advice from Tad Camp, I’ll walk you through the steps that you can take to help secure your home.

Until next month, here’s to keeping you Safer in the City!

- Jessica

Next month get dating advice from my interview with Yvonne Rice, a former Dating Agency Director, online dating expert and Author of Love Sex Lies and the Internet Mouse “Trap”.

Jessica: Tell us about your background; what did you do before you went into business for yourself?

Continue Reading »