News

• AusCERT 2012: Lack of security aiding medical fraud, identity theft

  Queensland Health Drugs of Dependence Unit (DDU) investigations officer, Rebecca Thompson, has highlighted security flaws within the Australian health system, such as the lack of a photo or PIN on Medicare cards, which is allowing drug addicts to potentially use lost or stolen cards to obtain powerful prescription drugs.

• FBI issues warning on hotel Internet connections

  The FBI today warned travelers there has been an uptick in malicious software infecting laptops and other devices linked to hotel Internet connections.

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  How to fight back against privacy pirates

  Have you Googled yourself lately? Is the information about you accurate or full of inconsistencies, both of which can be devastating?

• Identity theft: When millions of dead people apply for credit cards

  Seems that the threat of identity theft doesn't end, even with death. Identity thieves apply for millions of credit cards per year using personal information of the deceased, a study shows.

• Soldier accused over Microsoft founder ID

  The Federal Bureau of Investigation has accused a US soldier of stealing the identity of Microsoft's billionaire co-founder, Paul Allen, to obtain a debit card in his name and make apparently random purchases, according to reports.

• Identity theft reporting system needs improvements, victims say

  Unwanted pressure to buy protection services from credit reporting agencies and the inability to speak to a live person when reporting an identity theft situation were the two most annoying issues victims identified in a Federal Trade Commission report issued on the growing problem this week.

• IRS warns of Dirty Dozen 2012 tax scams

  The Internal Revenue Service this week issued its annual "Dirty Dozen" ranking of tax scams the agency says tend to surface around tax season each year.

• Cisco's John Stewart on the latest security threats … and what enterprises can do to fight back

  Freelance writer Susan Perschke recently sat down with Cisco Vice President and Chief Security Officer John N. Stewart for an in-depth discussion of the state of enterprise security.

• How to get the IRS' attention: Forge nearly $8 million in tax returns, steal identities

  A former Internal Revenue Service employee this week got 105 months in prison for pleading guilty to theft of government property and aggravated identity theft in a case where the guy tried to get away with nearly $8 million in fraudulent tax returns.

• IRS helps bust 105 people in massive identity theft crackdown

  The Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice teamed up for a coast-to-coast crackdown on identity thieves this week.

• AFP survey combats identity theft

  The minister for home affairs and justice, Brendan O’Connor, has launched an online survey that lets people test how vulnerable they are identity crime and provides measures to help protect them from identity fraudsters and scammers. The launch coincides with National Identity Fraud Awareness Week.

• Identity theft study reveals our concerns

  Nearly one in six Australians has been a victim or known somebody who has been a victim of identity theft or misuse in the past six months, new research shows.

• AusCERT 2011: Identity theft no joke for Welsh comedian

  As a professional comedian Bennett Arron gets paid to see the funny side of things, but a run-in with identity thieves in the 1990s had him far from laughing.

• Identity theft, e-fraud top Australian security concerns: Unisys

  Financial fraud, identity theft and environmental disasters lean more heavily on Australians’ minds than national security threats, according to a Unisys report.

• Thieves are stealing children's identities

  Identity theft has saddled thousands of children with debt, sometimes for years before they ever discover their personal information has been stolen, a study says.