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Anyone using an open unsecured network risks exposing their data. There are many ways to see who’s connected on a wireless connection, and to gain access to their information. As more sensitive data has been wirelessly transmitt
Fraud Drivers 
There are three fraud drivers which facilitate the execution of a fraud. They are Opportunity, Incentive and Justification. Lets briefly explore them one at a time.
For fraud to occur, there must first be an opportunity for fraudsters in order to commit fraud. Depending on the type of fraud, the opportunities might exist abundantly. For example, a cashier might see the opportunity to take money from the cash register if there is no management supervision or watchful recording cameras.
Then, to make it even more interesting, have another stranger (or someone you only have a brief relationship with) show them around the house. Meanwhile you go out, run some errands or have lunch.
Keep the block of knives on the counter and leave everything pretty much where you normally would and when you get home maybe it will still be there. Sound like a sound plan? It’s one that thousands of people execute hundreds and thousands of times a year.
Open houses are (in my mind) a weird process that is otherwise a good way to bring attention to the sale of a home. I
As many of our reader know, we like to shine a light on those who are doing extraordinary things when it comes to fighting identity theft. We like to focus on members of law enforcement, consumer advocates, law makers and the like. But, every so often, we like to deviate a bit. And, this is exactly what we are doing by naming this week’s “Best Person” a Colorado grandmother who was wrongly jailed for being accused of running a massive identity theft ring.
Margot Sommerville (not her in the photo – that’s Estelle Getty from Golden Girls!) had her purse stolen in June 2006 in California. Five mont
Hospitals, health plan sponsors, health care providers, and their vendors need to act immediately to meet the new rules introduced by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH).
As we enter 2010 it is clear that companies and consumers alike are not being well-served when it comes to handling data breaches. From the viewpoint of businesses, the vague, overlapping, and ineffective patchwork of regulations is not only difficult to manage, it actually acts as a deterrent to reporting data breaches. And for consumers, the lack of clear regulatory oversight means that millions of people are never informed that their personal information has been compromised.
The fact that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has delayed the implementation of its Fact Act Red Flags Rules regulations not once, or twice, but three times, sends the wrong signals to compliance officers. How can regulations be taken seriously if they are delayed over and over again?
The Federal Government’s New HITECH Act, which went into effect on September 23, 2009, strengthens the rules designed to protect the privacy and security of health-related data. However, vague wording in the regulations written by the Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) has opened the door to under-reporting of data breaches, which will in turn put breach victims at undue risk of medical identity theft.
Further, 45 states now have 45 different data breach reporting laws on the books. The result of this hodgepodge system makes complying with the law unwieldy for organizations that attempt to put homegrown data breach management systems in place. (Full disclosure: my firm does provide an easy to deploy, on-demand compliance solution – but that is another topic for another day.)
Congress has been working on and off for three years on this issue, but to date, it has failed to come up with a reasonable law that would ease the burden on businesses and provide reasonable protections for consumers. Virtually all of the draft bills being bantered around would be weak and ineffective.
The fact is, as Javelin Strategy and Research noted in its research report published on October 27, 2009, consumers who are victims of a data breach are four times more likely to become victims of fraud. Data breaches have serious consequences, and should be taken seriously by all concerned.
Here’s hoping that in 2010 both regulators and businesses will be able to come to terms with regulatory standards that are easy to meet, lower corporate risk, and actually help to protect people from identity theft.