Facebook Identity Theft

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Admin

In some states Facebook identity theft would be a crime, as one New Jersey woman found out this week. She made a face Facebook page on her ex-boyfriend and got charged under the state’s new Facebook identity theft laws.

She used personal information, photos she had from when they were dating, and then used the fake Facebook account to put up negative things like bad comments about her ex. That’s all it took to get her a nice Facebook identity theft charge, which carries up to eighteen months in prison!

The laws in New Jersey are aimed at identity theft cases where harm was intended and since the woman put up disparaging comments about her ex, her case qualifies her for the Facebook identity theft charges. Assuming someone’s identity in order to harm them (which includes their reputation) is illegal. Traditionally, such ID theft statutes target people who assume someone else’s identity while using their credit card in a store to make purchases, for example.

Identity Theft Protection for Foster Children

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Admin

Identity theft protection took a new turn yesterday, as a new federal law intending to protect foster children was entered onto the books. Legislators claim the new law will help this segment of the population which already faces great obstacles upon entering adulthood.

Research sociologists have found that foster children are more prone to having their identities stolen than other children, and even more prone than adults. The new law offers identity theft protection for this part of society that’s more at risk. They are more at risk because, as foster children who are monitored by public agencies as they pass through the children’s welfare system, their personal data passes through many hands.

The new identity theft protection law for foster children will affect how older foster children’s cases are handled, adding identity theft protection to the responsibilities. State will have to run a credit check and fix any identity theft cases they find on the older children. This will allow them to enter adulthood without the added burden of having had their identities stolen.

US Representative Jim Langevin is a cosponsor of the new identity theft protection law. He is a Democrat from Rhode Island. Also part of his new legislation is preventing child welfare agencies from using foster children’s social security numbers on records for identification purposes. This will support the new law’s ultimate goal of increasing the level of identity theft protection for foster children.

Indentity Theft Case Ends After 15 Years

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Admin

Vegas Identity Case A Vegas identity theft case has come to an end. After fifteen years of aggravation and loss, an Arizona man is finally himself again. Since 1979, Clifton Goodenough has been dogged by another man who stole his identity. In one of the longest running identity theft cases ever, the identity thief pleaded guilty last week in Las Vegas and brought the saga to an end.

Arthur Gerald Jones, who is now 73, disappeared from his home in Illinois and bought a fake identity for $800. The social security number he bought was that of Clifton Goodenough, a man who also lived in Illinois and who worked as a Veterans Affairs nurse. This case is called the Vegas identity theft case because the thief moved to Las Vegas and became a bookie at a casino. He used the fake ID to pay taxes on his earnings.

When the identity thief stopped paying taxes on his earnings, the IRS wondered why and contacted the real Goodenough, who said of course he had never even gone to Vegas. Basically the criminial in the Vegas identity theft case was so greedy he even cheated under the fake name! Arthur Gerald Jones tortured his victim financially for fifteen years but now it’s finally over and we can put the Vegas identity theft case to rest.

City of Pittsburgh Employees & Paypal Identity Theft

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Admin

paypal identity theft 29 City of Pittsburgh employees are victims of identity theft after someone apparently set up fake Paypal accounts using their personal information. Each one of the 29 City of Pittsburgh employees received bills from Paypal for things they never bought, ranging from $40 to $3000, according to police.

The City of Pittsburgh employee identity theft victims‘ names, addresses and partial or whole social security numbers were used to set up the fake Paypal accounts. This Paypal identity theft instance demonstrates just how little information is needed to do some economic damage.

There are no suspects, but local Pittsburgh police are getting help from the US Postal Inspectors.

Fake Google Plus Invitations

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Admin

Google has entered the social networking scene with its newest website, Google +, or Google Plus, as it’s sometimes referred to. Similar to Facebook, users can invite other users to share videos, pictures, updates on what they’re doing, and more. They claim that with their “circles” feature, you can keep your boss out of your circle and stay private.

At the moment, Google Plus is only in the testing phase, but fake Google Plus invitations are out there, helping identity thieves work their trade on the internet.

Identity theft via google plus occurs when someone gets an email from an fake source and believes it to be a genuine Google Plus invitation, which by the way is coveted at this point in time. Clicking on the link in the email, however, will take the use to a pharmaceuticals website. Other fake Google Plus invitations ask the user to input personal information and then promise to hook them up to Google Plus via Facebook.