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For the sixth year in a row, identity theft tops the annual list of consumer complaints collected by Federal Trade Commission. The list is strikingly similar to last year, with online auction fraud, sweepstakes, and advance-fee loans also in the top 10. But the number of consumers victimized via wire transfer has skyrocketed, tripling in the past two years, the FTC said. And child ID theft cases have nearly doubled in that span.
FBI report paints a grim picture of online fraud Online crime in the US alone caused $67.2bn in damages last year, according to a survey conducted by the FBI. The findings were based on a poll of 2,066 organisations, nearly 90 per cent of which had experienced a computer security incident over the past 12 months.
Cyber-criminals adopting new strategies, experts say
After a decade of untold havoc wrought by worms, viruses, Trojan horses and spam, something curious is going on in the Internet's netherworld: the volume of attacks is beginning to fall off.
Two studies reveal that users worry, but do they do enough? U.S. residents believe they are more likely to be victims of cybercrime than physical crime and that concern is leading them to be more cautious online and, in some cases, to limit Internet activities, according to a new survey. However, a second survey, conducted by a U.K. banking authority, indicates that users may regard online security as someone else's problem.
Users to blame for Net banking woes
The UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) says that the "blame for online banking insecurity is as much down to user ignorance as banking inadequacy". The group explains that, "Most consumers recognize they have some responsibility for security but they are not necessarily following this obligation through", and urges banks "to look carefully at consumer attitudes and whether their initiatives are effective in maintaining confidence". The FSA published a report titled the Financial Risk Outlook 2006 that details its findings.
It’s getting so you can’t stick your head out onto the Internet anymore without someone trying to sell you something, infect your computer with viruses or steal your identity. And several attacks developed to go after home users, such as phishing, are mutating to take aim at corporate offices and government agencies.
Verizon Wireless says four websites used fraud to obtain cell records and then sold them. Verizon Wireless on Tuesday stepped up the cellphone industry's fight against the sale of personal call records, suing the purported operators of four websites offering the history of almost any number. The nation's second-largest cellular operator filed a federal lawsuit in New Jersey to prohibit the alleged data brokers from selling confidential customer records.
Attorney General addresses critics of warrantless wiretaps
US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, speaking at Georgetown Law School, countered criticism of NSA (National Security Agency) wiretaps on American citizens, arguing that Congress intended the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to be revisited as needed in future conflicts. Gonzales further argued that Congress revisited FISA with its resolution authorizing the President to use force against the plotters of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A number of lawmakers, as well as the Congressional Research Service, have concluded that the NSA wiretaps violate FISA; Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has introduced a resolution to clarify that Congress did not intend these wiretaps with its authorization of force. Gonzales also repeated the administration's position that the FISA warrant process is too slow to prevent a terrorist attack.
Public backs Google against government: survey
Google's decision to "'vigorously' oppose a government subpoena to turn over records on millions of its users' search queries" is supported by the general public, a Ponemon Institute survey indicates. The government subpoena relates to enforcing the 1998 Child Online Protection Act, which "would impose tough criminal penalties on website operators that don't verify ages of visitors before allowing access to adult-oriented content", and is under challenge in several courts.
The Treasury Department released the first governmentwide analysis of money laundering and terrorist financing weaknesses that criminals and terrorists exploit through a variety of techniques. What the analysis determined was that additional data needs to be collected in a more consistent way across agencies to help stem the flow of illicit funds.
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