Identity Theft Protection Services

Newark Man Sentenced to 16 1/2 Years for Identity Theft

Written on March 24, 2011 – 3:54 pm | by Chloe Gatenby

Todd Yurgin of Newark has been sentenced to 16 years and seven months in prison for identity theft.  This is the longest sentence in Delaware history for fraud and identity theft.

His partner in crime, Joseph Aughenbaugh, was sentenced to 12 years and one month.

Yurgin pleaded guilty to six charges, including mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, in August.

Yurgin and Aughenbaugh stole mail of victims and confirmed the Social Security numbers through background search sites, said Robert Kravetz, assistant U.S. attorney in the office of Charles Oberly III, U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware.

They stole the identities of 93 people, around 44 of them were children. The

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Protecting Mail from Identity Theft

Written on March 24, 2011 – 3:13 am | by Brayden Lorenzini

While criminal hackers are cracking databases and stealing millions of electronic records every year, street level identity thieves are a more insidious element of the identity theft epidemic. Thieves of this nature live in your neighborhood. In some parts of the country, local identity thieves tend to be meth heads.

Local identity thieves understand all too well that the money is in your mailbox. They simply open your mailbox and steal any mail that could provide an opportunity for identity theft.

Think about what comes in the mail. Bank, credit card, and financial statements. Utility, mobile phone, and membership statements. Pension, Social Security, and benefit statements. Employment, tax, and income statements. Checks, disbursements, and credit card offers.

These sensitive documents contain enough information for an identity thief to take over your existing accounts or open new accounts in your name.

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Highschooler Gets Jail Time for Hacking Into School Computers to Change His Grades

Written on March 23, 2011 – 7:09 pm | by Jasmine Haller

Who does not love the movie Ferris Buellers Day Off?  Its like pizza or the Beatles.  Its something that we all can agree upon.  Well, one of the things that makes the movie such a classic are the shenanigans that Matthew Brodericks character, Ferris Bueller, pulls off.  From convincing his best friend to borrow his Dads Ferrari to skip school for an adventurous day in the city, to yes, hacking into his schools computer system to change his grades and attendance record.

Funny tricks pulled of by a lovable character who makes us all want to be a bit like him someone who games the system with smarts and charm.  Well, a real life high school student tried to pull of a similar stunt by hacking into his schools network to change his grades and guess what he got.  If you say, the girl that is unfortunately incorrect.  He is going to get jail time.

Omar Khan, who is now 21 years old (he did the hacks in 2008), pleaded guilty this week and hes expected to face 30 days in jail, a fine of around $15,000 and 500 hours of community service.

So, what do you think?  Is jail time a bit too extreme?  Nobody was hurt in this crime.  Though justice may need to prevail otherwise many other witty and computer-literate high school students would try to pull of a similar stunt. Heck, its

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Go “New and Shiny” or Wait?

Written on March 22, 2011 – 12:33 pm | by Brayden Lorenzini

Keeping up on the latest advances in technology has always been my thing. I once had a beeper the size of a pack of cigarettes, and a mobile phone bigger than a shoebox. I’m something of a gadget geek and a wannabe innovator. I like new and shiny. .

You probably haven’t run across the name Everett Rogers in People Magazine. In 1962, Everett Rogers developed a theory for the adoption of innovations.

According to Rogers, innovators are the first individuals to adopt a new innovation, and are often the inventors themselves. Innovators are risk takers with close ties to scientific sources and connections to other innovators. Because of their high tolerance for risk, innovators often adopt technologies that ultimately fail.

Early adopters are the second wave of individuals to adopt an innovation. These individuals are opinion leaders, and realize that early adoption will help maintain their position as central communicators.

The early majority tends to be slower to adopt an innovation. The

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Parents Stealing Identities of Their Own Child

Written on March 20, 2011 – 3:06 pm | by Chloe Gatenby

Seven percent: This is the amount, according to the Federal Trade Commission, of identity theft victims who were 19 or younger in 2009. Seven percent might not seem like much but keep in mind that there were approximately 10 million identity theft victims last year and we are expecting a higher percentage of victims under 19 for 2010. Of these victims, a good number had their identities compromised by a parent.

If you think about it, this makes sense. Parents are the ones who, in most cases, register a child for his or her Social Security number. In the case of a divorce, a parent who does not live with the child may even use his or her information with malicious intentions – perhaps as a way to get revenge on the custodial parent. Sometimes they just see it as a quick way to get out of a financial crisis.

According to an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, this type of identity theft seems to be on the rise due to the large amount of unemployment. Some individuals, when they ruin their credit, due to a foreclosure or bankruptcy, switch to using their child’s credit so that they will have a clean record and still be able to buy the things they want. Som

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Hackers and Cyber Criminals Wage War Against Hollywood

Written on March 19, 2011 – 12:29 pm | by Jasmine Haller

Lets face it. We love to hate celebrities. To us average earthlings, they seem to live a life of privileged that is further cushioned by an industry and a public that caters to their every need, and many times we simply enjoy a bit of schadenfreude when it comes to celebrities. Who hasnt enjoyed watching Charlie Sheens public meltdowns?

Well, the FBI is reportedly investigating a hacker group who is taking schadenfreude to the next level by attacking phones and computers of stars and stealing nude photos and other personal items. The latest victims whose nude photos have been stolen and posted online are Scarlett Johansson and High Sschool Musical star Vanessa Hudgens.

Heres some more on this story from the NYC Fox News affiliate:

As many as 50 celebrities could be victims of a hacker ring, TMZ reported Thursday, citing sources who claim the FBI is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into a hacking ring that is attacking stars accounts for the thrill.

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