High School Football Team Player Burglars


Written on August 19, 2010 – 7:50 am | by Brayden Lorenzini

I was 17 once. I hung around with good kids, not so good kids and very bad kids. Teens heavily influence one another in ways that can have a direct impact on their futures. When you are young and new to the world, you are seeking out how things are supposed to be. Your gauge is guided by what your parents have become, but kids don’t often think their parents are smart enough to make the right decisions. So even if the kids’ parents are great, the kid may rebel and do stupid things.

At a young age, a kid that seems to have his act together by his peers, may become a leader. That kid may be a great influencer but may not have his act together at all. He may be a leader, but a blind one. As the saying goes, the blind leading the blind.

In California “police have arrested High school football players in connection with a string of street robberies that targeted teenage boys over the past two weeks. The teenagers were wanted in connection with a string of five robberies that began June 30. After police alerted the community via e-mail and local media, someone called and offered a tip that led police to the suspect’s home. Police

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Worst Person: Michael Cheek Stole IDs and Credit Cards at Hospitals and Schools


Written on August 17, 2010 – 11:52 am | by Jasmine Haller

It’s unfortunate that the good old-fashioned stealing of purses of still common and can lead to folks becoming the victim of identity theft. This concept was not lost on our new “Worst Person,” who targeted purses and wallets left unattended in hospitals, schools and office buildings.

Michael Allen Cheek pleaded guilty in federal court for illegal transfer of identification documents and aggravated identity theft. Investigators said Cheek regularly walked the corridors of hospitals, schools, and office buildings. They said once Cheek found a room unattended, he would steal credit cards, checkbooks and driver’s licenses from purses and wallets.

Investigators said when Cheek stole the identification documents and credit cards of women, he would transfer the items to a female accomplice who would then use the documents to purchase items that Cheek could trade for drugs. Cheek was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

So, Michael Cheek, congratulations. You are

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Tags: Person, Worst Person

Do You Really Need Identity Theft Protection?


Written on August 15, 2010 – 5:04 pm | by Brayden Lorenzini

The fact is, you can’t protect yourself from all forms of identity theft, and the types that you can guard against require a Rain Man-like focus. One way or another, it’s going to cost you time or money or both.

Identity theft protection detractors say, “Why pay a monthly fee when all you have to do is…”

Securely dispose of mail. The standard advice is to thoroughly shred preapproved credit card offers and anything that includes any account information. While this is good advice and should be heeded, it’s not going to protect you when your bank or mortgage company or utility provider tosses your information in a dumpster that is subsequently raided by identity thieves.

Opt out of junk mail and preapproved credit card offers. This is good advice and can be done at OptOutPrescreen.com. However, even if you opt out of new offers, others will still arrive. It’s inevitable. You also need to get a locking mailbox, but that still won’t fully protect you.

Get a P.O. box. This won’t protect you at all. Anyone who recommends this tactic doesn’t understand how identity theft occurs.

Check your credit for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. This is an excellent way to stay on top of your credit reports and keep tabs on what accounts may be open under your name. However, it’s only good for one credit report per bureau per year. You should really check your credit report monthly, and that isn’t cheap.

Set fraud alerts. Fraud alerts are a great layer of protection, but they expire every 90 days, and most people don’t bother to renew. Plus, fraud alerts only serve as a guideline for creditors, who are not required to contact you before issuing credit.

Get a credit freeze. This is a great way to help prevent new account fraud. I recommend this. But by itself, a credit freeze is not enough.

These are all layers of prevention that will help, but by themselves or even in combination, they cannot provide the same degree of protection offered by a reputable, full-service, paid product.

To ensure peace of mind and protect your most valuable asset, your identity—subscribe to an identity protection service, such as McAfee Identity Protection, which offers proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts. For additional tips, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee consultant and identity theft expert. See him discuss an identity theft “pandemic” on CNBC. (Disclosures)

Tags: Identity Theft, Theft

Child Identity Theft is a Growing Concern


Written on August 13, 2010 – 10:13 pm | by Chloe Gatenby

More and more young children our becoming victims of identity theft at an alarming rate.  Often times they are completely unaware of the theft until many years later.  They do not find out until they attempt to get a college loan, credit card, or purchase a car and are denied.

Hundreds of online businesses are finding inactive Social Security numbers online, mostly assigned to children 18 and younger who have not even started using them.   These Social Security numbers are being sold under different names to help people establish fake credit. The scheme may lead to significant debts and poor credit ratings.

Unfortunately child identity theft is often not discovered for many years after it has occurred. You can, however, be vigilant in preventing your child’s Social Security number from being used indiscriminately. If an

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Tags: Identity Theft, Theft

Busted: International Credit Card Trafficker; Kudos to U.S. Secret Service and French Authorities


Written on August 12, 2010 – 3:52 am | by Jasmine Haller

Once again, it’s hard not to shine a light on people who do bad things — thus the popularity of our “Worst Person” posts. Well, for today’s post, we are focusing on some good news — and want to give kudos to the U.S. Secret Service and French authorities for busting one of the most notorious credit card traffickers in the world.

Vladislav Anatolievich Horohorin, 27, aka BadB, was one of the top sellers of stolen bank card data has been arrested in France, and faces extradition to the United States on an indictment unsealed Wednesday in Washington, D.C. According to Wired Threat Level, he was one of the earliest members of CarderPlanet, a first of its kind Russian-language carding forum that was launched around 2002 by a group of East Europeans. CarderPlane

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Stalkers Exploiting Mobile Phones


Written on August 10, 2010 – 11:58 am | by Brayden Lorenzini

Mobile phone GPS (global positioning system) is often accurate in less than 100 feet. Many mobile apps work with GPS to inform you of local restaurants, banks, gas stations and attractions. Mobile phone GPS is also being used for driving navigation too, but I don’t find it as effective.

In this amazing age of progressive technology the uses seem unlimited. The good guy often finds out what he can do to improve his life with technology and the bad guy uses it to ruin others.

A U.S. Justice Department report last year estimated that more than 25,000 adults in the U.S. are victims of GPS stalking annually, including by cell phone.

The Wall Street Journal reports “The Federal Communications Commission required U.S. cellular providers to make at least 95% of the phones in their networks traceable by satellite or other technologies by the end of 2005. The agency’s intention was to make it easier for people in emergencies to get help. GPS chips send signals to satellites that enable police and rescue workers to locate a person.”

Mobile phone GPS can generally be activated in 2 ways. First,

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Tags: Mobile, Mobile Phones