Internet Frauds

NYPD CIA Anti-Terror Operations Conducted In Secret For Years

In New Brunswick, N.J., a building superintendent opened the door to apartment No. 1076 one balmy Tuesday and discovered an alarming scene: terrorist literature strewn about the table and computer and surveillance equipment set up in the next room.

The panicked superintendent dialed 911, sending police and the FBI rushing to the building near Rutgers University on the afternoon of June 2, 2009. What they found in that first-floor apartment, however, was not a terrorist hideout but a command center set up by a secret team of New York Police Department intelligence officers.

From that apartment, about an hour outside the department's jurisdiction, the NYPD had been staging undercover operations and conducting surveillance throughout New Jersey. Neither the FBI nor the local police had any idea.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the NYPD has become one of the country's most aggressive domestic intelligence agencies. A months-long investigation by The Associated Press has revealed that the NYPD operates far outside its borders and targets ethnic communities in ways that would run afoul of civil liberties rules if practiced by the federal government. And it does so with unprecedented help from the CIA in a partnership that has blurred the bright line between foreign and domestic spying.

Neither the city council, which finances the department, nor the federal government, which contributes hundreds of millions of dollars each year, is told exactly what's going on.

Epson, HSBC Korea, domain registrar hacked: 100,000 domains affected

Image by Johan Nilsson via FlickrA series of hacks have hit the South Korean population, in a string of hacking attacks which have caused widespread disruption to the country’s state-run and privately operated firms. South Korean domain registrar Gabia has been hacked, exposing over 100,000 domains and 350,000 users. The website of HSBC Korea was also hacked, paralysing it for over an hour — leaving customers unable to access their online banking.

Epson Korea said that its website was hacked, and warned users to change their passwords. The hacker, known as ‘TG’ defaced pages with their Twitter account and picture. It is thought in some cases, data may have been stolen and widespread disruption to services caused.

An anonymous source, believed to be the hacker himself, sent ZDNet a link to a PasteBin link — a site often used by hackers to leave media communications and leaked information — along with an image of the hacked domain registrar.

Read More at http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/epson-hsbc-korea-domain-registrar-hacked-100000-domains-affected/55864

Britain's phone-hacking scandal sizzles on

Rupert Murdoch dabbles in Socialist Realism, D...

Image by gruntzooki via FlickrBritain's phone hacking scandal, where journalists at the News of the World tabloid eavesdropped on the voice mails of royals, celebrities, politicians and even a teenage murder victim, has shaken Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and the highest levels of government.

Top people in Murdoch's empire and the police have been forced out. Prime Minister David Cameron's judgment has been called into question for hiring an ex-News of the World editor implicated in the scandal.

With the arrests of 15 people and extra police officers drafted in to work the developing case, the details just keep on unraveling -- slowly and painfully -- miring top players in a morass of bad publicity.

In the latest twist, the BBC reported that the former editor of the tabloid at the heart of the scandal received payments and benefits from the paper while working as a Cameron aide.

Andy Coulson continued to receive severance pay amounting to several hundred thousand dollars from the now-defunct News of the World for months after he was hired by Cameron, and also kept his health care plan and company car, according to BBC, which did not cite sources.
Via Android is Popular Target for Hackers

Android is Popular Target for Hackers

Android OS (operating system) is rapidly proliferating. Hackers are targeting these smart phones. Statistics has risen for Android devices by 76% since last quarter shows serious concern. It is the most targeted mobile operating system, internet security firm McAfee says.

Releasing the Threats Report: Second Quarter 2011, McAfee said that it had been the busiest ever first half-year in malware history with about 1.2 crore unique samples for the first half of 2011, showing an increase of 22 per cent increase over 2010.

Android at top

With the vast amount of personal and business data now found on user’s mobile phones, mobile malware is steadily increasing, often mimicking the same code as PC-based threats. Android OS-based malware surpassed Symbian OS for the most popular target for mobile malware developers.
Via http://www.thehindubusinessline.com

5 Unusual Thigs That Hackers Can Exploit

Hackers are making headlines these days like never before. From video game systems to voicemail accounts, it seems like almost every type of electronic device or information storage medium can be hacked to either give up information or perform actions it wasn't initially designed to do. We've gathered a handful of the weirdest hacks out there, and the vulnerability of some of your everyday devices might surprise you.
1. High-tech medical implants, and devices like pacemakers and insulin pumps are reprogrammable so that Doctors could use these wireless programming features to make subtle adjustments. However, their built-in wireless features make them vulnerable to hackers who can exploit them from about half a mile.

2. Baby monitors have become very popular with new parents due to their video-equipped features. Anyone having wireless receiver can have a monitoring device into your home.

3. Automobiles cab be can unlocked by tech savvy thieves simply by sending a text message or two because these systems utilize the same type of technology like a common cell phone.

4. Garage door openers rely on a handheld gadget that hackers can easily modify to accept a USB port, and software readily available on the web to modify how it operates. Online tutorials are also available for any amateur hacker through the process of hacking your garage door in just minutes.

5. The human brain is a delightful object for scientists to attempt hacking. They're actually getting close.

Via http://www.tecca.com/

Overview of Rupert Murdoch’s Global empire

View Rupert Murdoch's empire in a larger map
A scandal rocking Rupert Murdoch’s media empire deepened on Thursday with claims his best-selling News of the World paper hacked the phones of relatives of British soldiers killed in action. The latest allegations prompted News Corp to shut down the 168-year-old tabloid.

List of assets owned by News Corporation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of assets owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation:

Filmed entertainment

20th Century Fox
Fox Searchlight Pictures
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Blue Sky Studios
20th Century Fox Español
20th Century Fox International
20th Century Fox Television
Fox Studios Australia
Fox Studios LA
Fox Television Studios
Shine Group

Television

Broadcast/production assets
20th Century Fox Television
20th Television
Foxtel
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox International Channels
Fox International Channels Italy
Fox Sports Australia
Fox Telecolombia
Fox Television Stations
Fox Television Studios
Imedi Media Holding
Latvijas Neatkarīgā Televīzija
MyNetworkTV
STAR TV
TV5 Rīga
British Sky Broadcasting (39%)
Cable assets
Big Ten Network (49%)
Fox Business Network
Fox College Sports
Fox Movie Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox Soccer Channel
Fox Sports Enterprises
Fox Sports en Español
Foxtel (25%) -
Fox Sports Net
FUEL TV
FX Networks
Fox Reality Channel
National Geographic Channel (50%)
National Geographic Channel UK (50%)
Speed Channel
SportSouth
LAPTV (Latin America — co-owned with Paramount Pictures/Viacom, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/MGM Holdings and Universal Studios/NBC Universal)
Telecine (Brazil — co-owned with Globosat Canais, Paramount Pictures, MGM, Universal Studios and DreamWorks);
Television assets
BSkyB [United Kingdom] (39.1%)
Sky Deutschland [Germany] (49.90%)
SKY Italia [Italy] (100%)
SKY Network Television [New Zealand] (43.65%)
Foxtel [Australia] (25%)
Star TV [India & Greater China] (100%)
Tata Sky [India] (20%)
Internet

Fox Interactive Media
AmericanIdol.com
AskMen.com
Fox.com
Foxsports.com
GameSpy
Hulu.com
IGN
MyNetworktv.com
Scout.com
WhatIfSports
News Digital Media
Authonomy via HarperCollins
MySpace (5%)
Magazines and inserts

All titles sourced from News Limited - NewsSource: Magazines on 15 October 2010.
Alpha
Australian Football Weekly
Australian Golf Digest
Australian Good Taste (with Woolworths)
Australian Parents (with Woolworths)
Best of the Gold Coast Magazine
Big League
Chopper
Country Style
delicious. (with the ABC)
donna hay
Gardening Australia (with the ABC)
GQ Australia
Inside Out
Lifestyle Pools + outdoor design
Live to Ride
MasterChef Magazine
Modern Boating
Modern Fishing
Overlander 4WD
SmartSource Magazine
Super Food Ideas
Tattoo
Truck & Trailer Australia
Truckin' Life
Two Wheels
Two Wheels Scooter
Vogue Australia
Vogue Entertaining + Travel
Newspapers and information services

United Kingdom
News International
The Sun
The Times
Sunday Times
Australia
News Limited
Metropolitan newspapers, magazines and news distribution channels
National
The Australian including weekly insert magazine The Deal and monthly insert magazine (wish)[1]
The Weekend Australian including insert magazine The Weekend Australian Magazine[2]
Australian Associated Press (45%)
www.news.com.au National online news website
New South Wales
The Daily Telegraph[3]
The Sunday Telegraph including insert magazine sundaymagazine[4]
mX (Sydney)[5]
Victoria
Herald Sun[6]
Sunday Herald Sun including insert magazine sundaymagazine[7]
mX (Melbourne)[8]
Queensland
The Courier-Mail including weekly insert magazine QWeekend[9]
The Sunday Mail[10]
Brisbane News[11]
South Australia
The Advertiser including the monthly insert the Adelaide* magazine[12]
Sunday Mail[13]
Western Australia
The Sunday Times[14]
Tasmania
The Mercury[15]
The Sunday Tasmanian[16]
Northern Territory
Northern Territory News[17]
Sunday Territorian[18]
Community suburban newspapers
Sydney
Cumberland/Courier (NSW) newspapers[19]
Blacktown Advocate
Canterbury-Bankstown Express
Central
Central Coast Express Advocate
Fairfield Advance
Hills Shire Times
Hornsby and Upper North Shore Advocate
Inner West Courier
Liverpool Leader
Macarthur Chronicle
Mt Druitt-St Marys Standard
NINETOFIVE
North Shore Times
Northern District Times
NORTHSIDE
Parramatta Advertiser
Penrith Press
Rouse Hill Times
Southern Courier
The Manly Daily
The Mosman Daily
Village Voice Balmain
Wentworth Courier
Melbourne
Leader (Vic) newspapers[20]
Bayside Leader
Berwick/Pakenham Cardinia Leader
Brimbank Leader
Caulfield Glen Eira/Port Philip Leader
Cranbourne Leader
Dandenong/Springvale Dandenong Leader
Diamond Valley Leader
Frankston Standard/Hastings Leader
Free Press Leader
Heidelberg Leader
Hobsons Bay Leader
Hume Leader
Knox Leader
Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader
Manningham Leader
Maribyrnong Leader
Maroondah Leader
Melbourne Leader
Melton/Moorabool Leader
Moonee Valley Leader
Moorabbin Kingston/Moorabbin Glen Eira Leader
Mordialloc Chelsea Leader
Moreland Leader
Mornington Peninsula Leader
Northcote Leader
Preston Leader
Progress Leader
Stonnington Leader
Sunbury/Macedon Ranges Leader
Waverley/Oakleigh Monash Leader
Whitehorse Leader
Whittlesea Leader
Wyndham Leader
Brisbane
Quest (QLD) newspapers[21]
Albert & Logan News (Fri)
Albert & Logan News (Wed)
Caboolture Shire Herald
Caloundra Journal
City News
City North News
City South News
Ipswich News
Logan West Leader
Maroochy Journal
North-West News
Northern Times
Northside Chronicle
Pine Rivers Press/North Lakes Times
Redcliffe and Bayside Herald
South-East Advertiser
South-West News/Springfield News
Southern Star
The Noosa Journal
weekender
Westside News
Wynnum Herald
Weekender Essential Sunshine Coast
Adelaide
Messenger (SA) newspapers[22]
Adelaide Matters
City Messenger
City North Messenger
East Torrens Messenger
Eastern Courier Messenger
Guardian Messenger
Hills & Valley Messenger
Leader Messenger
News Review Messenger
Portside Messenger
Southern Times Messenger
Weekly Times Messenger
Perth
Community (WA) newspapers[23] (50.1%)
Advocate
Canning Times
Comment News
Eastern Reporter
Fremantle-Cockburn Gazette
Guardian Express
Hills-Avon Valley Gazette
Joondalup-Wanneroo Times
Mandurah Coastal / Pinjarra Murray Times
Melville Times
Midland-Kalamunda Reporter
North Coast Times
Southern Gazette
Stirling Times
Weekend-Kwinana Courier
Weekender
Western Suburbs Weekly
Darwin
Sun (NT) newspapers[24]
Darwin Sun
Litchfield Sun
Palmerston Sun
Regional and rural newspapers
New South Wales
Tweed Sun'
Victoria
Echo
Geelong Advertiser
GeelongNEWS
The Weekly Times
Queensland
Ayr Advocate
Bowen Independent
Cairns Sun
Gold Coast Bulletin
Gold Coast Sun
Herbert River Express
Home Hill Observer
Innisfail Advocate
Northern Miner
Port Douglas & Mossman Gazette
Tablelander - Atherton
Tablelands Advertiser
The Cairns Post
The Noosa Journal
Townsville Bulletin
Townsville Sun
weekender
Tasmania
Derwent Valley Gazette
Tasmanian Country
Northern Territory
Centralian Advocate

Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Post-Courier
United States
New York Post
Wall Street Journal
Washington Times
Community Newspaper Group
The Brooklyn Paper
Courier-Life Publications
TimesLedger Newspapers
Bronx Times Reporter Inc.
The Corning Leader
International
Dow Jones & Company
Consumer Media Group
The Wall Street Journal - the leading US financial newspaper.
Wall Street Journal Europe
Wall Street Journal Asia
Barron's - weekly financial markets magazine.
Marketwatch - Financial news and information website.
Far Eastern Economic Review
Financial News
Enterprise Media Group
Dow Jones Newswires - global, real-time news and information provider.
Factiva - provides business news and information together with content delivery tools and services.
Dow Jones Indexes - stock market indexes and indicators, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Dow Jones Financial Information Services — produces databases, electronic media, newsletters, conferences, directories, and other information services on specialised markets and industry sectors.
Betten Financial News — leading Dutch language financial and economic news service.
Local Media Group'
Dow Jones Local Media Group (formerly Ottaway Community Newspapers) - 8 daily and 15 weekly regional newspapers.
Strategic Alliances
STOXX (33%) - joint venture with Deutsche Boerse and SWG Group for the development and distribution of Dow Jones STOXX indices.
Vedomosti (33%) - Russia's leading financial newspaper (joint venture with Financial Times and Independent Media).
SmartMoney (50%)
FiLife.com (50%)
Books

HarperCollins
HarperCollins India (40%) joint venture with India Today Group
Zondervan Publishing
Youth Specialties — organisation helping youth workers worldwide through training seminars and conventions, resources and the internet.
Inspirio — religious gift production.
Miscellaneous

National Rugby League (NRL) (50%)
Ansett Australia, Until 2000 (50%)
Fox Music
Jamba! - Mobile Entertainment/Mobile Handsets Personalisation/Games.
Maximedia Israel (67%)
Mosgorreklama (50%) - Russia sign and marketing material manufacturer
NDS Group (49%) - DRM and conditional access company.
Wireless Generation - Software for Education
Dormant or shuttered News Corporation businesses
Via Display

Sutton gets new superhero in amateur feature film

Sutton has got a new superhero.

The Divider is believed to be the UK's biggest self-funded amateur feature film.

The two hour epic, due to finish filming next month, complete with hi tech special effects and computer generated imagery (CGI) is being made by Sutton Film Makers Club.

The amateur film club, regarded as the most established in south east England, has been making the film since 2006.

The film, about the superhero of the same name, has been filmed on location across the borough including Cheam High Street, Nonsuch Park, and Sutton High Street.

Its costumes were provided by Academy Costumes, the same wardrobe that kitted out major film franchises Harry Potter and James Bond, and box office hits Braveheart, Back to the Future and the Dark Knight.

Jim Rogers, 36, who is directing the film, said: "I've not heard of a self-funded project of this size ever being done anywhere else in the country.This is by a stretch the biggest project our club has ever done and is quite unique in size to the amateur film industry."

The eight-strong crew has managed to create the film on a £4000 budget, despite using top-quality equipment, including CGI and a special effects "green screen", all owned by the club.

When it is released next year, Mr Rogers hopes to take it to the UK's Raindance Film Festival and the San Diego Comic Convention in the USA.

Via http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/9189708.Sutton_gets_new_superhero_in_amateur_feature_film/

Ex-Marvell Technology Group manager charged in insider probe

A former accountant for chip maker Marvell Technology Group Ltd. was arrested Wednesday (Aug. 10) for alleged involvement in an insider trading scheme, the latest semiconductor industry employee to be charged in a probe involving so-called "expert networks."

Stanley Ng, a former SEC reporting manager at Marvell, was charged with conspiring to commit securities fraud and wire fraud by providing insider information about Marvell to Winifred Jiau, a former consultant to Primary Global Research LLC, an intelligence service for institutional investors and analysts, according to a statement released by the FBI.

Jiau, 43, was convicted in June of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, and one count of securities fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 21.

A complaint filed by the U.S. attorney for Manhattan and unsealed Wednesday alleges that Ng was recruited to join "an investment club" with Jiau while working in the Marvell finance department. The complaint alleges that both Ng and Son Ngoc Nguyen, a former accountant at Nvidia Corp., agreed to provide Jian with inside information about their employers. In exchange, Jiau agreed to supply Ng and Nguyen with stock tips received from other individuals, according to the complaint.

"Incredibly, the person designated the SEC reporting manager for Marvell was allegedly using his special access to non-public information to violate the very federal securities laws he was supposed to be assuring compliance with," said Manhattan U.S. attorney Preet Bharara, in a statement.

Nguyen, 39, pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 29.

Via http://www.eetimes.com/

No convictions after 2-month Ala corruption trial

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The allegations stunned the Alabama Statehouse: lawmakers accused of selling their votes on legislation to legalize electronic bingo games at a time when the then-governor was ordering raids on gambling halls to seize the machines.

The buyers? According to federal prosecutors, those who would benefit most: casino owners who made a killing from gamblers attracted to the flashing lights and colors of the electronic machines.

The trial against two sitting senators and two former ones, a well-known casino owner and four others lasted more than two months that included a week of deliberations by jurors who Thursday delivered a stunner of their own — no convictions.

"The jury didn't give the government a thing, not a single thing," defense attorney Susan James said.

The inquiry started when three Republican legislators told the FBI they were offered campaign contributions if they would support the legislation.
The three used devices to record phone calls and meetings. The FBI wiretapped phones in a yearlong probe that coincided with former Gov. Bob Riley creating a gambling task force to shut down privately operated casinos. He contended they were illegal slot machines, while proponents portrayed them as a high-tech version of paper bingo, which is legal in some Alabama counties.

Legislators tried to pass electronic bingo bills in 2009 and 2010. Both failed.
Via http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/

Hollywood Hacker Breaks His Silence

Long before the Murdoch empire’s phone-hacking scandal, Anthony Pellicano was the private eye that stars feared (and used) most. In his first interview since going to prison, he reveals new details on spying for Schwarzenegger, clearing Cruise's name—and why he dumped Michael Jackson.
Inmate No. 21568-112 settles into a blue plastic chair inside the gymnasium-size visitor center at Big Spring Federal Correctional Institution, clad in a beige jumpsuit that matches the color of the dead grass surrounding the prison. Beyond the barbed wire lies the town of Big Spring, Texas (population: 25,000), a dusty, godforsaken former Air Force town pockmarked with shuttered businesses, fast-food joints, and four other detention and correctional facilities. The town’s biggest claim to fame was its supporting role in the 1969 best picture, Midnight Cowboy: this is the place Jon Voight’s character calls home, until he heads off to Manhattan to become a hustler.
And now it’s home to the hustler named Anthony Pellicano, self-styled Detective to the Stars, whose Soprano persona and win-at-any-cost tactics made him the No. 1 guy that Hollywood actors, suits, and their attorneys turned to whenever they had a problem. A big problem. The kind of problem where big bucks and bigger egos were at stake. With a Louisville Slugger in the trunk of his car and a computerized phone-hacking system in his Sunset Boulevard office, Pellicano dug up dirt on his clients’ enemies and helped make those problems go away—whether it was the embittered spouse of a mogul, an inconvenient gay lover, or a nosy journalist. That is, until he allegedly hired someone to intimidate the wrong nosy journalist—Anita Busch of the Los Angeles Times—and the FBI got involved, blowing the lid off the biggest wiretapping operation this side of Watergate.
Via Display

Hackers steal $1 billion a year from midsize banks, but account holders lose

Image by Imamon via Flickr

Organized criminal gangs, operating mostly out of Eastern Europe, are hacking the bank accounts of small companies, school districts and local governments that maintain fat commercial bank accounts protected by rudimentary security measures at community or regional banks.
In increments of a few thousand dollars to a few million per theft, cybercrooks are stealing as much as $1 billion a year from small and midsize bank accounts in the U.S. and Europe, according to Don Jackson, a security expert at Dell SecureWorks. And account holders are the big losers.
"I think they're losing more now than to the James Gang and Bonnie and Clyde and the rest of the famous gangs combined," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who headed a Select Committee on Intelligence task force on U.S. cybersecurity in 2010.
The accounts typically aren't covered by insurance as individual accounts are.
"If everyone knew their money was at risk in small and medium-sized banks, they would move their accounts to JPMorgan Chase," said James Woodhill, a venture capitalist who is leading an effort to get smaller banks to upgrade anti-fraud security for their online banking programs.
JPMorgan Chase & Co., the second-largest U.S. bank, is the only major U.S. bank that insures commercial deposits against the type of hacking that plagues smaller banks, Woodhill said.
Via Google News

Minnesota Hacker Gets 18 Years Prison for “Vendetta of Cyber Terror”

A Minnesota hacker was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Tuesday for using his neighbors’ wireless network without permission and then framing them for child pornography distribution and email threats against Vice President Joe Biden and other officials.

The man, 46-year-old Barry Ardolf, apparently unleashed a “vendetta of cyber terror” on his neighbors in retaliation to an accusation that he was a pedophile.

The bizarre tale began in 2009 when Matt and Bethany Kostolnik moved in the house next door to Ardolf, who at the time was a Medronic computer technician living in the Minneapolis suburb of Blaine.

On their first day at their new home, the Kostolnik’s then-4-year-old son wandered near Ardolf’s house. While carrying him back next door, Ardolf allegedly kissed the boy on the lips.

The couple promptly reported Ardolf to the police, angering their creepy new neighbor who later admitted in a letter to the judge:

“I decided to ‘get even’ by launching computer attacks against him.”

Via http://www.inquisitr.com/

KZN mortuary fraud bust - KwaZulu-Natal

Image via WikipediaKZN mortuary fraud bust - KwaZulu-Natal | IOL News | IOL.co.za: "A body-snatching syndicate has been buying unidentified or unclaimed bodies at state mortuaries in KwaZulu-Natal for insurance scams, the Department of Health has revealed.
On Friday, a KwaDukuza policeman and two women were arrested after they allegedly “bought” an unidentified body from the Magwaza Maphalala (Gale) Street mortuary and submitted false insurance claims to Standard Bank and Momentum, for R38 000 and R30 000 respectively.
Working with mortuary employees, the fraudsters submit fake death certificates and other documents to insurance companies.
Department of Health spokes-man, Chris Maxon, said the sale of unidentified bodies and issuing of fake death certificates for fraudulent insurance claims was a “huge problem” in the province. He said they were working closely with police and hoped to bust the syndicate soon.
“We have identified several suspects and reported this to police – arrest is imminent. We will put a stop to this scam.”
In the latest bust, the trio were nabbed by Captain Shane Smith and Warrant Officer Peter George of the Durban Organised Crime Unit – Cato Manor, after a tip-off."

Fraud lands investment adviser 10-year sentence

"A 43-year-old investment adviser accused of fleecing a western Michigan school district and some local governments has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The Muskegon Chronicle reports that Dante DeMiro (duh-MEER'-oh) of Milford has been sentenced in federal court in Port Huron and ordered to pay nearly $13 million in restitution. He pleaded guilty in April to fraud."
The FBI says DeMiro received millions from clients but spent it on himself or others. Losses topped $7 million over a three-year period.
His clients included the Mona Shores school district near Muskegon; Lapeer County; Comstock Township near Kalamazoo; a credit union in Iowa; and unions. They were told their money was being put into bank certificates of deposit.
He worked in Southfield at MuniVest Financial Group.

Via Fraud lands investment adviser 10-year sentence - chicagotribune.com

Zimbabwe's Independent News Agency

"HARARE – Zimbabwe Finance Minister Tendai Biti on Tuesday launched a court bid to block the police from accessing his mobile phone records, as the law enforcement agency insisted it wanted the information as part of investigations into possible fraud at his ministry.
Biti, secretary general of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC and effectively second in charge of the former opposition party, asked the High Court to bar the country’s largest mobile operator Econet Wireless mobile from releasing information about his cell phone history to police without a valid court order.
In the urgent application expected to be head today Biti said: “I fear that should the respondent (Econet) be bullied into submission, my constitutional right to privacy would be unjustifiably interfered with and, in addition, vital information pertaining to the organisations I am heading (MDC and finance ministry) will be unlawfully accessed.”"

Read More ZimOnline - Zimbabwe's Independent News Agency

GAO Sees Problems in Systems To Curb Fraud in Medicare, Medicaid - iHealthBeat

"CMS' computerized systems for detecting fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims are 'underused' and 'inadequate,' according to a report released on Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office, the AP/Washington Post reports.
According to the AP/Post, the current $150 million systems were launched in 2009 and were intended as 'one-stop storage' for CMS staff, law enforcement and state agencies to access Medicare and Medicaid data.
However, the report found the systems lack crucial elements necessary to share systems data to allow analysts to identify and prevent payment of fraudulent claims. Further, plans by CMS to share Medicare and Medicaid data with states and implement new system software have been delayed, the AP/Post reports.
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) said, 'To achieve the maximum taxpayer savings, the federal government needs to do a better job of getting this new technology into the hands of oversight staff working to curb the tens of billions of taxpayer dollars lost to waste and fraud.' Carper has scheduled a hearing on Tuesday to urge CMS to launch the new system software (AP/Washington Post, 7/12)."
Read More http://www.ihealthbeat.org/:

No info on soldiers involved in Maguindanao poll fraud : AFP

"The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Wednesday said it does not have any information if there were soldiers involved in the alleged rigging of election results in Maguindanao in 2007.

“We don’t have any information on that…We have not heard of any reports, implicating any Armed Forces personnel in any cheating exercise or any fraud in the elections,' Rodriguez told defense reporters in a phone patch interview.

The interview was made after suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARRM)Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan was reported to have said that the 2007 senatorial and local elections in the province was rigged in favor of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and here candidates.

Ampatuan, a principal suspect in the November 2009 Maguindanao massacre, did not specify military involvement in the alleged cheating, but said that Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, met with his father, then Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. — also a principal suspect in the massacre case — on how to rig the 2007 elections in the ARRM."

Read More AFP: No info on soldiers involved in Maguindanao poll fraud - Nation - GMA News Online - Latest Philippine News:

Health Insurance - Miscellany - ABI supports police in crackdown on fraud

"The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is to fund a specialist police unit dedicated to combating insurance fraud, set up through a police-private sector partnership.
The unit, supported by the National Fraud Authority, and operated by the City of London Police’s Economic Crime Directorate, will be funded for the next three years by members of the ABI, and will be subject to an evaluation after two years.
It will provide additional operational capability to the Directorate, focusing solely on tackling insurance fraud, a crime valued at £2bn per year – which adds an extra £44 a year to each premium paid by consumers.
The unit, which aims to go live on 1 January 2012, will consist of 35 specialist fraud detectives and police support staff and will provide a dedicated response to threats posed to the insurance industry by both organised gangs and opportunist fraudsters."

Via Health Insurance - Miscellany - ABI supports police in crackdown on fraud:

Police unit to investigate insurance fraud

Image via Wikipedia "Insurers are to spend £8.2m funding a specialist police unit which will be dedicated to cracking down on the growing problem of insurance fraud which costs an estimated £2bn each year.
A new unit of 35 specialist fraud detectives and police support staff will be operated by the City of London police’s economic crime directorate and will focus on opportunist fraudsters as well as organised criminal gangs who stage so-called “cash for crash” car accidents."

Via Police unit to investigate insurance fraud - FT.com

UK insurers to fund police anti-fraud unit | Reuters

"The 35-strong force is tasked with tackling a crime that costs the insurance industry 2 billion pounds a year, adding 44 pounds to the average consumer's premium payments, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
An ABI spokesman said figures for 2009, the most recent available, showed that between 4 and 5 percent of insurance claims were fraudulent, an increase on the previous year.
Insurance fraud typically rises during economic downturns as cash-strapped individuals and businesses seek to bolster their income by filing exaggerated or wholly fictitious claims.
Some of the recent increase in insurance fraud could also reflect improved detection rates, the ABI spokesman said.
The new police unit will form part of the economic crime directorate of the City of London police, which oversees the capital's financial district, and will be up and running in January 2012."

Via UK insurers to fund police anti-fraud unit | Reuters

Net 'phishing' gang jailed for £1 million banking con

Image by hdzimmermann via Flickr"Ayodeji Kareem, 39, Babatunde Fafore, 41, and Vincent Alonge, 32, had tried to steal £4.25 million during the two-year fraud.
The Nigerians hacked into thousands of bank accounts but were caught after a victim returned from holiday to find an email message containing 600 names, addresses and passwords.
This led the Police Central E-crime Unit to Alonge and then Kareem and Fafore via 4,000 emails between them and other gang members.

Snaresbrook crown court heard that the fraudsters chatted online while accessing victims' bank accounts. In one conversation in April 2008, Fafore typed: 'Done, I did £3,019.23.'"

Via News of Frauds across the world

Conn. man pleads guilty in mortgage fraud - BusinessWeek

"Federal prosecutors say a Stamford, Conn. man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud related to a $4 million mortgage scheme.
Connecticut U.S. Attorney David Fein said Monday that Christian Tudorof waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty in New Haven to one count of wire fraud.
Fein says the 43-year-old Tudorof submitted mortgage applications to several lenders for homes in Arizona, Connecticut and Florida in 2006 and 2007. The prosecutor says that in many of the mortgage applications, Tudorof provided false information.
Fein says each of the homes Tudorof bought was sold in foreclosure and mortgage lenders lost more than $2 million.
He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of as much as $4 million when he is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 4."

Via http://www.businessweek.com/:

UD Police Reports 7/5: DUIs, Stolen Percocets, and an Internet Fraud - Upper Dublin, PA Patch

"Suspected DUI: At approximately 11:17 p.m. on June 29, Upper Dublin Police were dispatched to the Ambler 7-11 for the report of vehicle accident. Upon arrival, officers observed a black Honda CRV that had “crashed into poles near cages containing propane tanks in the parking lot.” The report further states that “the Honda was resting on top of the poles with the two front wheels off the ground.”
The suspect, Gregory T. Webb, 35, of Dresher was standing near the Honda and stated that he was driving the vehicle at approximately 25 MPH when the accident occurred. While speaking with Webb, an officer detected the odor of alcohol and administered breathalyzer tests, which returned readings of .04 and .03 percent. The readings both fell within the legal limits, but the report states that the “officer did not feel that Webb was capable of safely operating a motor vehicle,” and “placed Webb under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence.”

Suspected DUI
Stolen Percocet
Public Drunkenness
Internet theft
Theft
Criminal Mischief

Read in Detail at UD Police Reports 7/5 DUIs, Stolen Percocets, and an Internet Fraud - Upper Dublin, PA Patch

BNZ in U-turn on fraud terms - business | Stuff.co.nz

"The Bank of New Zealand has withdrawn controversial obligations on internet banking customers that were due to have taken effect this week, and which could have increased customers' liability for internet fraud.
The bank had intended to impose new terms and conditions that would have meant it could have required customers to pick up the tab for fraud losses if they downloaded applications to their mobile phone or computer from an 'untrusted or unknown source' or didn't update to the latest software on their phones.

Spokeswoman Erica Lloyd said BNZ was entitled to make the changes but had decided not to, after taking account of a report in The Dominion Post and wider advice. BNZ will soon launch a mobile banking service that will include an iPhone application and a mobile-optimised version of its internet banking service.
Other changes have not been withdrawn, including a requirement that customers do not leave any mobile or portable device that they use to access internet banking in a place where it could be accessed by others. ANZ Bank has a similar condition."

Via BNZ in U-turn on fraud terms:

Agent honored for work on fraud

"It started with one U.S. passport that didn't seem quite right.
That fraudulent document was one step toward uncovering an international Internet fraud that was scamming travel agencies out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, leading to the prosecution of a man in Ghana.
A Fredericksburg area native was recently recognized for her work on this investigation.
Special Agent Lindsey Dickerson of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security was honored May 13 by Neil MacBride, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Dickerson, who graduated from Stafford High School and studied criminal justice at Radford University, said this type of fraud goes on every day.
'People need to be careful--if something doesn't sound right, it probably isn't,' she said by phone from her Washington office. 'You need to double check and triple check before putting in your sensitive information.'
Dickerson, 27, has been an agent with Diplomatic Security (the security and law enforcement arm of the State Department) for three years, and she says her job is different every day, from protecting to prosecuting.
Sometimes she is a detective and investigates visa and passport fraud."

Via Fredericksburg.com - Agent honored for work on fraud

Agent honored for work on fraud

St. George millionaire accused of Internet fraud to remain behind bars | Deseret News

"SALT LAKE CITY — A pilot's license and apparent access to large sums of money will keep a St. George multimillionaire accused of fraud behind bars for now.

U.S. District Magistrate Judge David Nuffer ruled Monday that he doesn't have 'adequate tools' to keep Jeremy D. Johnson from fleeing prosecution. Johnson, 35, faces one count of mail fraud in connection with an alleged Internet scheme in which federal authorities contend consumers lost hundreds of millions of dollars."

Via St. George millionaire accused of Internet fraud to remain behind bars | Deseret News

Don’t Just Blame Affiliates for Belly Fat Ads

"ADOTAS – A weary Internet public sighs in relief. Finally the Federal Trade Commission is coming down on the people responsible for the animated belly fat ads — no more crudely drawn cellulite jiggling above tight jeans! No more images of French newscaster Melissa Theuriau (who reportedly didn’t know her image was being used) promising hard-hitting investigations into Acai berry products!"
FTC reps — likely in response to a widely shared AdAge article suggesting the agency’s crackdown on flogs and farticles wasn’t doing much — sat down with Paul Farhi of The Washington Post to explain the 10 operations (PDF) it swept back in April, focusing on the belly ad scam in particular and why it spread to even the most premium content depots (MSNBC.com? CNN.com? My lord!) of the worldwide web via affiliate marketers (which WaPo almost describes as alien-like creatures).
Basically, affiliates used ads with the animated shrinking belly and pretty (fake) investigative reporters to lure browsers to websites disguised as legitimate news depots — i.e., they had no big print that saying “This is an advertisement.” These were/are filled with fake statements from real news depots and unsubstantiated benefits, as well as links to sketchy stores where you can buy miracle diet products.
It’s nothing new – a source recently suggested to me that the farticle has been ingrained in the affiliate model for a long, long time.

Via Don’t Just Blame Affiliates for Belly Fat Ads

Money, fraud and hukou | Economy | chinadaily.com.cn

Bosses involved
Compared with Zhang, a vendor who posted on Tsinghua University's Internet bulletin board sounded more powerful: "No matter what your major is, as long as you are a new graduate, I will guarantee a Beijing hukou for you."
"If you met the requirements to get a Beijing hukou yourself, you wouldn't call me," he said on the phone. "The price, 180,000 yuan, is just an average price this year. And I know someone paid 300,000 yuan for a hukou in Chaoyang district.
"Yes, last year I made some deals at prices between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan, but it's past tense already. Look at the increasing rate of property prices in the capital. Do you still think I ask for too much?
"I just helped a piano major get a hukou," he said. "You can tell how strong our relationship network is."
Sensing the reporter's hesitation and in a bid to ease her mind, the vendor said he works for a human resources company in Xicheng district. Selling hukou quota is based on his superiors' willingness to bring more money into the company.
"You can pay after you get the hukou," he said. "You won't need to worry about anything."
Several netizens who followed this vendor's posts - whether his beneficiaries or his shills - said what the man promised was true and that they had obtained real Beijing hukou with his help. Still other posters said he's a swindler, and they reminded people to be wary.
'They are all frauds'
Zhang Ziming was cheated out of 25,000 yuan recently by a hukou vendor.
His son is a new college graduate and he found a job with an information technology company in Zhongguancun, but the company cannot offer Beijing hukou.
"If my son wants to settle down, a Beijing hukou is very necessary," Zhang said. He contacted several hukou vendors and finally focused on one called "hukou99" online.
"I bargained with him and finally got a deal at 160,000 yuan. I handed in all the materials he needed. He asked for 15,000 yuan as a down payment for fear that I would change my mind and he would waste a quota. Then another 10,000 yuan as social insurance for my son," Zhang said
Zhang refused to pay, but the vendor said it's standard practice in the industry. Zhang paid.
"He asked me to wait for a month, but when I called after a week, the phone was powered off, and now it has become a dead number. Buying hukou is illegal. How could I report it to the police?
"Do not trust those hukou vendors. They are all frauds."
Via Money, fraud and hukou | Economy | chinadaily.com.cn:

Don’t Just Blame Affiliates for Belly Fat Ads

"ADOTAS – A weary Internet public sighs in relief. Finally the Federal Trade Commission is coming down on the people responsible for the animated belly fat ads — no more crudely drawn cellulite jiggling above tight jeans! No more images of French newscaster Melissa Theuriau (who reportedly didn’t know her image was being used) promising hard-hitting investigations into Acai berry products!"
When I first started reporting on the digital ad space, over and over I heard CPA network heads claiming that the Wild West days of the Internet were over. Bulls—, I thought then, and I’m of the same mindset now. CPA networks love propagating the idea that some bad apples are ruining a legitimate business for the rest, but the fake blogs and articles (hence “flogs and farticles”) issue is systemic — publishers, networks, affiliates and advertisers are all guilty parties.
FTC reps — likely in response to a widely shared AdAge article suggesting the agency’s crackdown on flogs and farticles wasn’t doing much — sat down with Paul Farhi of The Washington Post to explain the 10 operations (PDF) it swept back in April, focusing on the belly ad scam in particular and why it spread to even the most premium content depots (MSNBC.com? CNN.com? My lord!) of the worldwide web via affiliate marketers (which WaPo almost describes as alien-like creatures).
Basically, affiliates used ads with the animated shrinking belly and pretty (fake) investigative reporters to lure browsers to websites disguised as legitimate news depots — i.e., they had no big print that saying “This is an advertisement.” These were/are filled with fake statements from real news depots and unsubstantiated benefits, as well as links to sketchy stores where you can buy miracle diet products.
It’s nothing new – a source recently suggested to me that the farticle has been ingrained in the affiliate model for a long, long time.
Don’t Just Blame Affiliates for Belly Fat Ads:

California man charged with tax evasion after creating internet start-up scam - Tax News - TaxLawHome.com

"Tax evaders are finding new and intricate ways to cheat the system as is evidenced in the recent sentencing of a California man on charges of evading federal income taxes.
Chase Norwood, who also went by Thomas Gray, has been convicted after concocting a fake internet start-up company and soliciting investors for funding. He could face up to 60 months in federal prison, according to the Beverly Hills Courier.
Norwood was charged with 15 counts of federal mail fraud, tax evasion and wire fraud after tricking investors into believing that his company, Cal Broadband, was a renowned high-speed internet provider that was worth investing into, according to the news source.
Norwood spent the investment funds on condo payments for his mother, keeping part-time residencies in upscale hotels and concocting more schemes to trick investors.
Norwood originally pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was indicted in 2008. It was also revealed that he evaded federal income taxes for 2000 and 2001."

Via California man charged with tax evasion after creating internet start-up scam - Tax News - TaxLawHome.com

Owner of iWorks Pleads Not Guilty to Charge - ABC News

"A Utah businessman has pleaded not guilty to a federal mail fraud charge stemming from allegations that his Internet companies netted $350 million by billing hundreds of thousands of consumers for products they never ordered.
Jeremy David Johnson entered the plea Thursday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City. If convicted, he faces a 20-year prison term.
Prosecutors say Johnson's company, iWorks, sent software to consumers for a supposedly risk-free trial, but then billed them anyway. Authorities have said that victims of iWorks and dozens of related shell companies included individual consumers and merchant banks.
The single criminal charge parallels a civil complaint filed in Las Vegas by the Federal Trade Commission last December.
Johnson has denied those allegations as well
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Ward on Thursday told a federal magistrate he anticipates filing additional criminal charges against Johnson, based on information being culled from the 'hundreds of thousands of documents' from the FTC case.
After the hearing, defense attorney Nathan Crane said he doesn't believe Johnson has done anything wrong."

Owner of iWorks Owner Pleads Not Guilty to Charge - ABC News:

Security industry news & information - KPMG survey: business under threat as UK fraud exceeds £1 billion

"According to the latest KPMG survey, the period January to June 2011** saw UK fraud reach £1.1 billion (up from £609 million during the same period for 2010), with almost half of all fraud - in volume terms - levelled at the private sector.
Such activity cost £266 million: nearly a third more than the prior year.
While the greatest burden (by value and number of cases) of fraud has been borne by Government agencies, the private sector is undoubtedly under intense attack. In fact, the average case value of private sector fraud has jumped from £2.5 million in January–June 2010 to £4.2 million for the same period this year.
Hitesh Patel, UK forensic partner at KPMG, said: “The evolution of e-commerce, as well as increased reliance on automated payment systems and the ability of professional criminals to stay one step ahead, has swollen overall UK fraud figures.'
He added: “Fraud levelled at UK businesses tears at the very fabric of the economy. Although it's just as prevalent in larger organisations, the small and medium-sized companies are more likely to suffer dire consequences as a result. For SMEs, fraud can often lead to significant cash flow problems resulting in redundancies and, at worst, a fight for survival.'"
Via Security industry news & information

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