U.S. Government News

Identity Theft: Red Flag regulations Require Financial Institutions and Creditors to Have Identity Theft Prevention Programs

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:54:56 PST

Financial institutions and creditors are now required to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs under the new "Red Flags Rules."

Tax Scam: State Taxpayers Warned of Email Scam

Sun, 25 May 2008 09:16:19 PST

Franchise Tax Board (FTB) today warned taxpayers of two current scams involving FTB and identity theft

Online Account Intrusion: SEC Takes Action to Halt Online Account Intrusion and Identity Theft Scheme

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:13:01 PST

The Securities and Exchange Commission today took action to stop a sophisticated Internet scheme that stole the identities of unsuspecting individuals and netted more than $66,000 in illicit profits in just seven weeks.

Student Identity Theft:What is it and how can you avoid it?

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:05:27 PST

Identity theft is becoming increasingly common and can result in significant damage to your personal and financial credibility and reputation, including for example, damage to financial credit history, difficulty in obtaining student educational or other loans, and poor credit that could impact future job opportunities. Once identity theft has occurred, the victim can spend an extensive amount of time correcting information and working out information problems with credit reporting agencies, creditors, banks and credit unions and other impacted agencies.

FTC Cautions Consumers About Tax and Rebate Scams

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:55:11 PST

The Federal Trade Commission is cautioning consumers looking forward to rebate checks from the government that they may be targets of scammers out to steal their identity. The agency has issued an alert to help consumers avoid this situation.

More scam phone calls are targeting Empire Bank customers, others in southwest Missouri, Nixon warns

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:05:37 PST

Attorney General Jay Nixon said his office’s Consumer Protection Division has taken dozens of calls and e-mails this week from residents of the Springfield area who are receiving phone calls from people claiming to be with Empire Bank but who, in reality, are trying to steal bank account and other financial information. Nixon issued a similar warning yesterday for mid-Missouri after consumers contacted his office about scam calls claiming to be from Central Bank.

Internet Thieves and Electronic Scams: Don't Be an On-line Victim: How to Guard Against Internet Thieves and Electronic Scams

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:50:11 PST

The presentation provides information on steps consumers should take to secure their computer and protect themselves from identity theft, as well as actions consumers should take if they become a victim of identity theft. Financial institutions are encouraged to make the link available to their customers from their websites.

Cyber Safe California Summit 2008 - March 4

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:29:57 PST

Join leaders from business, government, law enforcement, education, and community organizations for a two-day summit on cyber safety, privacy, and identity theft.

Credit Freezes and Identity Theft: FTC Staff Seeks Comments

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:29:14 PST

Federal Trade Commission staff is seeking comments on the impact and effectiveness of credit freezes as part of a multi-pronged approach to combat identity theft.

DHS Begins Collecting 10 Fingerprints from International Visitors at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:27:32 PST

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that it has begun collecting additional fingerprints from international visitors arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Hartsfield). The change is part of the department’s upgrade from two- to 10-fingerprint collection to enhance security and facilitate legitimate travel by more accurately and efficiently establishing and verifying visitors’ identities.

Identity thieves preying upon loved ones of recently deceased, Nixon warns

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:48:30 PST

Attorney General Jay Nixon says some Missourians who have lost a spouse recently are getting strange phone calls asking for the Social Security number of the deceased loved one. Nixon says the calls are coming mainly to consumers in the Kansas City area, but could soon reach other parts of Missouri.

Identity Theft E-mail Scams a Growing Problem

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:51:22 PST

The Internal Revenue Service has issued an increasing number of warnings over the last few years about e-mail scams targeting individuals, businesses, exempt organizations and other taxpayers. The scams, popularly known as “phishing” scams, use phony e-mails that falsely claim to come from the IRS.

FTC Issues Staff Report on Malicious Spam and Phishing

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:47:25 PST

In a new report, the Federal Trade Commission staff describes findings from its July 2007 workshop, "Spam Summit: The Next Generation of Threats and Solutions" and proposes follow-up action steps that stakeholders can adopt to mitigate the harmful effects of malicious spam and phishing.

Don't Print Full Credit and Debit Card Numbers on Customers' Purchase Receipts: FTC Reminds Businesses

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:55:19 PST

To reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft, the electronically printed credit and debit card receipts given to consumers must not include more than the last five digits of the card number, and must not show the expiration date.

Identity Theft: FTC Releases Survey of Identity Theft in the U.S. Study Shows 8.3 Million Victims in 2005 Red Flags and Address Discrepancies Final Rulemaking

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:09:37 PST

The Federal Trade Commission today released a survey showing that 8.3 million American adults, or 3.7 percent of all American adults, were victims of identity theft in 2005. Of the victims, 3.2 million, or 1.4 percent of all adults, experienced misuse of their existing credit card accounts; 3.3 million, or 1.5 percent, experienced misuse of non-credit card accounts; and 1.8 million victims, or 0.8 percent, found that new accounts were opened or other frauds were committed using their personal identifying information.

Identity Theft Red Flags and Address Discrepancies Final Rulemaking

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 07:43:55 PST

The federal financial institution regulatory agencies and the Federal Trade Commission (agencies) are issuing a final rulemaking titled "Identity Theft Red Flags and Address Discrepancies" to implement sections 114 and 315 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. Covered financial institutions and creditors will have until November 1, 2008, to comply with the final rules.

Identity Theft: Agencies Issue Final Rules on Identity Theft Red Flags

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 05:50:40 PST

The final rules require each financial institution and creditor that holds any consumer account, or other account for which there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of identity theft, to develop and implement an Identity Theft Prevention Program (Program) for combating identity theft in connection with new and existing accounts. The Program must include reasonable policies and procedures for detecting, preventing, and mitigating identity theft and enable a financial institution or creditor to.....

Jury Duty Scam: Consumers Beware

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:09:39 PST

Jefferson City, Mo. — Attorney General Jay Nixon says his office is getting new reports from consumers about a popular identity theft trick

Identity Theft: FTC Testifies on Identity Theft Initiatives

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:19:01 PST

The FTC today told the Maryland Task Force on Identity Theft that public organizations, including federal, state, and local governments, “play a critical role in guarding against misuse and unauthorized disclosure of the personal information they collect and maintain.”

25 charged in N.C. identity theft investigation

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:52:16 PST

RALEIGH, N.C. - United States Attorney George E. B. Holding announced today that his office has obtained criminal complaints charging 25 individuals with identity theft and various immigration violations.