"I am not myself these days. I don't know who I am, but I am definitely not myself. A lady on the phone as much as told me so. This was after she had given me a test to prove that I am me. I failed."

"California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill on Friday making internet "phishing" identity theft scams punishable by law."

"The advertisements are intentionally frightening: If someone steals your identity, you could lose your home, your job, even your life. The ads are meant to scare you into buying identity-theft protection. And while the problem is real, insurance isn't always the answer."

"RBC Dain Rauscher, the Minneapolis-based U.S. securities arm of Royal Bank of Canada, told its customers that some of their personal information may have been stolen. The firm began an investigation and notified its clients after a "small number" of customers received anonymous letters detailing the theft from someone purporting to be a former employee, the brokerage said Tuesday."

"A California judge ruled Friday that Visa USA Inc. and MasterCard International Inc. don't have to send individual warnings to thousands of consumers whose personal account information was stolen during a high-tech heist uncovered earlier this year."

"Phishing attacks are up 100% on 2004 and denial of service attacks have jumped by 680% as users continue to expose their computers to online threats, according to a report published yesterday by internet security experts Symantec."

"... hoaxers have now realized there are bigger phish to fry, in the form of corporate identity theft. According to a British newspaper report, billionaire entrepreneur Philip Green has apparently run afoul of such trouble."

"(some) Employers are buying policies that help employees who have their identities stolen or that help guard against such theft. The actual benefits might vary, but they include credit monitoring, case manager help with identity recovery and reimbursement for lost wages."

""We tell people all the time that they shouldn't carry their Social Security number in their wallet," said Susanna Montezemolo, a policy analyst with Consumers Union in Washington. "Their response is, 'Well, it's on my Medicare card.'" An estimated 8 million military men and women and their families, must use cards with Social Security numbers to gain access to computers at work or base commissaries, reported the Los Angeles Times Saturday."

"Montana victims of identity theft will have a new tool to help restore their good names and credit as of Oct. 1. That's when the new Identity Theft Passport program kicks off."

"This time, it's not Mcanulty being held for questioning but Joshua Deprez, 30. Deprez is in York County Jail facing charges of probation violation and aggravated theft. He's also being held as a fugitive from justice because DNA testing has convinced California authorities that it's Deprez they've wanted all along."

"Investigators are looking into allegations that an officer at the Miami-Dade Police Department misused identification and passwords that provide access to consumer data maintained by ChoicePoint Inc. The company, based in Alpharetta, Ga., said in a posting Friday on its Internet site that the U.S. Secret Service was investigating the matter, which involved the data of 4,689 consumers."

"EPIC advised the Canadian government to assume an aggressive posture against identity theft by requiring consumer reporting agencies to allow individuals to freeze their credit files, and to require heightened authentication to prevent impostors from obtaining credit."

"A study of the top 2,000 known spyware threats, conducted by security firm Aladdin, has revealed that spying techniques are increasingly being used for ID theft. Spyware with a criminal intent, the most severe threat, was found to be doubling every month, according to the latest Aladdin eSafe CSRT study."

"A stolen laptop computer holding personal information of more than 98,000 California university students and applicants has been recovered, but it uncertain whether the information had been tapped, the University of California, Berkeley said Thursday."

"Jerome Powell works for a government contractor and has no criminal record. He said he has had a security clearance ever since he was in the Navy. So how could he be the subject of an Aurora warrant for two felonies -- crimes he never committed?... Powell had lost his driver's license in July of 2003 - weeks before the theft- and had it replaced."

"The Army said Monday that thieves stole computer equipment containing Social Security numbers and other personal records of a number of soldiers, some of whom are serving in Iraq."

"Military members make big targets for identity thieves. At all times they wear their dog tags and carry their military identification. Full name, blood type, social security number, rank, birth date, branch of service and a photo can be found on those two items. Not to mention that social security numbers could be found on almost every document from chow hall rosters to duty stations transfer orders."

"A Japanese courthanded down a suspended jail term to a 42-year-old computer engineer over an Internet scam using e-mails and fake websites to steal personal information, officials said."

"... One industry organization, the Anti-Phishing Working Group, estimated that thieves collectively launch more than 14,000 such schemes monthly and that about 5 percent of computer users respond to the fraudulent messages."

"Kent State University officials are alerting more than 100,000 students and professors that several computers stolen from campus may contain personal information about them. Names, Social Security numbers and student grades were on the computers."

"Almost a month after Sunbelt Software of Clearwater discovered what it called an international identity theft ring, one Web site collecting the data has been shut down. But the operation is active... But the investigation is hampered by a variety of factors, Sites says, such as the use of stolen or hijacked Web sites. The legitimate owners have to be tracked down, and they have to give the okay to shutter the address."

"Birth certificates and other sensitive documents left among the waterlogged debris of Hurricane Katrina could put the storm's victims at heightened risk for identity theft, experts said on Thursday."

"Home Office Minister Andy Burnham yesterday launched a leaflet advising the British public on how to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, and what action to take if you have been a victim of the crime."

"A former University of Texas at Austin student has been sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay more than $170,000 in restitution for hacking into the school's computer system and taking Social Security numbers and other personal information from tens of thousands of people."

"Hurricane Katrina victims may find themselves with little more than the clothes on their back. Starting over is challenging especially without any documents proving your identity. It may be difficult getting your local banker to recognize you. In today's 5 tips we'll give you some ideas on how you can re-establish your own identity."

"A 26-year-old employee of a call centre, Amit Juneja, was detained by the police and remanded to judicial custody for charges of data theft from the call centre he was employed in. The accused was caught by the chief controller of the call centre while he was trying to download confidential information on his computer."

"Count Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), a feisty foe of Big Government, as a new believer in federal action to thwart identity theft."

"Spamhaus has accused Yahoo of failing in the fight against online fraud, and Microsoft has admitted there is room for improvement."

"A Social Security number legally must be divulged in limited situations, but for many years, consumers readily rattled off their numbers to anyone who asked... As part of a federal law in the mid-1990s to improve collection of child support, states require Social Security numbers on license applications, whether it's for hunting or fishing, marriage or driving or professional licenses. As a result of the Patriot Act of 2001, banks must verify the identities of new customers and most do so by using Social Security numbers, said John Hall, a spokesman with the American Bankers Association."

"...Many experts, however, say this rash of disclosures probably didn't result from an unprecedented surge in identity thefts. Instead, it's because companies are now required to inform people whose information has been breached. Such thefts of data probably have been happening all along, the experts say - we just didn't know it. Some evidence indicates that cases of actual identity fraud, in which information is not only taken but also misused, have begun to slow."

"In a damning blow to the UK government's love affair with identity cards, a British criminologist has warned that the new technology could actually increase, rather than solve, the problem of identity theft and fraud."

"New technology could increase rather than solve the problem of identity theft and fraud, a British criminologist warns. Identity cards and chip and pin technology for credit cards will force fraudsters to be more creative and are unlikely to alleviate the problem."

"...Growing public concern about identity theft is fueling growth in document-shredding... "This month we've gone from about three walk-ins a week before to about five a day now" The number of shredding companies in the United States that belong to the National Association for Information Destruction of Phoenix has doubled over the past two years, according to Robert Johnson, executive director. The association had 170 members three years ago; now it has 670."

"t was bound to happen. On a hunch that we might see phishing scams popping up that take advantage of the terrible destruction that Hurricane Katrina has wrought on the Gulf Coast, I started looking up new Web address registrations for possible scam sites. In just a few minutes, I stumbled upon Katrinahelp.com, which claims to be a donation site for Katrina victims but was almost certainly constructed to steal Paypal usernames and passwords... If you plan to make a contribution to a Katrina relief fund, there are plenty of legitimate organizations online who you can feel confident are not scam artists."

"The Missouri Office of the States Court Administrator has warned circuit clerks around the state of a jury service identity-theft scam that has surfaced in the last few weeks in several states, Laclede County Circuit Clerk Wanda Tyre said Monday afternoon."

"A Nigerian man has been indicted for infiltrating the personal data firm ChoicePoint Inc. to fraudulently access financial records of consumers in a still-widening case that has spurred calls for tighter regulation of the consumer information business. Oluwatunji Oluwatosin, who had already been sentenced to 16 months in prison in the ChoicePoint case, now faces 22 more charges, Los Angeles prosecutors said on Tuesday."

"A website designed to look like an official Yahoo! service offering free games but most likely designed to facilitate ID theft has been discovered by internet security firm Trend Micro. The fake site, which was still live as recently as today, is being hosted on a Yahoo! Geocities account and asks users to log in with their Yahoo! user ID and password. Once the details are entered, the site displays a slogan "PAGINA HACKEADA - CUIDADO!", which means "hacked page - be careful" in Spanish."

"J.P. Morgan Private Bank has informed its wealthy clients that a computer containing their personal information was stolen from its Dallas offices this month... In a letter from Managing Director Elaine Agather, dated Aug. 25, clients were told that the computer contained personal and financial information about them, which may also be linked to other accounts they hold in joint names. The computer was stolen Aug. 8, the bank said."

"With Arizona leading the country in identity theft crimes, the local chapter of the Better Business Bureau has been inundated with questions from people wondering if ID theft insurance is a good idea. BBB officials said that buying ID theft insurance is a personal decision and that if someone does make that choice, they should shop around for the best price and coverage."

"A 42-year-old North Hollywood man has been indicted on 15 additional counts of criminal activity associated with one of the largest identity theft cases filed in Los Angeles County. Olatunji Oluwatosin, who pleaded guilty in February to one count of identity theft, is alleged to have accessed credit reports, Social Security numbers and other personal information of thousands of customers of Alpharetta, Ga.-based ChoicePoint, which collects consumer data and public records."

"For its victims, identity theft means worry, headache and countless time spent restoring bad credit. But for some businesses, the collective fear that consumer identities may be stolen can mean opportunity."

"WITH CONSUMERS INCREASINGLY CONCERNED WITH preserving online privacy, Microsoft last week stepped up its public efforts to convince consumers that the Internet is safe. The company last week said its new browser will have a feature that can warn people about known identity-stealing "phishing" sites. Adware company WhenU last year started a similar program that involves serving consumers pop-ups that warn them when they have landed on a known phishing site."

"AUSTIN Texas has sued a company that's accused of trade deception by posing as a state agency -- and now there's a twist. A spokesman for Attorney General Greg Abbott late today announced the case may involve a stolen business identity."

"In such systems, known as biometrics, a computer generally reduces an image to a template of "minutia points", notable features such as a loop in a fingerprint or the position of an eye... But those mathematical templates, if stolen, can be dangerous. So researchers have developed ways to alter images in a defined, repeatable way, so that hackers who managed to crack a biometric database would be able to steal only the distortion, not the true, original face or fingerprint."

"Federal law will make free credit reports available to Pennsylvania consumers each year beginning on Sept. 1. But, consumers should be wary of scams, said a state representative on Thursday. To avoid scams, Preston advised consumers to attain the free reports online at www.annualcreditreport.com. or by calling 877-322-8228."

"An ID theft ring that has hit thousands of people is proving hard to shut down. Discovered by US security fim Sunbelt Software, the scam used keyloggers to steal data stored by Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser."

"Experts at SophosLabs, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centres, have reported that a new spyware worm, PrsKey-A, is stealing usernames, passwords and information from players of the massive multi-player internet role-playing game, "Priston Tale"... The worm lurks in the background waiting for users to enter either "Priston Tale" or the Yahoo mail system, and then begins capturing keypresses including usernames and passwords."

"From the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse issued an alert today warning consumers to pay close attention to their checking accounts, which may be the latest target of identity thieves. Qchex.com, a San Diego-based company, allows its customers to create and print checks online without verifying the account holder's identity, according to its Terms of Use. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has warned banks to watch for checks created by Qchex as some have been associated with fraud."

"Jayson Lucas Harris allegedly picked the wrong fight. The 22-year-old Iowa man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of scamming computer users with fake e-mail notices from Microsoft Corp. Authorities said his scheme backfired when the software powerhouse contributed the legal legwork that led to his arrest."

"The Pin numbers of millions of consumers are being put at risk by shoddy printing, warn security experts. Bright lights and easy to use software helped University of Cambridge researchers defeat tamper-proofing on letters telling people their new Pin."

"Microsoft Corp. will soon make available to the general public a tool for warning users about "phishing" scams that could lead to identity theft. Currently, such a tool comes only with the Internet Explorer 7 browser, which is available in tests only to a select group of developers."

"Security firm has warned that a notorious identity theft operation is still running, having stolen a huge amount of credit card and banking details. An estimated 27,000 people have been affected by an identity theft ring that was discovered earlier this month, according to Sunbelt Software, the security firm that uncovered the operation."

"Are you terrified about identity theft yet? If not, consider this: It could get you killed. At least that's what John Gardner, a smooth-talking lawyer and spokesman for a company called Pre-Paid Legal Services, would have you believe."

"Security firm Sunbelt Software said it stumbled across a US-based server storing megabytes of data stolen from compromised computers while researching spyware infections. The server held passwords for online accounts from 50 banks, Ebay and Paypal logins, hundreds of credit card numbers and reams of personal data."