LexisNexis victim of large mafia bust

LexisNexis, a large information broker in the United States, has fallen victim to a security breach after a mafia member bust.

Two men, Lee Klein and Yomi Jagunna have been arrested after accessing the LexisNexis database and compromising over 13,000 accounts in the system. They were charged with fraud after securing Social Security numbers and selling them to other mafia members for $30 each.

Klein was arrested for providing the Bonanno crime family with names, addresses and account numbers for a fake check-cashing operation, and Jagunna was part of an 8-man identity theft ring.

Notification letters have been sent out to LexisNexis customers making them aware of this incident and how to monitor your credit for any unusual or suspicious activity.

Free Credit Monitoring Service for 6000 employees of Sutter Health in Sacramento

How does one get free credit monitoring for the year? Credit monitoring services are usually only provided for free after a breach. Here is an example. Imagine a computer repair shop calling your company and telling you they have a laptop there–that belongs to your company and has tons of accessible information. What now? You guessed it – free credit monitoring for all employees whose personal data was compromised.

This just happened to Sutter health. An employee was apparently in possession of a laptop that ended up in a computer repair shop. Technicians quickly realized the wealth of information on the laptop and contacted Sutter Health to let them know their laptop was in their shop.

It is unknown what has been done with the data and if any of it has been misused, but either way, current and former employees of the Sutter Health company should contact Sutter Health to receive a free credit monitoring service through Kroll Inc.

From now on, Sutter Health ensures that their employees are protecting information by encrypting and password protecting personal data.

2800 state employees had information stolen on flash drive

A flash drive stolen from a Florida Department of Revenue employee’s car contained information of numerous state workers. Stolen in early April, along with a cell phone and GPS device, this flash drive was password protected but not encrypted.

Some 2,800 past and present employees of the state had their information on this flash drive, and without the encryption, any sophisticated thief could hack the information.

Letters were sent to all those who may be affected, and at this point in time, there have been no arrests. It is suggested that those affected sign up for credit monitoring services to ensure their protection.

Careless disposal of personal documents cause an entire neighborhood to question their personal security

Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority in Virginia recently disposed of personal documents including Social Security Numbers and salary information in an empty field across from the Diggs Town Housing Complex.The records go as far back as 15 years ago, leaving people from the past at a high risk for identity theft.

The housing authority says an employee put the documents in the trash instead of shredding them as instructed.Now, hundreds, maybe thousands of tenants are unsure of their financial future and security.

Disciplinary action is being taken against the employee responsible for the disposed documents.Identity theft services can assist those who are worried about their credit and financial history.

To an Identity Thief You Are Your Credit Card

Of course you are more than just rectangular piece of plastic, but to an identity thief you could be just that. And that credit card is all he or she needs to become “you,” making charges that may add up to thousands of dollars without your knowledge – well until you get the bill anyway.

You may think that your credit cards are safe. After all, you shred all your statements and are very careful when using your card numbers and expiration dates online. However there are plenty of other ways for your information to leak out into the wrong hands. For example, Linda Price a 59-year old housecleaner in Cincinnati, stole a credit card from an infirm client and ended up charging over $3,000 before she was discovered according to wlwt.com.  Additionally, a thief may end up with your information by using a skimmer device at a payment terminal or ATM, by looking over your shoulder when you make a purchase at a store or through a data breach at your credit card company that is completely beyond your control. The Heartland Payment Systems data breach is rumored to have compromised close to 100 million debit and credit card numbers.

Since you can’t afford to be reactive in a situation such as credit card theft, especially with limits to liability plans, it’s a necessity to take a preventative stance. One way to do this is with an identity theft protection plans especially credit monitoring services, which gives you quick notification of any changes to your credit file that were not made by you. These changes can include reports of late or delinquent payments as well as alterations to your address or contact information. This is especially important since an identity thief may have your statements sent to a new location to hopefully throw you off the scent for longer since you won’t notice strange charges on your paper statements.

This brings me to another way to protect yourself from fraudulent credit card charges. Sign up for statements online. That way you can check your balance at any time of the month and will know if it shoots up unexpectedly. If you didn’t make a big purchase, and your husband or wife isn’t planning a big surprise, you will know pretty soon that something is afoot. This also keeps paper statements out of your mailbox and recycling bin: two more favorite places for identity thieves to find what they need to stay in business.

To sign up for electronic statements, contact your credit card company or visit its website. To find out more about credit protection services, you are already in the right place. Remember that these protection plans don’t just keep your plastic credit on the up and up, but can help with all aspects of your finances — and life in general – that can become victim to identity thieves. This includes usernames, passwords, addresses, bank accounts, your credit and that all important Social Security Number. Identity theft insurance can also help to keep everyone in your family’s information safe, depending on the options you choose. That peace of mind is worth more than any sliver of plastic could ever be.

OCTP participants relieved at protection of their personal data after stolen server recovered

Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (or OCTP) participants can rest easy now, after a stolen server put their information out in the open.

A server that was being stored was stolen, and the Oklahoma City Police Department was able to recover the missing server later on. Their investigations informed them that the server had never been turned on and no data had been accessed.

For those who may have additional questions, feel free to contact the OCTP at www.ok.gov/octp. Even though it appears to be safe, it is never a bad idea to sign up for identity theft protection.

Stolen computer affects some 45,000 past and present employees of Cornell University

A very important computer was stolen from Cornell University recently, and the credit of some 45,000 past and present employees is at risk.

Included on this computer were the Social Security Numbers of faculty and staff, and although there has been no sign of misuse, Cornell University is still giving credit monitoring services at their expense to anyone that is affected.

Letters were sent to those whose information was at risk, and if you were or are a faculty member and did not receive a letter, your information has been secured.