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Posts Tagged ‘Fraud’



Experian Reveals UK Fraud Cases Surge by 11% as Fraudsters’ Techniques Evolve

London, England (PRWEB) April 15, 2011

Experian, the global information services company, has revealed that fraudulent applications for credit and other financial services leapt by 11 per cent in 2010 compared to 2009.

Identity fraudsters and criminals have turned to even greater stealth by targeting bank current accounts as a gateway to then attempt access to more lucrative credit card and loan fraud. The analysis from Experian (http://experian.co.uk/ ) shows that attempted credit card fraud levels reached 19 in every 10,000 applications in 2010, with identity fraudsters accounting for more than 80 per cent of attempts.

There was also an increase in attempted loan fraud (from five in every 10,000 applications in 2009 to seven in every 10,000 applications), with identity fraudsters responsible for 60 per cent of these cases. Current address fraud was the preferred point of attack for both types of fraud, a technique which requires some form of mail interception or redirection.

Experian’s analysis also shows that first-party fraud is on the increase and now accounts for 56 per cent of detected fraud attempts, up from 39 per cent in 2009. First party fraud is when someone knowingly creates a false picture of their circumstances to secure credit.

Peter Turner, Managing Director of Experian Interactive, commented: “Our research shows that fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated and more menacing than ever before. It is important to have proper safeguards in place to protect your identity such as ensuring that you keep your pins and passwords private, properly checking your bank statements and taking care when sharing personal details online.”

The Experian Fraud Report also reveals that whilst London continues to be the identity fraud capital of the UK, there is new evidence suggesting that identity fraudsters are migrating westwards out of London and increasingly targeting residents of commuter towns, including Reading, High Wycombe and Basingstoke.

As fraudsters turn their hands to new tactics, their targets become ever more widespread, focusing on those who flat-share or rent their homes, those with generous disposable income and individuals whose wealth makes them a key overall target.

According to Experian’s new report, the often visible wealth of the ‘Alpha Territory’ Mosaic demographic and their ability to access substantial credit lines makes them three times more likely to be targeted for ID fraud (http://www.protectmyid.co.uk/ ) than the national average.

The second most at-risk demographic in 2010 were the young professionals of the ‘Liberal Opinions’ Mosaic groups. Their dependence on the internet and tendency to live in rented and shared accommodation with high tenant turnover meant they were twice as likely to become victims of fraud.

Alongside these more affluent groups, are young, single people usually on limited incomes, renting small flats from local councils or housing associations – the ‘Upper Floor Living’ demographic. This group has become a more popular target over recent years as fraudsters have sought to perpetrate higher volumes of low value crimes as a way of attempting to circumnavigate increasingly sophisticated fraud defences.

The least likely to become identity fraud victims are those whose circumstances make them less accessible to criminals. Over 65′s, for example, who have made a deliberate attempt to distance themselves from large cities, and the large numbers of pensioners that can no longer engage in high levels of physical activity are all four times less likely to be a victim of fraud.

Notes to editor:

The Experian Fraud Report 2010 is an analysis of information from the National Hunter anti-fraud data sharing system and the Insurance Hunter database.

About Experian:

Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 90 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report (http://www.creditexpert.co.uk/credit-report.aspx ) and credit score, and protect against identity theft, with advice and tips on the company website as well as its PMID blog (http://blog.protectmyid.co.uk/ ).

PR Contact:

Lucy Davies

PR Manager

Cardinal Place

80 Victoria Street

London

SW1E 5JL

experian.co.uk/

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Texas Credit Card Fraud and Theft Crimes Increase Due to New Technology; Houston Defense Lawyer Analyzes Texas Criminal Penalties

Houston, TX (PRWEB) July 21, 2011

As technological advances have caused identity theft to become a significant threat, more people are becoming victims of electronic credit card fraud and identity theft in Texas. Many of these electronic crimes are the result of RFID, also known as radio frequency identification. RFID is a type of technology that uses radio waves to transfer data from a chip found in the object to a reader or scanner.

The RFID chip is often found in many credit cards, passports and driver’s licenses, and allows cardholders to simply swipe their credit card or other form of identification in front of a scanner or receiver that reads the card’s information. RFID readers are readily available for purchase online for a fee.

An investigative story on June 16 by Joel Eisenbaum of KPRC Local 2 News in Houston reports many people are unaware of the RFID technology in their card, and their banks usually don’t tell them the chip is in their card. A security expert interviewed in the story claims the scanners or readers can read credit card information within seconds, including the type of card, the card number and the expiration date of the card.

Identity theft or identity fraud is up all over the county, according to a survey published by the Federal Trade Commission in 2009. The survey reports Texas has one of the highest rates of complaints for identity theft in the United States, which is about 130.3 people per 100,000.

Houston white collar attorney Matt Horak states, “Any individual who purchases an RFID reader can walk past a person’s wallet and gain their credit card information without their knowledge. These individuals can be charged with serious white collar offenses, including identity fraud and credit card fraud, if they are caught.”

According to chapter 32 of the Texas Penal Code, an individual who takes another person’s credit card can be prosecuted in Houston for credit card fraud, which can either be a state jail felony or a felony of the third degree, depending on who the theft was committed against.

Stealing another person’s identifying information can be prosecuted in Texas as identity fraud, which can result in a state jail felony, felony of the third degree, felony of the second degree or felony of the first degree, depending on the number of items obtained from the theft.

“Anyone who is caught using another person’s credit card information could also be charged with various theft offenses, depending on the how the stolen information is used and the amount stolen from the victim,” advises Horak, a theft lawyer in Houston.

Chapter 31 of the Texas Penal Code defines theft crimes as ranging anywhere from a Class C misdemeanor to a felony of the first degree, depending on the value of the property stolen, the type of victim, and the type of offender.

According to Horak, “Identity fraud and credit card fraud usually result in felony convictions in Texas, and depending on the degree of the crime and the circumstances surrounding the offense, penalties can range anywhere from 180 days in jail to 99 years in prison, in addition to a possible $ 10,000 fine.”

The penalties for misdemeanor theft offenses can range from a fine not more than $ 500 for a Class C misdemeanor to a one year jail sentence and a fine up to $ 4,000 for a Class A misdemeanor, according to Chapter 12 of the Texas Penal Code.

Matt Horak of the law firm Matt Horak, Attorney at Law, PLLC is a Houston criminal defense lawyer who represents individuals accused of theft and white collar offenses throughout Harris County, Texas and surrounding areas in Montgomery County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, Liberty County, Galveston County and Waller County.

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

More Misdemeanor Theft Press Releases

ThreatSTOP Releases ThreatCHECK to Help Fight Online Fraud and Stolen Logins and Credit Cards

Carlsbad, CA (PRWEB) December 01, 2011

ThreatSTOP, the developer of ThreatSTOP Botnet Defense Cloud, a cloud service protecting networks against botnets and malware using IP Reputation, has released ThreatCHECK, a tool to help keep people safe online, in time for the holiday shopping season. ThreatCHECK is a free applet for Windows users to check what ThreatSTOP knows about the IP addresses their computer connects to. This is the most reliable way to determine who the computer is really talking to. ThreatCHECK will provide a report identifying which countries the IPs are in, and call out known botnet and malware sites along with detailed research about them.

ThreatSTOP has the most accurate, continually updated, database of currently active botnet and malware sites. ThreatCHECK is easy to download and can be run in the background. ThreatCHECK enables users to ensure that their computers are talking to who they intend to, and not a cybercriminal gang in Eastern Europe hiding behind a seemingly legitimate website.

As more and more shopping moves on-line, more and more crimes are committed there. The holidays are the busiest days for online merchants as well as for the cybercriminals. Botnets, advanced persistent threats and criminal malware are widely recognized as the most serious information security problem today. The average number of web attacks globally doubled in 2010 from 10 million to 20 million , and the cost to consumers and organizations runs in the billions. Despite $ 20 billion spent annually on network security, 99% of networks are infected by malware. Criminals clearly have the upper hand as they attack—and profit—with very little cost and total impunity using victims’ own computers. No one, from the individual to the largest organizations, is immune.

“We are pleased to offer ThreatCHECK, a simple and free tool to help Internet users to find out the true identities of who they are really talking to online,” said Tom Byrnes, CEO and Founder of ThreatSTOP. “With ThreatCHECK, users can make sure that when they are going to their favorite online retailers, their computer isn’t also sending all their keystrokes to criminal syndicates. Simply checking with ThreatCHECK for a few minutes can potentially save a consumer thousands, and businesses millions, of dollars from stolen credit card numbers or credentials, lost data, cost of remediation and even fines for failing to comply with data security regulations.”

To download ThreatCHECK: http://www.threatstop.com/threatcheck

About ThreatSTOP

ThreatSTOP is the developer of ThreatSTOP Botnet Defense Cloud, a turnkey cloud service that uses IP reputation to protect networks against botnets and criminal malware. ThreatSTOP enables firewalls to block outbound “call homes” to command and control hosts as well as incoming attacks. It prevents data theft, increases network “goodput”, and reduces system load and attack surface. Updated in real-time and automatically distributed via DNS to firewalls, ThreatSTOP is deployed on customers’ existing equipment and can be activated within an hour without any network reconfigurations, retraining or manual updates. For more information, visit http://www.threatstop.com.

ThreatSTOP Contact:                    

Ken Liu, V.P. Business Development    

kliu(at)threatstop(dot)com    Tel: 760-542-1550 x 4250    Cell: 858-722-0912                    

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Foreclosure Fraud Victim Turns to Advocacy with Release of Book and Web Site to Educate Underwater Consumers About Homeowner Rights and Options

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) November 23, 2011

Publisher Fastpencil, Inc. announces release of Consumer Advocate & Foreclosure Specialist Michael R. Bang’s latest book; Walk Away.

As many Americans are facing difficult times after the recent and continuing market housing crash and economic downturn, some industry specialists are stepping forward to speak up for consumers and turn misfortune into an opportunity for education. This includes Michael R. Bang’s recently released “Walk Away—How to Strategically Default on an Underwater Mortgage.”

“The book goes into great detail about how the banking system works, how a mortgage plays into that system and the vast avenues available to a consumer underwater or facing foreclosure, from a loan modification all the way to how to simply walk away from a home if you can no longer afford to keep it and your sanity,” Michael R. Bang, Consumer Activist and Foreclosure Specialist from The Vortex Reality Vibration LLC., said. “Many homeowners are having their rights violated by the banking industry or their emplyees, it’s often illegal and shameful.”

Bang has been a licensed real estate agent for 10 years and a rental investor for over 15. He became a foreclosure specialist, selling properties for banks in 1999 and in 2000 launched Georgia Foreclosure, Inc., (http://www.gaforeclosure.com) a site dedicated to providing investors and potential homeowners access to distressed properties on the market (properties owned and for sale by lenders after foreclosure has occurred).

He also became a well known expert in Atlanta on the standards and practices of by banks used to foreclose. In 2008 he was bewildered to see the amount of fraudulent tactics and misrepresentation asset managers were flagrantly using to foreclose. Examples included robo-signing, re-creating documents that had been lost, violating cease and desist orders or simply foreclosing on home they didn’t even own. Often, had the homeowner been aware of the improper acts, and known how to fight back, the foreclosure could have been stopped dead in it’s tracks thereby saving the home.

Since the 2008 housing crash, Bang has turned his expertise to consumer advocacy and has worked with individuals who are unaware of their options in the face of foreclosure.

“The mantra of the banks and their agents is that you have a ‘moral’ obligation to pay your mortgage when, in point of fact, it’s nothing more than a contract which can be voided at any time,” Bang said. “This book is a ‘How To’ guide for personal well being and doing what’s right for the individual and their family; it gives readers a sense of security and freedom to fight back.”

The companion website to Bang’s book, http://www.usawalkaway.com, (launched October 2011) provides detailed information on the foreclosure process of each state, sample documents and worksheets about foreclosure regulations, and a forum where homeowners can share their own foreclosure experiences and learn how to avoid being victims of fraudulent foreclosures.

Bang was inspired in part by his own experiences after a large bank illegally attempted to foreclose his home. To learn more about “Walk Away—How to Strategically Default on an Underwater Mortgage” and how you can avoid being a victim, visit http://www.usawalkaway.com.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Find More Fraud Victim Press Releases



Fraud Alerts on Credit Reports Cause Hardship for Many Consumers and Military Personnel Overseas

Cottonwood, AZ (PRWEB) December 23, 2005 –-

Consumer litigant and credit consultant Christine Baker receives many complaints about credit reporting agencies (CRAs) refusing to provide credit reports and refusing to investigate disputes from clients as well as readers of her blog at http://creditsuit.org/ and forum at http://fight-back.us/forum/

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) became law in December 2003 and allows consumers to add a Fraud Alert to credit reports if they were subjected to identity theft.

Fraud Alerts notify potential creditors that the applicants are at high risk of fraud and often creditors decline applications rather than to take that risk or to pay employees to ensure that the applications are genuine.

Another unexpected side effect of Fraud Alerts is that consumers often can no longer get their own credit reports and their credit disputes may be refused. Often the CRAs demand that consumers send documentation by mail, with no alternatives to quickly and easily verify their identities by telephone, fax or e-mail. Details are at http://mylitigation.net/pr/news/release/fraud_alerts_on_trans_union_credit_report_cause_hardship/

For the men and women in the military it is even more difficult to get their own credit reports and sometimes it is impossible when serving overseas. How can a CRA demand that a soldier in Iraq mail utility bills or rent receipts? The CRAs’ toll-free numbers do not work outside the US and the military postal service is extremely unreliable.

Why subject yourself to ID theft by putting all your identifying data in the mail? Stolen mail is a primary source of personal and financial data for ID thieves.

A client had mailed disputes to the CRAs from an overseas base and all three mailings were lost. Two CRAs received the subsequent Express mailings after over a week and one delivery took several weeks and the fax number they had eventually provided was always busy.

Ms. Baker did not receive a response to her 11/30/05 Open Letter posted at http://mylitigation.net/pr/news/release/trans_union_fraudulent_fraud_alerts_and_refusal_to_provide_telephone_help/

“… Rather than supporting the troops, TU ensures that those willing to die in Iraq or Afghanistan have the worst credit, pay the highest interest rates and have the fewest opportunities to get corrections.”

The FACT Act also requires CRAs to provide free annual credit reports, but the free reports at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ are frequently declined. When consumers then pay for the reports, they are often readily available.

Ms. Baker has been demanding a user changeable PIN for her credit reports for years. Almost all ID theft problems related to fraudulent accounts would be prevented if consumers could limit access to their credit reports to creditors with their PIN. The CRAs refuse to implement this incredibly simple solution.

Who would do business with a bank that refuses to provide a PIN to secure access?

When it comes to credit reporting, consumers have no choice which credit bureau to do business with as the personal and financial data is collected and sold without their permission.

In Ms. Baker’s experience, Fraud Alerts do more harm than good and should only be requested when absolutely necessary and when consumers are certain that they don’t need credit reports and credit, housing, bank accounts, cell phones, utilities, etc.

According to the FACT Act, the Fraud Alerts are supposed to be deleted after 3 months. However, CRAs also deny reports due to much older Fraud Alerts and in some cases the consumers never requested that a Fraud Alert be added and often CRAs refuse disputes even when no Fraud Alert is reported.

In 2001, Ms. Baker sued Trans Union in Kingman, AZ, Small Claims Court, case # 2001 CV 1751 UN, after it responded to her disputes with a form letter:

“To assist in our investigation, please forward a copy of your driver’s license and social security card to our office at the address located above.”

Ms. Baker alleged that Trans Union had no right to refuse the credit disputes. The filings, correspondence and confidential settlement agreement are posted at http://creditcourt.com/tu/filelist.shtml

On 3/19/03, Ms. Baker filed suit against credit bureau Experian in Phoenix federal court, case # CV-03-525. Recently Fair Isaac declined her order of the Experian report with the FICO score due to a Fraud Alert. Experian’s attorney Scott Kirkner with Jones Day alleged that the Fraud Alert was added by credit bureau Equifax.

The FACT Act requires CRAs to notify the other bureaus after a consumer added a fraud alert. However, Ms. Baker does not wish to be portrayed as a high fraud risk to creditors and she never requested a fraud alert with any credit bureau.

Equifax is a defendant in Ms. Baker’s 6/10/04 suit, Phoenix federal court case # CIV-04-1192. Equifax attorney Lewis Perling denied that Equifax added the Fraud Alert to her Experian report.

As both cases are now in the discovery stage, Ms. Baker hopes to find out how entirely fraudulent fraud alerts get on consumer credit reports and she will post updates at her blog http://creditsuit.org

The blocking of reports for consumers who filed suit against CRAs was litigated in Spector v. Equifax Info Servs, 338 F. Supp. 2d 378 (D. Conn. 2004). The court denied the Equifax motion for summary judgment as a jury might find that Equifax is liable for punitive damages. http://fight-back.us/forum/index.php?showtopic=1025

When consumers can’t get their credit reports, they won’t know what to dispute.

Having reviewed thousands of credit reports, Ms. Baker is certain that CRAs did not implement any computerized procedures to ensure accuracy and completeness. She sees balances higher than the highest amount owed, missing credit limits, accounts opened AFTER they were closed, undated late payments and other obviously incorrect data on just about every report.

More information about credit reporting, litigation and FICO credit scores can be found at http://fight-back.us/forum/ and http://creditfactors.com/

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

GDS Link Completes Integration with CPA Detective’s Real-Time Fraud Detection Solution

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) November 21, 2011

GDS Link, a global provider of customer-centric risk management and process automation solutions, announced an addition to its Connector Library with the integration of CPA Detective’s real-time fraud detection solution.

“Fraud is causing multiple inefficiencies in the lead buying process. With an increase in the number of clients we have who are securing leads via the internet we continue to seek out data sources and solutions that can augment our clients’ risk management strategies. CPA Detective fits that bill” said Paul Greenwood, president GDS Link. ‘The solution from CPA Detective augments the extensive list of quality data bureaus available to our clients through our risk management solution, DataView360.

“We’re pleased that GDS Link has included our fraud detection solutions in their Connector Library which will reduce the effort for GDS clients to leverage our offering” said David Sendroff, CEO of CPA Detective. “CPA Detective wanted to work with GDS to support their increased penetration in markets that secure leads for their services over the internet. We are confident that our solution will result in an increased ROI and lower cost per closed offer for our joint clients” continued Sendroff.

The Connector Library enables GDS Link’s clients to leverage a robust set of data sources in support of current and future scoring solutions quickly and cost effectively. The flexible system design allows for rapid integration with existing systems. Clients can leverage GDS Link solely for data access, or incorporate the data with their implementation of DataView360 for a wider set of uses such as the implementation of scorecard models. DataView360 was architected to derive continued value from financial institutions’ investment in legacy applications while also delivering enhanced functionality and flexibility to the risk management community.

About GDS Link LLC

GDS Link is a global provider of customer-centric risk management and process automation solutions. The company specializes in advanced software designed to support the access and aggregation of disparate data sources and the rapid implementation of custom credit scorecard models and risk management policies. Its technology acts as the enabler for organizations to effectively manage the risk of their customer throughout its lifecycle including new account originations and portfolio management. Familiar with the large investments made by institutions in their legacy applications, GDS Link’s flagship solution, DataView360℠ was architected to derive continued value from these systems while delivering enhanced functionality and flexibility to the risk management community.

For more information on GDS Link or its solutions, visit the company at http://www.gdslink.com.

About CPA Detective

CPA Detective offers sophisticated real-time fraud detection solutions for lead buyers, advertisers, and marketing services companies who want to optimize their lead quality and maximize the ROI. They leverage advanced fraud detection algorithms and digital forensics to generate a fraud probability score before buying, selling, or processing a lead. This proven system allows businesses to minimize the threats of affiliate fraud, identity theft, merchant chargebacks and more.

For more information, visit http://www.cpadetective.com.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

More Preventing Fraud Press Releases

Pasadena Attorney Eugene Alkana Protects Clients From Real Estate Fraud and Scams

Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) October 23, 2011

California attorney creates a cost effective initiative for Californians to help fight against real estate fraud. Attorney Eugene Alkana has serviced thousands of real estate clients including residential and commercial property owners, buyers, sellers, developers, contractors, landlords and tenants and has been deemed by his legal peers as an expert in the field.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong in a real estate transaction. Attorney Eugene Alkana has advised several thousand home owners through tough financial times. He has created consulting strategies for foreclosure prevention, modifications to refinancing. This morning

Eugene Alkana announced that he has launched an cost free initiative to help California home owners assess whether fraud has been committed in the process of trying to save their home.

“When you believe you are a victim of real estate fraud, send me a prepared written explanation with the following information: Names, addresses and telephone numbers of the people and companies involved. Copies of all documents: Front and back of any cancelled checks, money orders you signed or that were given to you, grant deeds, quitclaim deeds, trust deeds, reconveyance, assignment deeds, notes, contracts, agreements, escrow instruments and any loan statements. I will help you assess your situation and can consult you on a multitude of scenarios,” says Eugene Alkana. Alkana’s practice also gives free tips and advice to avoid being scammed from up front fees, reviewing letters from your lenders, transfer of titles,mortgage payments, and always read what you sign.”

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Identity Theft 911 Offers Comprehensive Fraud and Credit Monitoring Services

INDIANAPOLIS –

NAMIC Convention (Booth #300) (PRWEB) September 19, 2011 — Identity Theft 911, an identity management and data risk management provider, today announced Fraud and Credit Monitoring Services. With these proactive tools, Identity Theft 911 builds on its proven success helping individuals avoid and recover from identity theft with identity and credit monitoring and alerting. The combined offering is a comprehensive identity management solution—from monitoring and alerting to advisory, investigation, resolution and advocacy services.

Identity Theft 911 offers its solutions through partners including leading insurance companies, banks, and other organizations. Partner businesses can custom-brand the program for seamless integration into their existing portfolio of products and services. A secure web-based user portal is customizable to allow partner businesses to create a user experience that is consistent with their brand. The program can be branded as their own to create seamless integration into an existing portfolio.

“Consumers are often left on their own when it comes to managing their identity or monitoring their credit reports and scores for fraud,” said Matt Cullina, CEO of Identity Theft 911. “Identity Theft 911 provides fraud-fighting power that goes way beyond traditional credit monitoring alone. Now organizations of all sizes can offer their customers and employees access to these proactive fraud and credit monitoring tools, and at the same time build their corporate brand, enhance loyalty and take advantage of an attractive revenue-generating opportunity.”

Identity Theft 911 Fraud and Credit Monitoring scours billions of identity records—including credit reports and scores and noncredit files, like court records and internet sites—in a ’round the clock pursuit for possible signs of fraud. In addition to the benefit of early detection, these services also provide the personal support of a certified fraud specialist to help avoid and resolve crises in credit and identity theft.

Identity Theft 911 fraud specialists provide high-touch service to victims from the initial call for help until the case is resolved. Fraud specialist expertise spans risk advisory services to investigative and resolution services when identity theft occurs. As part of the Identity Theft 911 high-touch service model, the fraud specialists work one-on-one with victims and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week until resolution is complete.

For more information, please visit http://www.idt911.com/NAMIC2011.

About Identity Theft 911

Founded in 2003, Identity Theft 911 is a consultative provider of identity and data risk management, resolution and education services. The company serves 13 million households across the country and provides fraud solutions for a range of organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, the country’s largest insurance companies, corporate benefit providers, banks and credit unions and membership organizations. Since 2005, the company has helped more than 150,000 businesses manage data breaches. For more information, please visit http://www.idt911.com.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Related Credit Identity Theft Press Releases

WVU to Offer Nation’s First-ever Doctoral Program in Business Administration Specializing in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation

Morgantown, WV (PRWEB) October 05, 2011

West Virginia University’s College of Business and Economics has announced that it will offer the nation’s first-ever Ph.D. program in accounting that offers a specialization in forensic accounting and fraud investigation.

The announcement comes in the wake of WVU’s highly successful and internationally renowned Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation (FAFI) program, as well as an international job market that is hungry for qualified forensic accountants and fraud investigators. The program will officially offer a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting, and will center its effort on those candidates with an interest in fraud, forensics and ethics research.

“West Virginia University’s Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation program has been a model for other colleges and universities across the country,” said WVU President Dr. Jim Clements. “Our expertise has made us a national leader in this field, and the addition of the Ph.D. program will provide WVU with an important opportunity to create scholars in the areas of fraud, forensics and ethics. I applaud the faculty for all they have done to make this possible.”

“Expanding doctoral programming is key to the achievement of our strategic goal to advance WVU’s research reputation,” said Dr. Michele G. Wheatly, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. “The new Ph.D. program responds to this clarion call with innovative programming that will resonate with both industry and national needs.”

WVU’s business school plans to admit the first group of students to the program in August 2012. The program has been designed to prepare qualified individuals for a career in scholarly accounting research and teaching at the university level.

“This is an exciting time for West Virginia University and our expertise in the areas of forensic accounting, fraud investigation and ethics,” said Jose V. Sartarelli, Milan Puskar Dean, College of Business and Economics. “This new Ph.D. program is the next logical step in building a complete educational offering in these specific areas, and that step is due to the commitment and expertise of our excellent faculty. This program is a reflection of their long and dedicated work.”

Each doctoral student will be paired with accounting faculty, working closely with students and serving as research mentors throughout the duration of the program. The training, background and interests of the doctoral faculty support behavioral and archival research in fraud, forensics and ethics across the functional accounting areas of accounting information systems, audit, financial, governmental, international and managerial accounting. Therefore, the most competitive applicants for consideration would be those with an interest in fraud, forensics and ethics research.

WVU has a longstanding relationship with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and its College of Business and Economics houses the Institute for Fraud Prevention.

The university has also assumed a leadership position nationally and internationally in the business of forensics. The FORESIGHT project, funded by the National Institute of Justice, is designed to enhance the business expertise of forensic laboratories. The project has clients from across the country and around the world that are eager to better operate their forensic labs through a more comprehensive understanding of “the forensics of business and the business of forensics.” That topic was the subject of a WVU presentation last year to INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization, at its headquarters in Lyon, France. INTERPOL has 188 member countries and is the largest organization of its kind in the world.

Dr. Sartarelli and Dr. Paul Speaker were also featured speakers at the International Association of Forensic Sciences in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, in mid-September. The WVU officials led discussion in the areas of the forensics of business, the FAFI program and how to use the FORESIGHT project as a platform for quality.

“Our expertise and our experience provide a strong foundation for this Ph.D. offering,” Sartarelli said. “We have every confidence we will help produce scholars that will teach students who are eager to enter a growing forensic accounting and fraud investigation job market.”

For more information, go to http://www.be.wvu.edu/phd_accounting/index.htm , or contact Dr. Tim Pearson at timothy.pearson(at)mail(dot)wvu.(dot)edu or 304-293-7847.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

More Fraud Investigator Press Releases



Newly Launched SecureFraud Protects Individuals and Businesses from Falling Victim to Online Fraud

Lexington, KY (PRWEB) November 27, 2008

Despite measures and advanced technology implemented by some of the industry’s leading auction sites including eBay.com to curb fraudulent activity, online fraud continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States and abroad. SecureFraud (http://www.securefraud.com), a newly launched firm specializing in loss prevention and online fraud investigation, now provides services to both businesses and individuals who want to protect themselves from online fraud. Serving clients in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, SecureFraud is poised to become the industry’s foremost authority on auction fraud and other forms of online fraud, and American consumers’ first choice for fraud protection, reporting and loss prevention.

According to the 2007 Internet Crime Report, fraud victims in the United States suffered nearly $ 240 million in reported losses, a significant increase from the previous year. Of those cases, auction fraud was the most widely reported complaint. Experts now fear that as an increasing number of consumers utilize auction sites during the economic downturn to find bargains, or to make additional income by selling household items, the potential for increased auction fraud and other types of online fraud could be enormous.

“The number of reported Internet fraud victims and the calculated total of losses is staggering, and it’s not just growing everyday, it’s growing every hour,” said Paul McAfee (CIO) Chief Information Officer. “What’s even more troubling is the number of fraud victims who don’t come forward to report auction fraud and other forms of online fraud. Unfortunately, many fraud victims feel like they don’t have an advocate, or don’t know where to turn for fraud protection, so they decide to just cut their losses. Internet scammers are capitalizing on this segment of the population in a big way.”

While a number of government organizations have been established to help fraud victims report auction fraud, and other types of online fraud, the process can be time-consuming, cumbersome and in many cases offer little to no results. SecureFraud offers efficient fraud investigation services, fraud protection, and fraud prevention tools to help mitigate frequent complaints by fraud victims, and fill a void in the industry. The company’s experienced fraud team has a long history of working online fraud, auction fraud and other types of auction and ecommerce fraud investigations. They work closely with fraud victims, including individuals and both small and large companies to combat and prevent online fraud, and implement innovative fraud protection and loss prevention measures.

SecureFraud is available for both individuals and businesses, starting at just $ 10 per month. The company offers fraud protection, fraud investigation and reporting services handled by a world-class loss prevention and fraud department. Statistics show that companies and individuals who employ the assistance of an experienced loss prevention and fraud department are 60 percent less likely to become fraud victims.

“Approximately 500,000 online fraud cases have been turned over to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies for investigation, however many of these cases are never resolved to the satisfaction of the fraud victims,” said McAfee. “At SecureFraud, we diligently investigate each case, with the goals of locating the perpetrator and retrieving lost assets. We’re very committed to the work that we do, and the pursuit of justice for fraud victims everywhere.”

For more information about auction fraud, fraud protection or to report online fraud, visit http://www.securefraud.com. Enroll in SecureFraud’s Individual Total Protection Plan or the Business Total Protection Plan today.

About SecureFraud:

SecureFraud is an industry leader in fraud protection, online fraud investigation and resolution, and is led by experienced and successful loss prevention and fraud professionals. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, the company serves clients throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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