News	News category

38 charged in global 'phishing' scam

21.05.2008 14:14 Shopping - Source: cbc.ca

Authorities in the U.S. have charged 38 people with stealing personal information from internet users, as part of a global online crime ring that has operations in Canada, according to court documents.

The alleged ring aimed to bilk thousands of unwitting consumers and hundreds of financial institutions, according to indictments unsealed in Los Angeles and New Haven, Conn. More than half of those charged are Romanian, although authorities say the scam was being carried out in Canada, the United States, Portugal and Pakistan.

Those accused in the scam were said to have stolen names, credit card data and other personal information such as Social Security numbers in a practice commonly known as phishing.

The information is usually obtained using fraudulent e-mails that direct internet users to fake websites where they are asked to share their personal information. The e-mails may also include attachments that surreptitiously install spyware, which snatches personal information and sends it to third parties.

With files from the Associated Press

Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

Internal Links

Online auction, dating and pet scams on the rise, report warns IN DEPTH: Protecting your personal information

Consumer Headlines

Pump prices lift inflation rate for 1st time since NovemberCanada's inflation rate unexpectedly jumped to 1.7 per cent in April, from 1.4 per cent the previous month, thanks to soaring gas prices. Honda to sell affordable, new-generation hybrid early next yearHonda Motor Co. will sell a new, improved and affordable gas-electric hybrid in the U.S., Japan and Europe starting in early 2009, the company's president said Wednesday.Children's blanket recalled due to strangulation hazardParents are being warned about a children's blanket that could cause strangulation because its satin edge can come loose. Little Rider's cowboy and horse toy recalled for high lead levelsThe Cowboy on a Horse Little Rider Toy should be taken away from children because its surface paint contains high levels of lead, a U.S. safety commission warns.Oil hits record $130 a barrelCrude oil prices are shooting into record territory again, breaking above $130 US a barrel for the first time on persistent supply concerns and a weaker American dollar.

Consumer Life Features

ENERGYEthanol FAQ The merits of alternative fuel still hotly debated ENVIRONMENTClassifying chemicals 'Batch 2' up for review COMMUNICATIONSTalk to the machine Smarter inhuman voices to infiltrate more businesses BLOGFood Bytes Pork industry's loss, food banks' gain BLOGComm-Oddities Thieves swipe used cooking oil to brew biodiesel

People who read this also read …

Add comment

Last added news

Loonie down almost 2 cents, lowest level since April 2007 10.10.2008 18:05 The loonie is still on a losing streak - it's down 1.85 cents on fears that Canada will be swept away in possible global recession, and is at its lowest level since April 2007.

Flaherty announces measures to stabilize lending industry 10.10.2008 14:06 Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on Friday announced new measures to ease pressure on financial institutions and stabilize the lending market, in an attempt to assuage concerns over the burgeoning global financial crisis.

Drug makers to change codeine labels to prevent overdose in babies 10.10.2008 14:06 Nursing mothers who take codeine medication should be aware that, depending on how quickly they metabolize the drug, their breastfed babies may be at increased risk of morphine overdose, Health Canada warns.

Fall harvest 10.10.2008 14:05 As farmers bring in the last of their summer crops, we check in with growers across the country.

The politics of feasting 10.10.2008 14:05 Do you serve whipped potatoes or mashed? Do your kids turn their noses up at sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows? Have you finally graduated from the kids' table to the adults' table? Thanksgiving can be a highly political event, marked by manners and hierarchy and rites of passage, according to Heather Evans, a professor of literature at Queens University.

Some consumers in Toledo area plan to celebrate Halloween more modestly 10.10.2008 12:03 Jennifer Harold wasn’t worried about the prices as she propped a couple of bags of chocolate bars beside her toddler and carted down the Halloween candy aisles at the Target store on Monroe Street...

SPEAKING UP FOR INSULATION 10.10.2008 12:03 The Pink Panther, mascot of Toledo building-materials maker Owens Corning, picks New York’s Times Square to announce he has found his voice after decades of not speaking.

Security flaw in smart cards poses risk for transit, building access 10.10.2008 06:02 Transit systems across Canada stand to lose tens of thousands of dollars to fare fraud, and access to office buildings could be compromised, after a security flaw in some of their smart-card technology was widely publicized this week.

Managing your investments in tough economic times 09.10.2008 22:00 The barrage of bad economic news in recent weeks has been enough to induce panic in even the most rational investor. So here's something you can have for free - some basic financial advice for weathering the financial market's angry seas.

Dow industrials fall over 600 points, below 9,000 09.10.2008 21:05 NEW YORK — Stocks plunged in the final minutes of trading Thursday, sending the Dow Jones industrials down more than 600 points to their lowest level in five years after a major credit ratings agency...

All news | News archive | RSS feed

News

News category