Source: Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.迷你倉尖沙咀Dec. 26--A massive security breach at Target Corp. that still has millions checking their bank accounts may be an extreme case, but it's hardly a new idea.The cyber criminals who stole data from as many as 40 million cards used at Target stores during the first three weeks of the holiday shopping season are sophisticated hackers; the attack could end up costing hundreds of millions of dollars.But less than four months earlier, a similar fraud occurred just down the road: The tiny Eyota Market had its financial system breached.At least 70 people had funds stolen from credit or debit cards after buying gas at the market -- including a manager at the store.The technology unit with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office eventually determined there had been an infiltration of the business's Internet router box, allowing the cyber crooks to tap in and access information from customers' debit and credit cards. Fraudulent charges were attempted in New York, Texas, France and the Dominican Republic.The market has since upgraded its security. No one was ever caught.The big story in 2013 in crime in Rochester was the growth in electronic scams.Steady businessPeople have been stealing since there have been things to steal; technology has made it more profitable -- and often nearly untraceable.The most common fraud involves the actual stealing of a credit card, then using it at stores until someone -- either a business or the account holder -- realizes it has been stolen, said Sgt. Tom Claymon."But along the way, these people can make a lot of charges in a very short time," he said.Claymon remembers working a burglary for the sheriff's office, a typical case where the house had been rummaged and jewelry had been taken. The homeowner, he said, kept all of his credit cards in one place; a quick check of the stack indicated the cards were all there -- but the thieves had taken a few out of the middle of the pack.The owner called the credit card company, which was able to report the card was being used at a business in Rochester."Literally, as I'm there taking the report, these idiots are already at the store, charging up TVs and computers, everything under the sun," Claymon said. "We ended up finding them with all the stolen property, but how quick these people operate; once they get going, it's fast."The scamsNearly every day, new scams arise and new victims respond. Most use the Internet, more specifically, emails.Still, anything that can be done over the Internet can be done via a phone call. Many times, the callers pose as telemarketers offering a "free" vacation or prize or soliciting for various charities. Don't ever agree to send money. Ever.The preferred method seems to be to cast a wide net, Claymon said.The scam "might only work once out of 100 times, but if you can make $2,000 on the one time, that's still a pretty good day at the office," he said."With all of that personal information out there -- names, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers -- as a result of security breaches, identity theft is 'an obvious concern,' " Claymon said.While law enforcement has been coming up with new methods to catch identity thieves, the thieves have been coming up with "prevention techniques through their own methods," he said.Statistics show incidents of identity fraud occur in the U.S. every three seconds. According to Javelin Strategy and Research, identity theft has aff倉cted 5.26 percent of adults in the U.S., amounting to about 12.6 million victims, with a price tag of $20.9 billion.Stolen personal information often is sold to other criminals across the country -- or the world."What we've seen is that they're typically getting used at stores away from here," Claymon said of stolen cards or their information, which end up in places such as Florida, New York City or Dallas.Even if the thieves are having items delivered to a physical address, "unfortunately, a larger metro agency doesn't have time to go investigate a $2,000 crime," Claymon said. "If they're dealing with (crimes such as) murder, a $2,000 fraud investigation just isn't happening."What to doIf you suspect you're a victim, file a report with local law enforcement about any theft of funds, then call the credit card company right away, Claymon said."Get it canceled -- or at least frozen," he said. "Monitor your accounts; check your statements regularly and treat it responsibly. Don't spend too much, but be responsible for your information and make sure it's not being compromised."It can't be overstated, he added: "Be very cautious of giving credit card information over the phone -- even when you're the one initiating the call."--Five Common ScamsThough there are thousands, the most popular -- and, therefore, effective -- fall into one of five categories, experts say.-- The Imitator: Many scams imitate legitimate companies in an effort to fool consumers. The simplest way to avoid these fakes is to never click on a link sent in an unsolicited e-mail. Find the company link on your own using a search engine, or, if you know the company address, type it in yourself.-- The Urgent Offer: Typically, these require the recipient to make a financial decision under a time pressure. Often, they ask for financial information.-- The Official Notice: These scams attempt to fool consumers into believing they've received an e-mail that requires them to take some action. Often purporting to be from government agencies, the e-mails notify you of a problem, for example, with the IRS.-- The Lottery: Foreign lottery scams are rampant. If you didn't enter a lottery, you didn't win a lottery. If you did enter the lottery, you still are very unlikely to win, and you would not be notified via e-mail. Any idea that you'd be included in a "random e-mail lottery" is absurd.-- The Survey: These scams rely on people's desire to weigh in on issues and be heard on the issues of the day. In an election year one flavor is the voting survey, but any hot topic will do: global warming, attitudes toward war, the handling of governmental matters and so on.Avoid Identity Theft:-- Never throw away ATM receipts, credit statements, credit cards or bank statement in a usable form.-- Never give your credit card number over the telephone unless you make the call.-- Reconcile your bank account monthly; notify your bank of discrepancies immediately.-- Keep a list of telephone numbers to call to report the loss or theft of your wallet, credit cards or other documents.-- Report unauthorized financial transactions to your bank, credit card company and law enforcement as soon as you detect them.-- If your identity has been stolen, ask the credit bureau to print a statement that says that in your credit report.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Post-Bulletin Visit the Post-Bulletin at .postbulletin.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage
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