IRS deputizes local police and sheriff officers in Florida to help fight tax fraud.

The Internal Revenue Service has deputized law enforcement officers from 10 Tampa Bay-area agencies as a part of the Tampa Bay Identity Theft Alliance, which investigates allegations under federal bank and money laundering laws and exercise authority outside their current jurisdictions as local officers.

The new Special IRS Criminal Investigators were sworn in at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center.

The Tampa Bay Identity Theft Alliance was formed in July 2012 to combat the high number of identity theft crimes in Tampa and surrounding areas. The goal of this specialized law enforcement team is to investigate ID theft crimes and pinpoint vulnerabilities in personal and business transactions.

Members of the Tampa Bay Identity Theft Alliance who were sworn in today include agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, officers from Tampa, Clearwater, Largo, Brooksville and St. Petersburg Police Departments and deputies from Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee and Hernando County Sheriffs Offices.

Other partners include the IRS, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Pasco County Sheriffs Office and Plant City Police Department. Outreach partners are Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay, CBS Outdoor Advertisers, HART LINE, Direct Mailers and the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Association for Certified Fraud Examiners.

Five simple steps to protect your identity:

1. Do not throw away ATM receipts, credit statements, credit cards, or bank statements without first shredding them.
2. Never give out personal information online simply because someone asks for it.
3. Never give your credit card number or social security number over the telephone unless you initiated the call.
4. Reconcile your bank account monthly and notify your bank of discrepancies immediately.
5. Review a copy of your credit report at least once each year.

What to do if you are a victim:

• Flag your credit reports. Contact the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338).
• File a report with the local police.
• If you received a notice from the IRS, call the number on that notice.
• Fill out the IRS Identity Theft Affidavit, Form 14039.
• Call IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit 1-800-908-4490 if you think you are at risk due to a lost/stolen purse or wallet.

(source)

Hacker Breaks into Federal Reserve

A Malaysian man hacked his way into the Federal Reserve Bank’s computers in Cleveland and also separately had more than 400,000 stolen credit card numbers when Secret Service agents finally caught up with him, federal prosecutors said.

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Hacker Breaks into Federal Reserve

Cyber crooks riding social-networking wave: report

A new hacking incident report warns there has been a steep rise in attacks at social-networking hotspots including wildly popular microblogging service Twitter. Hackers aren’t just hunting for victims in the flocks of people at social networks, they’re also using Twitter to command “botnet” armies of infected computers, according to Internet security specialists.

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Cyber crooks riding social-networking wave: report

State issues new rules to protect consumer data

Massachusetts regulators yesterday issued revised regulations aimed at preventing identity theft by computer hackers.

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State issues new rules to protect consumer data

Man charged with biggest ever US credit card fraud

Hacker who worked for the US secret service charged with huge scale identity theft.

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Man charged with biggest ever US credit card fraud

Cybercrime spreads on Facebook

BOSTON (Reuters) – Cybercrime is rapidly spreading on Facebook as fraudsters prey on users who think the world’s top social networking site is a safe haven on the Internet.

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Cybercrime spreads on Facebook

U.S. and Europe Jointly Establish Cyber-Crime Force – WSJ.com

The U.S. Secret Service plans to unveil plans for a pan-European task force charged with preventing identity theft, computer hacking and other computer-based crime.

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U.S. and Europe Jointly Establish Cyber-Crime Force – WSJ.com