equifax

FBI investigating how sensitive celebrity data landed on Web

Some hacker or hackers has it out for a handful of celebrities, politicians, and law enforcement officials, including First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and pop singer Beyonce.

Collected onto one Web site -- called "The Secret Files" -- is a slew of financial and personal information on these public figures. The data is so sensitive that it has sparked investigations by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced yesterday that the government agencies are looking into how www.exposed.su obtained the Social Security numbers, credit reports, telephone … Read more

Equifax tax forms expose worker Social Security numbers

An unknown number of current and former employees of credit reporting firm Equifax received W-2 forms in the mail with their Social Security numbers visible through a window on the envelope, CNET has learned.

Equifax became aware of the problem on January 19 and informed employees in a letter dated January 27, according to a copy of the letter obtained by CNET.

Specifically, some of the tax forms mailed by Equifax's payroll vendor through the U.S. Postal Service had the Social Security number in a Control Number field, which was partially or fully viewable through the return address … Read more

Equifax offers its first I-card

Equifax on Thursday introduced it's first information card or I-card, Equifax Over 18 card. I-cards are envisioned to be the online equivalent of a driver's license, passport, or similar ID. The basic idea is that customers would have an electronic wallet with various information cards that would allow customers to bypass typing in user names and passwords.

In this case, the Equifax card proves--via a trusted third party--that you are over 18 when accessing specially marked Web sites. "With fraud and identity theft on the rise, companies need better, more secure ways to conduct transactions online and … Read more

Column: Finally, ID fraud protection that works

Jay Foley, co-founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center, told me recently that 57 percent of all identity fraud involves opening new accounts "for short-term gain." The ITRC should know: it has been surveying ID fraud victims for several years and has amassed some impressive real-world statistics.

Foley also said 13 percent of the identity theft victims found out about the attacks only after criminals had established utility or cable service in their names. "So your credit record is more theirs than yours, making it harder to fight them in court," he said.

Clearly the best … Read more

Information Card Foundation launched

A group including Equifax, Google, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, and PayPal, plus nine leaders in the technology community announced on Monday the creation of the Information Card Foundation (ICF) with the goal of increasing awareness of the use of electronic ID cards on the Internet, and encouraging interoperability in business around new standards.

"We need to come together in a neutral body to continue to promote the adoption of this technology," said Paul Trevithick, CEO of Parity and chairman of the ICF.

Information cards are online equivalents of physical ID cards, such as a driver's license. The basic … Read more