Summer time and the living may be easy, but summer time is prime time for identity theft, says security expert, Alan Wlasuk. He’s managing partner of 403 Web Security a company committed to evaluating and eliminating website security risks.

Likely, 140 million Americans will travel this summer, and Wlasuk’s company says while you’re away, thieves are on the prowl for personal information on unsecured wireless networks, at the gas pump, at hotels or in your mailbox.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

Can’t happen to you? Think again: In 2011, more than 11.6 million Americans became victims of identity theft, a 13 percent rise from 2010.
Apparently, says Wlasuk and other security experts like the US Travel Insurance Association (USTIA), the increase in social media, mobile capabilities and lax consumer behavior are responsible for the increase in identity theft.

What’s really troubling, according the National Crime Prevention Council is that identity theft takes place more often offline than online..and that a significant percent of identity thefts are committed by someone the victim knows.
There are ways travelers can protect themselves, and Wlasuk and company suggest the following steps:
• Guard your smartphone as if it were your wallet.
Smartphones are not phones. They’re desktop computers with more private, financial and potentially embarrassing information on them than would ever be found in a wallet.

• Be careful about using public Wi-Fi, and be on the lookout for people watching as you work on your laptop or tablet.

• Secure your smartphone with a pass code. I never do this, but I will now.

• Turn on the remote GPS locater and remote wipe capability. Most smartphones can be configured to allow a registered user to find the location of the phone using its built-in GPS capability. If a smartphone is lost, or stolen, the enabled remote data wipe will allow a registered user to wipe it clean.

* The USTIA says to avoid using your credit card number on public computers, or at least be sure it’s a secure computer and you remove your information before leaving.

Which cities are most known for the risk of cyber crime?
Norton , the Internet security company, ranked the following as the most vulnerable cities at risk of cyber crime. They looked for cities with the most computers, smartphones and high social media use with unsecured Wi-Fi hot spots.It seems that those most connected, are at the most risk.
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Seattle
3. San Francisco
4. Atlanta
5. Boston
6. Denver
7. Minneapolis
8. Sacramento
9. Raleigh
10. Austin
But we say, don’t be paranoid. Take precautions, and enjoy your holiday.

A Louisville man who worked for a cleaning crew at PNC Bank placed online orders in the names of bank customers, then waited outside their homes to pick up the goods when they were delivered, police said.

Andre Halsell, 27, of the 9700 block of Streamview Trail, was charged with defrauding merchants out of nearly $4,600 worth of merchandise, according to an arrest warrant. Eight people have been victimized since Jan. 1, police said.

One victim reported that someone used his name, date of birth and social security number to open fraudulent accounts and order iPods from online stores Fingerhut.com and Gettington.com, according to an arrest citation.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

Halsell admitted to taking documents with personal information from PNC Bank, then setting up lines of credit with online stores, according to police records. The records said he then sold the iPods on Craigslist.

Halsell, who knew the victims’ addresses, would go to their houses and wait for orders to arrive via UPS, said Sgt. Melissa Mottley, the commander of the LMPD fraud unit.

Most of the addresses were in the area of the Cloverleaf neighborhood east of Dixie Highway and south of the Watterson Expressway.

Halsell tried to intercept the packages, posing as one of the victims or a relative, and asking UPS delivery workers to give him the packages, Mottley said. She said if he was unable to intercept the driver, Halsell would go to the UPS centers in an attempt to pick up the packages.

Mottley said Halsell couldn’t provide proper identification to UPS workers and was never able to retrieve any of the packages. She said one of the UPS drivers noticed Halsell’s suspicious behavior and called police.

He was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with 11 counts of identity theft and one count of theft by deception. He was being held Tuesday at Louisville Metro Corrections in lieu of $1,500 bail.

Police said they do not know if Halsell was working alone, and the investigation is still ongoing. Police referred questions about how Halsell allegedly found the personal information about the victims to PNC Bank.

Fred Solomon, a PNC spokesman, said “PNC’s policies are to secure customer information in a locked receptacle.” He would not comment further, saying it could jeopardize the police investigation.

Reporter Alex Orlando can be reached at (502) 582-4336.