Hackers steal social security numbers

[Erica Absetz <erica () riskbasedsecurity com>]

http://www.ksdk.com/dontmiss/378076/193/Social-security-numbers-stolen-by-hackers

FENTON, Mo. (KSDK) - Your social security number may be in the hands
of identity thieves.

On Monday evening NewsChannel 5 confirmed the Social Security
Administration is investigating possible online fraud.

The complaints first started coming in from people visiting the Social
Security office in Fenton. Between 20 and 40 people showed up there
Monday morning complaining about a letter they received in the mail.
It said they had successfully signed up for online access to their
Social Security Account.

The problem is, those people didn't sign up for it.

Ron Yanker got the letter over the weekend. He found out Monday that
somebody using his social security number went online and was trying
to steal his social security checks.

Yanker says an employee at the office mentioned they first learned of
the problem late last week and that it could be a nationwide problem.

Yanker, his wife, and many of the other people at the office took
steps to block online access to their accounts. The worry is these
hackers may already have enough information to steal their victims'
identities.

"I had to call Experian to put a fraud alert on," said Yanker.
"Because I figure if they've got my Social Security number they're
going to start hitting the card. They're going to try to open up new
accounts."
The Social Security Administration released this statement:

"We are unable to provide specific information at this time. But it
appears some people's personal information may have been compromised
by identify thieves sometime in their past. However, it is important
to note when we receive reports of possible fraudulent activity, we
immediately refer those allegations to the Social Security Office of
the Inspector General for further investigation.

"If someone believes they have been the victim of identity theft, they
should contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-IDTHEFT
(1-877-438-4338); TTY 1-866-653-4261. Or go to www.idtheft.gov and
click on the link for 'Report Identity Theft.'

"People who find out their information may have been compromised by
identity thieves, may contact the Social Security Administration to
put a block on online activity on their Social Security number."

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Social Security Administration
released the following statement:
"We have received isolated reports from our offices in the St. Louis
area. Our representatives have assisted customers to address their
concerns about this issue. As we shared earlier, people who find out
their information may have been compromised by identity thieves may
contact the Social Security Administration to put a block on online
activity on their Social Security number."
_______________________________________________
Dataloss Mailing List (dataloss () datalossdb org)
Archived at http://seclists.org/dataloss/
Unsubscribe at http://datalossdb.org/mailing_list

Supporters:

Risk Based Security (http://www.riskbasedsecurity.com/)
Risk Based Security equips organizations with security intelligence, risk
management services and on-demand security solutions to establish
customized risk-based programs to address information security and
compliance challenges.