True, the holiday’s is the hottest time when credit card fraud runs into the millions of dollars. There are many incidents of fraud out on the market and shopping is a very casual task many take for granted. A leading credit card company from the US reported losses in the millions of dollars that they do not readily publicize for it has an impact on their customers confidence in their systems.
There is no true protective measure for something as small and compact as a credit card which in the wrong hands can cost you a few hundred dollars or even max out your credit limit. Crime syndicates use the said tactic for their illegal activities where they have people who handle these fraudulent transactions. There is still a wide open gap when it comes to credit card which may be covered by newer fool-proof security. The addition of biometrics to the standard card swipe can provide an added level of security along with fingerprinting.
Simple steps can also be taken to prevent these actions towards you such as being careful where and when you use your credit cards. When paying, be sure to have in plain sight the reader or terminal where the card is swiped to be sure they are used only for the intended purchase a card fraud scheme wherein a separate card reader is used to record the information contained within the card has been going on for a long time where the captured information can be used for purchases. Before signing the print-out or receipt, be sure to check all details such as the purchase amount and other such vital information. If you do end up loosing a credit card or your whole wallet, immediately call your card company so the said card can be tagged as stolen so further purchases are not billed to you. If there happens to be any inaccuracies in your card’s statement, call information at once for there may be a problem with your card of worst somebody may have already copied the information from your original card. Vigilance and awareness is the key so be on the lookout for any dubious people around you. Keep safe people and a Merry Christmas to all.
Convictions for cybercrimes
Grant Stanley, an elite torrent hacker that has just been sentenced for a total of ten months imprisonment and a $3,000 fine for his role in creating EliteTorrents. EliteTorrents was a BitTorrent tracker site that was one of the most visited sites in the world. EliteTorrents did not actually contain the illegal copies of software, movies, music and games. Instead, the site provided trackers leading to these materials. He will be spending half of this time in prison and the other half in home detention, and then he will be on supervised release for the next three years. This is not the first BitTorrent-related conviction in the United States. Two months earlier Scott McCausland pleaded guilty for criminal copyright infringement related to EliteTorrents.
Crimes involving piracy and illegal distribution has prompted Microsoft to require a mandatory antipiracy check of their productivity software. This means that users must prove that the software applications are 100% before gaining access to add-ons and updates from the software giant. Users who unknowingly received a counterfeit copy of Office may receive a complimentary copy of Microsoft Office after filling out a counterfeit report, provide proof of purchase, and sending in their counterfeit cds.
Prosecuting such cybercrimes have gained momentum over the years, aided by an increased cooperation between the police and the targetted victims. This week a Florida resident, John Bombard, was charged for establishing a bot network of compromised computers from which he launched a Denial of Service attack on servers managed by Akamai Technologies. If convicted, he will face up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of several thousand dollars. Hopefully with the increased vigilance from organizations will lead to a cut down to these crimes.
[tags]news, bittorrents, crime, conviction[/tags]