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IDG News Service – U.S. federal authorities arrested a 26-year-old man on Thursday for allegedly selling modified cable modems that enabled free Internet access, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Matthew Delorey of New Bedford, Mass., is charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for each charge, and a $250,000 fine. Delorey allegedly ran a now-defunct Web site called Massmodz.com, where hacked modems were sold. The modems had been modified in order to spoof the device’s MAC (Media Access Control) address. It is possible then to either obtain free Internet access or make it appear that a different modem is obtaining access. Authorities... 

A Fight Identity Theft visitor forwarded this email to us today and it was so creative I just had to post it here. The email supposedly comes from Robert Mueller - the current head of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations. Not only was it sent by the FBI, the scammers try to get you to believe it's been vetted by the Anti-Terrorist and International Fraud Division. Unbelievable. Why Do They Send These Emails? What they're really after is the fee they want you to pay in order to collect your $850,000 - that's why they call this an "advanced-fee fraud." The fee is sent by money order which makes it very difficult to trace and impossible to recover. Here's the money paragraph: This letter will serve... 

We know everyone is looking for that best deal online, especially during the Black Friday shopping blitz. Here are some quality online shopping tips from Intersections, Inc. (provider of the Identity Guard identity theft protection service). We also recommend a post from the always excellent Privacy Rights Clearinghouse - "Holiday Shopping? Ten Timely Tips" Don’t Let Would-Be “Grinches” Steal Your Financial Health and Identity During the Busiest Shopping Season of the Year! As the biggest holiday shopping days of the year quickly approach, consumers everywhere will be lining up at stores on "Black Friday" for pre-dawn sales that will hopefully net great bargains and savings... 

Learn how to report phishing emails using the free Phishtank service and help make phish extinct. read more  

Medicare fraud is on the rise and senior citizens are getting the tools to do their part to combat the thieves. read more  

Facebook wins big and “Spam King” possibly faces jail time. read more  

Halloween is all about tricks, treats and pretending to be something your not. Scareware must think every day is Halloween. read more  

McAfee released its yearly update of most dangerous celebrity web sites and Jessica Biel was ranked #1. Find out why... read more 

Ben Bernanke is a victim of identity theft. This is proof positive that it can happen to anyone. read more 

Listen to audio from a real smishing phone call. See firsthand how scammers use fear to manipulate victims into providing information. read more