If there were a criminal hall of fame with an award for the coolest criminal, it would have to go to the pickpocket. Pickpockets are sneaky creatures who manage to function exactly one degree below the radar. Pickpockets whisper through society, undetected and undeterred. They are subtle and brazen at the same time. They are…
In Colorado Springs the Gazzette.com reports an eighty-three-year-old grandmother has a simple message for the bad guys: “Nobody better mess with me.” “A man used a crow bar or similar tool to pry at the back door of her central Colorado Springs home. Throwing her 112 pound frame against the door, she wasn’t having it.…
Every industry involves four main parties. There are, most obviously consumers and manufacturers. There are also those who provide services or supplies to the manufactures, or produce peripheral products that work in tandem with the original product. Finally, there are the watchdogs, keeping tabs. Watchdogs are usually either government regulators or third party nonprofits. IBM…
The impact of a burglary far surpasses the cost of replacing stolen items or damaged property, as research by ADT Security reveals break-ins cause anxiety in 34% of victims. Honestly, this number seems low. I still have anxiety from a break-in from a home I owned 15 years ago, that was 4 houses ago! That…
In a previous post I discussed virtual currency, which is used to purchase virtual goods within a variety of online communities, including social networking websites, virtual worlds, and online gaming sites. These virtual dollars and virtual goods have real value. Virtual currency includes the points customers receive from retailers, merchants, airlines, hotels, and credit card companies…
“The serial killer who dumped his victim’s bodies in the thick brush along several miles of New York’s breathtaking beachfront may have dismembered several of them, law enforcement authorities have told ABC News.” The chance of you ever coming face to face with a serial killer is extremely slim, unless of course you are a…
Most of us have become accustomed to giving out the last four digits of our Social Security numbers. But this customary request is becoming increasingly problematic, and two Rhode Island lawmakers are responding by pushing legislation to stop businesses from asking for the last four digits of customers’ Social Security numbers. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon…
Mobile banking, m-banking, or SMS banking refers to online banking that occurs via mobile phone or PDA rather than a PC. The earliest mobile banking services were offered over SMS, but with the introduction of smartphones and Apple iOS, mobile banking is being offered primarily through applications as opposed to text messages or a mobile…
How low can you go? In Virginia, a man has been accused of identity theft, forgery, and obtaining money by false pretenses. The 25-year-old accused claims, “I know I’m not guilty of any of theses charges…The day that it aired people were calling me and texting me and asking me what have I done and…
Mobile payments generally involve three participants: the mobile device, the merchant, and a financial service provider or trusted third party. That trusted third party, or TTP, is an established, reputable fiduciary entity accepted by all parties to an agreement, deal, or transaction. A TTP authenticates and authorizes users in order to secure a payment transaction,…
