Albert Gonzalez, 28, of Miami, pleaded guilty today to 19 counts of conspiracy, computer fraud, wire fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft relating to hacks into numerous major U.S. retailers including TJX Companies, BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble and Sports Authority. Gonzalez was indicted in August 2008 in the District of Massachusetts on charges related to these hacks. More than 40 million credit and debit card numbers were stolen from major U.S. retailers as a result of the hacking activity.

Gonzalez also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud relating to hacks into the Dave & Buster's restaurant chain, which were the subject of a May 2008 indictment in the Eastern District of New York. The pleas in both cases were entered before U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris in federal court in Boston. READ MORE

The 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report – released today by Javelin Strategy & Research – confirms that the number of identity fraud victims has increased 22 percent to 9.9 million adults in the United States, while the total annual fraud amount only increased slightly by seven percent to $48 billion over the past year. READ MORE

The US federal bank, credit union, and thrift regulatory agencies have announced publication of a revised identity theft brochure titled You Have the Power to Stop Identity Theft to assist consumers in preventing and resolving identity theft. The updated brochure focuses primarily on Internet "phishing" by describing how phishing works, offering ways to protect against identity theft, and detailing steps to follow for victims of identity theft. The brochure includes contact information for three major credit bureaus, where to report suspicious e-mails, and where to access additional information.

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a report titled "Security in Numbers - SSNs and ID Theft" recommending five measures to help prevent Social Security numbers from being used for identity theft. Principal among the report’s recommendations is that Congress consider taking action to strengthen the procedures that private-sector organizations use to authenticate their customers’ identities. READ MORE

LifeLock has announced that it has entered into "an agreement that will leverage TransUnion's secure, automated processes to expedite and enhance the delivery of identity theft services that LifeLock currently provides to its members." READ MORE

In an article on his Payments Industry Regulation blog titled "FTC Red Flags Rule Enforcement Delay -"What Red Flags Rules?"", our friend and colleague Broox Peterson takes a look at the FTC's recent decision to delay compliance requirements to May 1, 2009 "for entities under its jurisdiction to comply with the "Red Flags" rules".

Broox writes: "The FTC discovered during outreach and education attempts after adoption of the regulation that many of the entities subject to the Red Flags rule were not aware that such a rule existed, much less that they were subject to it, or even that they were subject to FTC jurisdiction at all."

PayPal has announced results of a new study finding that "online consumers in English-speaking countries are the most frequent victims of identity theft, twice the rate of France, Germany and Spain." The research, conducted for PayPal by Ipsos, examined online security fears and habits in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. READ MORE

Fears about identity theft and financial fraud are top global concerns for consumers, according to the latest results of the Unisys Security Index. Identity theft is the primary security concern cited among respondents in nine out of 14 countries, while misuse of credit or debit card information ranks as the first or second greatest fear in 12 out of the 14 countries. Interestingly, the survey found an apparent lack of concern about using the Internet to shop, bank and email. According to Unisys, the data indicates that concern about Internet security has taken a back seat to other areas studied, such as issues related to financial well-being and the protection against bank card fraud. READ MORE

The Identity Theft Resource Center has today released its 5th Annual Identity Theft Aftermath Study discussing the impact of identity theft on victims. According to the center, the Aftermath is the only study of its kind. It reflects only the experiences of confirmed identity theft victims who have worked with the ITRC, and is not a census or general population-based study. The questions asked ranged from the emotional impact this crime has had on their lives all the way through to their ability to recover their good name. It includes the financial loss to the business community in goods and services. READ MORE

ING DIRECT has announced that it has partnered with Trusteer to become the first US bank to offer Trusteer’s Rapport consumer Identity Theft protection software free to all of its customers. READ MORE

The latest U.S. results of the Unisys Security Index find that Americans are more concerned than they were seven months ago about national security issues and health epidemics and are increasingly concerned about financial security issues and worries about identity theft. READ MORE

Anita Boomstein, an attorney with Hughes Hubbard & Reed, has published a paper titled 'Identity Theft Prevention Programs: Will Your Company Need to Have One?' . Her paper reminds companies of their obligations under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) to take steps to 'prevent, detect and mitigate the occurences of identity theft.' Compliance becomes mandatory on November 1, 2008.

Debix has announced the national launch of the expanded Debix Identity Protection Network. Debix says its network is 'the first and only identity protection solution that is with you during an attack and proactively stops identity theft at the moment it is attempted.' READ MORE

Data breaches disclosed by Hannaford Bros Supermarket Chain, GE Money, and Georgetown University are just some of the 167 breaches reported during the first quarter of 2008, according to the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). This is more than double the first quarter in 2007 (76 breaches).

Experian( has announced it has filed a lawsuit against LifeLock, Inc. "for allegedly placing fraud alerts illegally on credit files maintained by Experian."

Javelin Strategy and Research has published its 2008 Identity Fraud Survey Report finding that identity fraud is declining in most parts of the United States with a losses down about 12 percent over 2006. Javelin's James Van Dyke notes, however, that "there's a catch. In a back-to-the-future scenario, there was a sharp increase in "old-fashioned" mail and telephone fraud, including Vishing. These methods grew from 3% to 40%, pointing to thieves’ new creativity in gathering personal information by mail and telephone."

The Identity Theft Resource Center has released a new report today discussing the impact of identity theft victimization. "This report was not based on a census survey but rather one that invited confirmed victims of identity theft in 2006 to respond to a series of 44 questions. These ranged from the emotional impact this crime has had on their lives and their ability to recover their good name to the financial loss to the business community in goods and services."

Javelin Strategy & Research has announced its 2007 Banking Identity Safety Scorecard, "an annual ranking and study of the top 25 U.S. banks in areas of identity fraud prevention, detection and resolution. This year, financial institutions showed strength in resolution practices, but vulnerability in prevention and detection."

In an article titled 'Getting to Know Identity Thieves', Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary writes about the recent review of actual identity theft cases conducted by the Center for Identity Management and Information Protection. "What I learned from this report was this: You can't trust any business or anybody, even family members."

In an article titled 'The Borrower Who Never Was', Christopher Conkey writes for the Wall St. Journal about synthetic identity fraud - where made up identities are used to perpetrate financial fraud. "This kind of fraud doesn't usually directly affect consumers. The big losers are banks, which get stuck with loan defaults and unpaid credit-card bills that identity thieves leave behind."

Utica College’s Center for Identity Management and Information Protection has published the results of what it is calling "a landmark study of closed U.S. Secret Service cases involving identify theft."

Experian has announced that it will offer "the option to freeze credit reports to consumers nationwide. Beginning Nov. 1, Experian will allow any consumer across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories to place a freeze on their credit report. A credit file freeze prevents new creditors from accessing the credit file without the consumer's consent."

TransUnion has announced that effective October 15, 2007, it will offer what it its calling "the credit reporting industry's first complete file freeze solution" - providing U.S. consumers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with the ability to freeze their credit files, should they feel that step is warranted.

Consumer Reports National Research Center has announced results of a national poll finding that "an overwhelming majority of Americans want lawmakers to restrict the use and availability of Social Security numbers by businesses and government agencies. According to the poll, 89 percent of Americans agree that state and federal lawmakers should pass laws restricting the use of Social Security numbers."

Javelin Strategy and Research has announced its "2007 Card Issuers’ Identity Safety Scorecard" - including describing "the security features of a dream credit card that put consumers in the driver’s seat when it comes to protecting them from identity fraud and knowing exactly what’s happening with their accounts. Javelin also announced the top credit card issuers that provide the best features that prevent, detect and resolve identity fraud."

ID Analytics has announced the "results of new analytical research on U.S. identity fraud by geography. The research, which is based on actual and attempted frauds rather than on consumer victim reports, examined data from January through December 2006 to determine where identity fraud is most rapidly increasing."

The Government Accountability Office has published a new report titled "Personal Information: Data Breaches Are Frequent, but Evidence of Resulting Identity Theft Is Limited; However, the Full Extent Is Unknown" (PDF).

In an article titled 'Credit Bureaus Fight Consumer-Ordered Freezes", Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz write for USA Today about the Consumer Data Industry Association and its efforts on behalf of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) to slow legislative efforts at the state level regarding laws that enable consumers to freeze access to their credit histories. They write that "by far the best protection against new-account fraud is a credit freeze, say credit consultants and fraud investigators. A credit freeze bars the credit bureaus from issuing your credit report — the summary of loans and payments that forms the basis of your credit score."

Mike Weiss reports for the San Francisco Chronicle an amazing story of how an identity theft victim came across the thief who had stolen her identity while having coffee at Starbucks and then chased her until she was captured by the police, tried and convicted. The victim, Karen Lodrick, a design consultant, has written about her experience on her personal blog, www.FightingBackNow.com.

Financial Insights has announced the release of a new report titled "Consumers Speak About Identity Theft: Does Perception = Reality for U.S. Banks?" examining consumer perceptions of identity theft and fraud that explores how consumers are adjusting their behaviors regarding low cost self-service channels to protect themselves from the crime.