CBS reports:
Two people were indicted on
federal charges related to a $12 million scam in which they stole identities in
order to file fake tax returns and profit from the refunds.
Taiwo K. Onamuti, 29, Doraville,
Ga., and Muideen A. Adebule, 49, Indianapolis, face 23 federal charges
including aggravated identity theft, identity theft, false claims and
conspiracy.
The indictment alleges that Onamuti
and Adebule acquired personal information by buying it online or getting the
information through the “data retrieval tool” on the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website. The two—and others who worked with them—then
used the names, birthdates and Social Security numbers to file false tax
returns with the IRS, prosecutors said.
Read more on CBS4.
[From the
article:
They filed thousands of fake tax returns electronically
and directed the IRS to deposit the
refunds on prepaid debit cards that were then used to buy money
orders in Indiana and Georgia.
Isn’t this another major security breach? How does anyone take information out of a
secure environment and not get arrested? Is this a hoax?
Brad Hunter reports:
A former intelligence contractor
is suing controversial ex-FBI chief James Comey, claiming the bureau is
covering up widespread surveillance on Americans.
Dennis Montgomery told news
website Circa that the spying violated the civil liberties of prominent American
politicians, business people – and even U.S. President Donald Trump.
Montgomery says he walked away with a staggering 600 million classified
documents on 47 hard drives from the National Security Agency (NSA)
and the CIA.
Read more on Toronto
Sun.
But don’t worry, Mark Zuckerberg is not running for
office.
Facebook inserts itself into politics with new tools that
help elected officials reach constituents
Facebook this year has launched a number of features that
make it easier for people to reach their government representatives on its
social network, including “Town Hall,” and related integrations with News
Feed, as well as ways to share reps’ contact info in your own posts. Today, the company is expanding on these
initiatives with those designed for elected officials themselves. The new tools will help officials connect with
their constituents, as well as better understand which issues their
constituents care about most.
Sharing data when users are most vulnerable? Watch this one closely.
Facebook to share data with aid groups after natural
disasters
Facebook released a new set of tools on Tuesday to aid
relief efforts in the wake of natural disasters.
The company unveiled
maps that used anonymized Facebook user data to help organizations respond to
natural disasters.
Facebook had previously helped users in dangerous areas by
allowing them to check-in as “safe” and share that with friends and
family.
“One of the consistent pieces of feedback we were
receiving is that while a tool like safety check is useful for individuals in a
disaster, what organizations actually need is a bird’s eye view,” said Molly
Jackman public policy research manager at Facebook.
… Disaster relief
organizations will now have access to maps based on three different types of
datasets: location density maps to show where people are before, during and
after a natural disaster; movement maps that show how people move around cities
during natural disasters; and safety check maps to show where people are
checking in as safe in relation to the location of a natural disaster.
The company noted that data for location density and
movement maps would draw on de-identified data obtained through location
sharing that users opt into when they download Facebook’s mobile application.
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