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The following incidents were reported to the Topeka Police DepartmentDist. Address Crime Time Day of Week430 2044 N.W. Tyler burglary/theft 5-5:40 a.m. Tues. Coastal Mart reported the theft of cigarettes and money and damage to glass door.435 4300 blk S.W. 21st auto burglary/theft 11:30 p.m.- 1:30 a.m. Mon.-Tues.440 800 blk N.E. Strait arrest morning Wed. Jody Ray Randol, 29, 835 N.E. Strait, was arrested in connection with forgery. 1100 blk N.E. Forest arrest afternoon Tues. Terry May Willard, 41, 1111 N.E. Forest, was arrested in connection with possession of drugs.441 400 blk S.W. 4th apt. burglary/ theft/criminal damages 4-9:30 p.m. Tues. 115 N.W. Van Buren bldg. burglary/theft/criminal damage 12:40-12:56 a.m. Wed. Lindy Spring reported the burglary and damage to glass front door.442 1600 blk S.E. Hudson criminal threat 9-9:10 p.m. Tues. A 21- year-old woman reported that she had been threatened. 1600 blk S.E. Hudson arrest evening Tues. Abraham James Ridgway, 19, 1648 S.E. Hudson, was arrested in connection with criminal threat.443 738 S.W. Gage theft 2 p.m.-10 p.m. Dec. 1, 2000-Feb. 4, 2001 Kwik Shop reported the theft of monies over $500.445 400 S.W. 29th bldg. burglary/theft/criminal damage 2:36 a.m. Wed. Tobacco Town reported the theft of cigarettes and damage to glass door. 2200 blk N.E. Tyler arrest afternoon Tues. Alisha Mae James, 27, 924 N.E. Arter, was arrested in connection with the sale of drugs and possession of drugs without a tax stamp.446 3300 blk S.W. Randolph burglary/theft 9 p.m.-10 a.m. Mon.-Tues. 2100 blk S.W. High auto theft unspecified time Dec. 6, 2000-Jan. 20, 2001 3700 blk S.W. Park So. Ct. criminal damage to vehicle 10:30 p.m.-6:30 a.m. Mon.-Tues.447 451 S.E. 29th criminal damage 10:30-10:48 p.m. Tues. Customer Choice Rental/Sales reported damage to glass door and glass curio cabinet.449 2600 S.E. 23rd burglary/theft 4 p.m.-8:30 a.m. Mon.-Tues. Kelley Detention Services of Topeka reported the burglary. 500 blk S.E. 34th burglary/theft 9 a.m.-8:05 p.m. Tues.450 2600 blk S.E. Tidewater Dr. auto burglary/criminal damage 1:30-2 p.m. Mon.-Tues. 2000 blk S.E. 29th auto burglary/theft 10 p.m.- midnight Tues. 2700 blk S.E. Granger theft/criminal damage to vehicle 9 p.m.-8 a.m. Mon.-Tues.

The following incidents were reported to the Shawnee County Sheriffs OfficeDist. Address Crime Time Day of WeekSE 7000 blk US-75 hwy arrest afternoon Tues Steven Charles Allen, 29, 1124 S.E. Madison, was arrested in connection with possession of drugs. S.E. 34th and Girard arrest made by Kansas Highway Patrol morning Wed. Adrian Patton Keeling, 20, 1125 S.W. Jewell, was arrested in connection with a theft exceeding $500.

Time Day Address ActionTopeka Fire Department8:28 a.m. Tues. S.E. 25th Power line down.10:52 a.m. Tues. S.W. 12th Arcing power line because of car wreck.12:11 p.m. Tues. 1205 S.W. 29th Burned toast, no damage.2:39 p.m. Tues. 1706 S.W. Arrowhead False alarm.3:37 p.m. Tues. 2805 S.W. 18th Smoke scare.5:37 p.m. Tues. 5938 S.W. 17th Electrical fire.8:08 p.m. Tues. 3561 S.W. Kirkland Trash fire.

The Topeka Fire Department made 22 first-responder emergency medical calls between 7 a.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Mission Fire Department6:43 p.m. Tues. 7445 S.W. 29th Gas leak investigation.9:09 p.m. Tues. 7800 S.W. Huntoon Assist citizen.1:59 p.m. Wed. 7100 blk S.W. 53rd Grass fire.

By materials of Find Articles

My first inkling that I’d been scammed came from a telephone call from my bank asking if I had been to Italy or Roumania. Of course I had not. I was informed by the bank that a number of charges for hotel bills and cash withdrawals had been made from my account.
Thieves had made a counterfeit Debit Card with which to rifle my account.
I had a substatial balance in the account so I had to have the bank transfer enough from my savings to cover these charges, otherwise I would have checks “bounce”. We , on the advice of the bank closed the old account and opened a new one.
At first I could not imagine how it happened, then I remembered. I’ve been an eBayer for several years and I use Paypal frequently.
Some weeks previously I had received e-mail from eBay stating that there were some attempts to fraudulently access my account and they wanted to verify my account information. They said the matter was urgent and if I didn’t respond promptly my account would be suspended.
I thought this was a bit odd, so I clicked on several links to see if it was a legitimate message and the links worked so I complied with the request. The result was that my checking account was cleaned out.
Since then I have found out ways to verify whether these messages are bogus or not. If you visit my web site http://www.caveatemptorus.com you will find detailed information in this regard. Checking a few links is not sufficient to verify the validity of a document.
Here in a nutshell is the best way to avoid this type scam:
DO NOT ANSWER ANY E-MAIL asking for personal financial data.
EBay, Paypal, banks and other institutions never use e-mail for such purposes.
If you are concerned about your accounts initiate the contact yourself, then you’ll know you’re dealing with the right party.
NEVER GIVE YOUR PIN NUMBER to anyone for any reason. The only purpose it has is to relieve you of your money. Merchants don’t need it when you make purchases.
DO NOT USE DEBIT CARDS or your checking account for online or phone transactions, in spite of Paypal’s inducements. Use a consumer protected Credit Card. You have much better protection.
I recovered my money from the bank as this was a case of fraud, but it took several months. Since then I have received any number of similar messages, purportedly from eBay and Paypal. You can forward them to www.spoof@ebay.com for verification. All the ones I sent were bogus.

By materials of Article Factory

This is the fifth in a series of articles which will increase your awareness about  Identity Theft.
Have you been hearing and reading reports about the crime of Identity Theft?  Do you have any idea what Identity Theft is?

What is Identity Theft?

It is the stealing of items of your personal information such as your social security number, Drivers  license number, address, phone number, debit card details, credit card details, bank account numbers, and even your mother’s maiden name, with the intention of using this information to defraud you and make money for the person who is perpetrating the crime.

You need to exercise extreme care at all times to protect all of your personal information. Only by being very careful at all times, can you expect to avoid becoming a victim of Identity Theft.

How can you prevent yourself from identity theft? Here are a few suggestions. More suggestions can be found in other articles that I have written on the subject of Identity Theft. See website below for further information.

When You are at Home:

• If you have roommates or visitors, or in some cases members of your family living with you, make sure that you keep your personal information secure at all times. I am not saying that these people will attempt to steal identity items from you, but there have been numerable cases that have been prosecuted, where the instigator has been close to the family and well known to the family.

• Place your outgoing mail in the post office collection box or else mail it at the nearest post office, rather than put it in your mail box, which can be accessed by anyone who wishes to do so. Remove your incoming mail from your mailbox as soon as practically possible. If you are going to be away from home, have the post office hold your mail until you return.

• Destroy all your documents that you receive in the mail, after you have dealt with them, including junk mail items that may have credit or personal information on them, such as credit card company solicitations. If you are able destroy this information by shredding.

If you are at Work:

• You may be requested to provide personal information. Enquire as to how this information is to be used and what kind of security is in place. You do not want your personal data left lying around in an office where prying eyes can acquire it.

On the Internet:

• If you are contemplating business transactions online, read thoroughly about the confidentiality of the website. Make sure you are giving any personal information to someone who is going to maintain it securely. If in doubt, do not provide the information.

• You should consider using your Pay Pal account whenever possible to make payments to third parties. This will protect the credit card information that you might otherwise be needed to provide.

• Avoid giving your personal data over the telephone, via email, or online unless you have initiated the contact or you already know the person with whom you are doing business.

In conclusion, always be alert. If someone asks for your personal information, be it a friend, acquaintance, or  business, ask the reason why they want it from you and how they will protect it if provided.

John Ritchie,
Copyright to this article belongs to John Ritchie.   

http://www.johnritchieonline.com

For detailed information on Identity Theft, and to sign up for our 5 part e-course, go to http://www.johnritchieonline.com/.
You may download and distribute this article freely and without restrictions. You must not, however, delete the resource box link.

By materials of Article Factory

Everybody is
now aware of the growing problem of identity theft; it is a huge global
problem. All personal information is incredibly valuable to criminals who can
use it to open bank accounts, get credit cards, loans, state benefits
and documents such as passports and driving licences.

Whether at home or at work, people are now fully aware that the
personal information they hold, from financial statements to health records, needs
to be protected and we invest in shredders to destroy our paperwork and make
sure our online activities are secured by firewalls and anti-virus software.

Some companies including banks and hospitals are now
ensuring their computer hard drives are completely destroyed after use due to
many new Government mandates forcing the protection of people’s personal data.

However, all these measures are futile if the PC itself gets
stolen; along with the hard drive and all your personal files and those of your
customers. Yet it is estimated that a million PCs and laptops are stolen
globally each year exposing personal details of hundreds of thousands of
people.

Having a computer
stolen also has a cost, not just the money you spent on buying it or the money
to replace it. There is the inconvenience to you, your staff, your company, the
loss of records and the possible loss of business.

Over just the last
three years it is thought that 150 million personal records have been stolen,
that is twice the entire population of Great Britain. Hospitals are amongst the
most vulnerable of places where reception areas or administration buildings are
often left unattended. At the beginning of 2008, 88,000 people had to be
notified when a hospital PC was stolen from Staten Island, New York along with
all their personal details. In fact McAfee and Datamonitor’s Data
Loss Survey, 2007 suggest a
data breach that exposes personal information on average costs companies $268,000
(£136,000) to inform their customers, even if that lost data is never used, a
third of companies surveyed also said a major security breach could put them
out of business.

And Britain’s
Metropolitan Police force is now issuing guidelines recommending that companies:
“Anchor equipment to solid furniture, floors or nearby wall…and…store computer
equipment within secure rooms/cabinets when buildings are unoccupied.”

But it is not just
businesses and public buildings that have to think of computer theft. Home
users are increasingly using computers for Internet banking and financial
transactions, alongside the storing of personal files such as photographs.
Whilst insurance will cover the cost of losing a computer and I’m sure you have
backed-up all your files (haven’t you?) but what about your bank account
details, conveniently stored on the machine for any crook to access.

Fortunately some
companies have identified the problem and low cost PC safes have now been
developed that can house PCs securely whilst still allowing users to access
them. These safes are tamper proof and can withstand even that most tenacious
of thieves. They can also be bolted to the floor or walls allowing computers to
be left unattended in public areas and also providing ideal security for
business and home users alike, protecting machines and more importantly the
data they hold.

By materials of Article Factory

If you are facing theft charges you should obtain an attorney who
specializes in theft to help clear your name and settle your case.

The act of theft is defined as the illegal taking of another person’s
property without that person freely giving consent. Theft can include a
wide range of crimes including burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting,
robbery, shoplifting and fraud.

Because theft can encompass so many different acts it is important to
have a theft attorney representing you if you are being charged with any
type of criminal act of theft. The actual charges you face and the
degree of severity for those charges will depend upon a variety of
factors including your criminal history, the dollar amount of the item
or items taken, how many victims there were and the degree of violence
or weapons used to commit the theft, if any. The only difference in
California between petty theft and grand larceny is the amount of goods
($400) that is stolen. Unfortunately if you are charged with grand
larceny the consequences are a lot stiffer than the charges for petty
larceny. If you are charged with looting for example and you only took
one item but the value of that one item is $400 or more, which would be
easy to met with a simple IPod or television-the charges you will face
will be very severe. Of course you could still face theft charges for
stealing a .49 cent pack of gum but the chances you would be prosecuted
for such a low amount go down significantly.

In order to be successfully prosecuted for theft, the district attorney
must show that you had intent to commit theft and that you intended to
deprive the rightful owner of the property permanently. Accidently
taking a coat that you thought was yours for example, would be pretty
hard to prosecute under the requirements of both intent to take the item
and to permanently deprive the rightful owner of their property.

However it may take an attorney to show your innocence because once the
police make an arrest, they are done investigating the case and despite
the American creed of “innocent until proven guilty” anyone sitting in
jail facing any type of charge, will tell you, you are presumed guilty
by the system until you prove other wise. If you are innocent of the
charges or there were mitigating circumstance that you feel should
lessen the charges against you, it will be up to you and your attorney
to prove it.

One of the first things your attorney will want to know is if you want
to plead out or go to trial. If you accept a plea bargain you will be
admitting guilt and you will have a criminal record but your attorney
will be in a position to work with the D.A to get you little or no
actual jail time and possibly restitution and community service. If you
decided to go to court and fight your case, you will want to make sure
you have an attorney who has experience in the court room. Not every
attorney, even a criminal attorney has actual court room experience
since the majority of cases are plead out and never go to trial.

By materials of Article Factory

Do you know that 3 out of 4 people in the United States do not have car theft protection systems or any car anti theft device installed on their cars? Well even if they do, most them do not even bothered to activate these car anti theft devices. Just think about it, when was the last time you left your car idling outside while you were busy picking up snacks from the gas stations? 
Let’s face it, car theft “market” for these car theft folks have been literally blooming and striving like a twister on steroids. According to Insurance Information Institute, US, the average value of a motor vehicle reported stolen in 2003 was $6,797, compared with $6,701 in 2002. The latest key statistic says that for every 25 seconds, a motor vehicle is stolen in the United States.  
So instead of trying to be so alarmed with these figures, it’s time for you to take the bull by the horns and get started in doing every bit to prevent car thefts.  
1) Lock it up.Lock your vehicle at all times, close all windows and sun roof and take your keys
2) Don’t be dumb by hiding keys in your car.Never hide second set of keys in or on your vehicle. The car thieves can outsmart you by knowing all the hiding places.
3) Hide valuables
Don’t think about leaving your valuables in your car and left to be seen by the potential car thieves. Items left in the open attract car thieves.
4) Protect Your Data – Beware of Identity fraud.Don’t ever leave any important documents such as bank statements, credit card bills/statements, or other personal information in your car. Car thefts can use this vital information against you and steal your bank money by accessing your bank or credit car accounts.
5) Do not dispose your Car registration
Some drivers literally take convenience up to the extreme. They often leave their car registration or car titles inside their car. Doing so may help the car thieves to dispose your car faster than you can ever imagine.
6) Parking StrategyDo you know that parking at the right place may literally prevent car thefts and protect your car altogether? It is best to park in well lit areas with plenty of pedestrian traffic.
7) Stop idling and learn to increase gas mileage.By leaving your car unattended might literally pose a danger to your car of being stolen, especially when you are at the convenient stores or ATMs. The ebook “Gas Mileage Tactics” at http://www.extragasmileage.com will reveal to you that not only learning to stop idling will prevent car thefts, but also the potential wastage of gas and wear and tear of your car. So you’ll get two sides of the same coin literally. Prevent Theft by Towing.You’d be surprised that thieves nowadays use tow trucks to steal vehicles. At the most extreme cases, some of them might pose as the bank credit officer and tow your car away in the broad daylight. So always use your emergency brakes and leave your transmission in the park position. You should also turn the wheels toward the curb. Although these steps will not 100% prevent auto thefts, but somehow or rather, this will make up a nightmare for the potential car thieves who use tow trucks to steal vehicles.
9) Park in your garage.If you have a car porch / garage in your house, always park your car at those places and never park them outside of your house. Lock the gates or the garage as well as your car windows. 
10) The “One” is not enough. There are many car anti theft devices that are mushrooming in the auto market like nobody’s business. Although I will not say that these car anti theft devices may 100% prevent car thefts altogether, but at least it will prolong their time to steal your car and bring them one heck of a tough time to hack into your vehicle. So if you happen to park your car in high theft areas, never rely on just one device alone. Use as many as you can.   
Here are some of the car anti theft devices you can use.
a) Vehicle AlarmVechile Alarms are one of the most common security alarm in a motorcar today. It pays in actually invest in a good car alarm system. Most auto alarm systems are equipped with motion sensors as well as impact sensors. As series of high-decibel tones are blasted out when somebody is trying to steal your vehicle. High quality car alarm systems may include an automatic kill switch and may also use flashing headlights and horn in addition to sounding the siren.
b) Steering Wheel LockThis is a simple device which looks like a long metal bar with a lock that fits on the steering wheel. When fitted on, it prevents the steering wheel from being turned. It’s a pretty inexpensive way to safeguard your car.
c) Starter disablers.There are quite a few of common starter disablers in the market. They serve as the one last extra safeguard to your car in case the car thief has broken into your car. These devices e.g armored collars will prevent them from breaking into the steering column to hot wire the vehicle. Some disablers may be used to prevent the flow of electricity of fuel to the engine, thus making it impossible for the thieves to get the car running. 
So here are the top car theft protection tips for you. Apply them and you will see your vehicles better protected. 

By materials of Article Factory

Identity theft even applies to the dead. Write your obituaries with identity theft in mind because the deceased’s identity is an irresistible target for thieves.  There are tips that you can follow to avoid obituary identity theft. 

Identity theft even applies to the dead. Write your obituaries with identity theft in mind because the deceased’s identity is an irresistible target for thieves.  There are tips that you can follow to avoid identity theft.  Victims of identity theftIdentity theft of the dead is a deplorable topic to have to discuss, but it must be talked about to help those who may be victims of identity theft in the future.  The problem is compounded by the fact that the family is grieving for the dead and being conned at the same time.  It is made even worse when the deceased had joint accounts with a partner who is still living because she or he ends up having to pay dearly for the thief’s crimes. The saddest part is that the thief often gets away with the crime before he or she is caught. Identity theft from obituaries Con artists will scan the obituaries in their city or town and watch for valuable information that they can use to access bank accounts and personal credit.  Long obituaries that give many details give these scam artists more valuable information that they can use to steal the identity of the deceased.  The deceased doesn’t have to worry about their credit rating, but the family is caused undue emotional stress. Sometimes the thieves want to steal the identity to avoid immigration, legal or financial problems of their own. How you can avoid identity theftThe best way to avoid identity theft from your loved ones obituary is to take care of financial and credit issues before the obituary is published.  Close accounts, and notify all creditors, banks and credit reporting agencies of the deceased’s passing. The next best thing is to limit the information on the obituary so that there isn’t a resume of details that list every occupation, award and detail of the person’s life. You can find out more about writing an obituary at ObituariesHelp.orgA checklist of what to do to avoid identity theft from obituariesIf you do all of these things you will ensure that your loved one will not be a victim of identity theft after he or she has passed away.  It is even better if you do all of this before you publish the obituary:Close accounts and credit cards. Notify Equifax, Trans Union and Experian of the deceased’s passing.Contact Social Security and have them deactivate the social security number of the deceased.What to do if you suspect identity theftIf you’ve already published the obituary and you notice unusual activity on the deceased’s accounts, you can assume there is some sort of identity theft and so you must do the following:Notify the police immediately.Contact your bank and freeze accounts.Contact credit-reporting agencies.  The police and credit reporting agencies will have more suggestions for you to keep you safe. Writing obituaries need not be a daunting task, especially if you have all your financial affairs in order.  If you’ve taken all the steps to avoid identity theft from obituaries, you can rest assured that your obituary can be as long or as short as you would like it to be.

By materials of Article Factory

If you are a victim of identity theft, here is what you need to do now. Contact a lawyer that is well skilled in the crime of Identity theft to assist you. Millions of individuals are victims of identity theft. Some of the most common forms of identity theft are stolen credit cards, fraudulent bank accounts and stolen social security numbers. This is why the the help of an identity theft lawyer is sought out and needed more than ever.

The first thing you need to do is if you are a victim of identity theft is to contact your local police and file a report.Then you need to contact your bank and also cancel what credit cards you have.
Next, contact the Social Security Administration office to report a lost Social Security Number. Then contact the the credit report agencies like Equifax to have your account frozen.
The best victim identity theft recommendation is to keep continue fighting charges that are added to your credit reports. Make sure you keep current copies of the credit reports. Make sure that you keep all of your credit card receipts for purchases you make so you will be able to contest any charges that are suspicious on your credit card bills. This will make it easier for you to to your credit card company you are a victim of identity theft. You may need the help of a good identity theft lawyer but most of the work work and record keeping will be done by you and be prepared for a long and hard battle.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the world. The biggest problem with identity theft is it can be a lingering problem and the criminals are usually not identified and brought to justice.
To avoid the headaches and financial difficulties it may be wise to take a look at and protect yourself from Identity Theft with this program. http://www.need-leads.com/protect

By materials of Article Factory

The yearly costs cost of identity theft are enormous. Several companies have insurance for identity theft. The number of cases of identity theft go up each year, and everyone is a potential target. People from every walk of life can be a victim of identity theft. You might want to take a serious look at identity theft insurance.

Insurance for Identity Theft
Insurers have added for identity theft insurance to their portfolio along the common home, health and automobile coverage. There are companies available to help you monitor your credit and personal information. They can be expensive and time consuming and seem not worth the effort. Other companies offer insurance for identity theft and have programs that monitor identity theft activities and will assist you if someone tries to steal your identity.
While a multitude of people are victims of identity theft, only a small number go to court to fight against identity theft. The process of going to court can be expensive and take along time. Identity thieves usually start credit and bank accounts in your name, you very may be likely to be responsible to creditors and the courts.
Most people believe that if you are a victim of identity theft you have done something to expose themselves to this crime and it is their own fault. This is not entirely true. The number of cases of identity theft go up each year and anyones identity can be attacked. Identity theft criminals are often highly educated, working in sensitive areas that contain peoples personal information that they can steal. The victims are often punished for the crime, while the real criminals go free.
You might want to take a serious look at identity theft insurance. You never know if or when you can become a victim of identity theft. Identity theft insurance is relatively cheap. So give yourself peace of mind from this growing problem and see the benefits of obtaining identity theft insurance.

By materials of Article Factory

After twelve months of increasingly dramatic press headlines about failures to safeguard personal data records, it’s time to assess the size of the issue and identify best practice steps for reducing the incidence of, and damage caused by, these data breaches.
The IT Governance Data Breaches Report identifies that spectacular data breaches, such as the UK’s HMRC CD-Rom fiasco and the prolonged theft of TK Maxx credit card records, are not caused by the misdemeanour of a junior employee but arise, rather, from systemically inadequate information security arrangements at the organizations where the incident occurs.
A data breach is ‘the unauthorised disclosure by an organization of personally identifiable information, where that disclosure compromises the security, confidentiality, or integrity of the data that has been disclosed.’
The Attrition[1] database shows that the numbers of reported data breaches in the US increased from 22 in 2004 to 326 in 2006. The pattern in the UK and elsewhere is similar.
Three developments in recent years make addressing this issue a real priority:

Identify theft is a low-risk, high return option for organized crime. Traditional crime, including violent robbery and theft, has clearly identifiable risks. It is easy to be recorded on video by CCTV, seen by witnesses or caught by means of DNA, and the returns are relatively low. High-tech crime, on the other hand, creates real problems for the police force[2] and is, conversely, relatively low-risk for the criminal. Contributing factors include the perpetrator’s anonymity, the speed at which crimes can be committed, the volatility or transience of evidence, the trans-jurisdictional nature of cybercrime and the high costs of investigation.
Legal and regulatory compliance initiatives, such as the EU Data Protection directive and California’s data breach disclosure law, SB1386, have both formalised the concept that personal data must be legally protected, and introduced penalties for failing to do so.

The proliferation of mobile data storage devices has changed the boundaries of where we store our data and effectively eliminated “fixed fortifications” as an effective tool for preventing data breaches.

The number of data breaches reported both within the US and the UK has been steadily increasing since 2006. In the US, the introduction of California’s data breach disclosure law, SB1386, in July 2003 led to a greater awareness of data breaches and, as a consequence, greater reporting of them. Within the UK, the numbers of reported data breaches has also been steadily rising, with a large increase in the number of reported data breaches following the HMRC breach. The peaks in reported data breaches following the disclosure of the UK’s HMRC data loss, suggests that there were – and probably still are – many data breaches that go unreported and research suggests that organizations are reluctant to officially report data breaches unless they have already been exposed. The evidence suggests that waiting to be found out is not the best strategy.
12% of reported breaches in the UK were at regulated financial services organisations. Those reported in the unregulated private sector are much lower. An extrapolation from this behaviour is that the likely scale and cost of data breaches in this sector in the UK is probably much bigger than has actually been reported – and at least as great as that in the public and regulated sectors.
The reported number of internally caused data breaches remains lower than external ones, but averages to around a third of those reported each year since 2000. Many data breaches are self-inflicted in that organisations adopt confidentiality regimes that make it difficult for people to actually do their job and, as a result, they bypass controls with unpredictable but inevitable data breach consequences.
The Ponemon[3] report commented that “the investment required to prevent a data breach is dwarfed by the resulting costs of a breach” and ” the return on investment (ROI) and justification for preventative measures is clear”. Costs of data breaches – legal costs, the costs of restitution, brand damage, lost customers and so on – are significant; for financial services organisations, it was about £55 per compromised record.
Whilst not involving legal compliance, if an organisation has a credit card-related data breach and is found not in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), there are potentially severe contractual and financial penalties, including a bar on the business accepting payment cards.
All these factors make the protection of personal data a key business and compliance responsibility; the information security management standard ISO27001 provides a best-practice specification for an information security management system that would meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.
The most important steps for Data Protection Act compliance are:
As a minimum:
1. Encrypt all personal data on laptops; whole disk encryption is a more secure solution than folder or file level encryption, and FIPS 140-2 is the recognised standard for encryption engines.
2. Encrypt all removable and portable media that might contain personal data, including USB drives, CD-Roms and magnetic backup tapes.
In addition:
3. Establish rigorous procedures to ensure the physical destruction of redundant computer drives, magnetic media and paper records prior to disposal, and ensure that disposals are made in line with a formal data retention timetable.
4. Organizations that accept credit and other payment cards should also comply with the PCI DSS.
5. Provide regular training and awareness on legal responsibilities for all staff that deal with personal data.
6. Deploy outward-bound channel (email, instant messenger) filtering software with customised dictionaries for relevant legislation such as DPA, PCI, etc
7. Establish a vulnerability patching programme and implement anti-malware software.
8. Implement a business-driven access control policy, combined with effective authentication.
9. Develop an incident management plan that enables the organization to respond effectively to any data breaches.

[1] This is a database of data loss and data theft incidents compiled by www.attrition.org since 2000, mainly from the US but also from across the world. These include confirmed, unconfirmed, or disputed incidents which may or may not have resulted in exposure of personally identifiable information. .

[2] “On-line Security and Electronic Crime”,2002, Police Commissioners’ Conference E-Crime Working Party.

[3] The Ponemon surveys, “2007 Annual Study: U.S. Cost of a Data Breach” and “2007 Annual Study: U.K. Cost of a Data Breach

By materials of Article Finders