Identity theft isn’t a regular topic we cover on h2ovision, but when three people allegedly stole 130 million credit cards, it’s hard not to be bewildered.
Earlier today, a Grand Jury indicted a U.S. man and his two co-conspirators for stealing 130 million bank card numbers in 2007. Albert Gonzales of Miami is charged with hacking and compromising major credit card hubs, including 7-Eleven, Heartland Payment Systems, and Hannaford Brothers.
According to the indictment, the men sold some of the numbers, which were used to make illegal withdrawals from multiple banks. They apparently got around the security of these systems with database injections that helped them intercept credit card transactions in real time.
Gonzales has already been indicted for similar crimes, according to The New York Times. Last year, he was indicted for the theft of 40 million credit cards from companies including Barnes & Noble, OfficeMax, Forever 21, and Boston Market. And even more interesting, in 2003 he was working with federal agents to identify his associates after he was arrested for hacking.
This is yet another reminder of how important it is to secure and monitor your credit cards, financial data, and passwords for any anomalies. This type of thing can happen to anybody. Always rotate your passwords and cancel your credit card if any unknown charges start appearing in your bank statement.
1 comments:
Wow, these guys are really really good at hacking, but what they’re doing is inappropriate, not to mention illegal and punishable by law. These people only think of themselves, they don’t care about the many innocent people and families will suffer as a consequence of their actions.
Annie Valdez
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