Identity Resolution Daily Links 2007-11-16
[Post from Infoglide Software] Repeal the Fraud Tax!
“Several recent items in the news highlight the fact that insurance fraud continues to be a drain on society, both in the US and the UK.”
newsday.com: 19 airports fail security test
“‘Our tests clearly demonstrate that a terrorist group, using publicly available information and few resources, could cause severe damage to an airplane … by bringing prohibited improvised explosive device components through security checkpoints,’ said Gregory Kutz, a managing director for the Government Accountability Office. But the nation’s top transportation security official, Edward ‘Kip’ Hawley, downplayed the findings in a tense hearing Thursday, insisting his screeners focused ‘on what might actually take down a plane, as opposed to what could do severe damage. . . . We focus on the piece that could do catastrophic damage,’ Hawley said. ‘The terrorists are very smart. They know what takes a plane down. That’s what we have to stop.’”
“Authorities charged Keith Lewis, 41, of the 5400 block of Erdrick Street, with deploying a car and three SUVs — including a 2000 Toyota Camry owned by his girlfriend, who was not charged — to orchestrate the scheme, which began after he provided initial premium payments drawn on a bank account without sufficient money. He then filed claims for minor damage and sought to collect before the insurers realized the initial payments were no good, investigators said. . . . Among the targets of the plan were Pennsylvania’s largest auto insurers, including AIG, Allstate, Geico, Progressive, Safe Auto, Safeco and Unitrin Direct.”
“The Centre for Retail Research in Nottingham, United Kingdom and Checkpoint Systems, Inc. recently announced that they will present the results of the first Global Retail Theft Barometer. The study reveals new facts about actual levels of retail shrinkage and crime in 32 countries around the world, including 25 countries in Western and Central Europe, as well as the U.S., Canada, Australia, India, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.”
Chicago Tribune: Bill takes aim at gaps in airport security
“Only U.S. citizens would be allowed to hold airport jobs that involve access to planes and baggage under proposed federal legislation that an Illinois congressman announced Tuesday. In addition, responsibility for issuing airport employee security badges should be shifted from local authorities to the federal government, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said in response to recent security problems uncovered at O’Hare International Airport.”
Retail Technology Blog: Biometric system to reduce shrinkage
“Holt Renfrew, one of Canada’s premier high-end fashion and lifestyle shopping retailers, has deployed a fingerprint-based biometrics point-of-sale (POS) system that tracks sales associates’ transactions at cash registers. Deployed in 2001, in its first three months the technology paid for itself in loss prevention, says Hodkin. And no mistake about it, eliminating shrinkage is a big deal to retailers.”
Subscribe to this blog
January 14th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
How did Mr. Lewis think he was going to get away with that kind of insurance scam? I presume he was expecting the insurance claim to clear relatively quickly - well it’d have to, would it not, for that kind of check fraud to work normally?
Not too clever!