FACEBOOK ID THEFT TARGETS 'FRIENDS'Identity theft is not new, it has been a problem for many years, but the increase in technology has made identity theft easier for criminals, but more complicated for consumers and identity theft victims.
People who have had their identities stolen can spend years and thousands of dollars cleaning up the nightmare that these callous criminals have made of the victim's good name and credit record. It takes the average victim a year to realize that their identity has been stolen. Victims have been known to lose their jobs, be refused loans, education, or housing. Some people have even reported being arrested for crimes they didn't commit. Criminals have found many methods to steal the identities of innocent people. Advances in technology constantly introduce new methods for criminals to steal identities.
Hacking is one of the high tech method for identity theft. A recent case happened in which facebook ID theft targeted friends of a Microsoft employee, Bryan Rutberg. In Rutberg's case, 
criminals managed to steal his Facebook login password, steal his Facebook identity, and change his page to make it appear he was in trouble. Next, the criminals sent e-mails to dozens of friends, begging them for help.
One of his friends, Beny Rubinstein -- a fellow Microsoft employee -- fell for the story. At 10:30 p.m. that Wednesday night, he sent $600 via Western Union using an online service. The following morning, Rubenstein received a phone message from the imposter, asking for more money. So he went to a local retail store and wired another $600.
Please see the link below for the full article:
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2009/01/post-1.html
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