Fotolog.com Used to Traffic Identities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2008Media Contact: Aaron Titus
(202) 681-1686
REDWOOD CITY, California. For almost a year, at least one identity thief used Fotolog.com to traffic stolen personal information for 53 people. The information included credit card numbers, addresses, mothers' maiden names, social security numbers, drivers license numbers, bank accounts, paypal account information, and a wide range of other sensitive personal information. The user, "linux3r" (whose account has been suspended) proudly declared, "Selling: Credit cards, Paypals, Banks Logins, etc Ask me..." According to the fotolog.com website, the sensitive information was first posted on June 29, 2007. Fotolog.com did not remove the sensitive personal information for approximately one year.
"linuxs3r" claimed to be from Franklin Park, Illinois, and a part of the "Silver Crew Cardes Network." Although the breached information does not appear to originate from fotolog databases, fotolog.com failed to detect or remove the information from its website for almost one year, giving identity thieves and search engines ample time to discover and index the information.
Individuals affected by this exposure should immediately visit www.nationalidwatch.org and search for their names, to confirm what types of personal information were exposed. NationalIDWatch.org has a list of recommended steps victims should take.
About NationalIDWatch.org
National ID Watch is a search engine for personal information breaches. Sponsored by the Washington, DC non-profit Liberty Coalition, NationalIDWatch.org provides more than a million free personalized Identity Exposure Reports™ as a public service.
Each Identity Exposure Report (IXR) documents what types of personal information were exposed (such as Social Security Numbers, Birth Dates, Addresses, etc.), without revealing them. Each IXR also details the situation surrounding each exposure, and contact information of those responsible for the breach. Armed with this information, victims can further investigate, take action, or correct harm.