| Indigo co-owner pleads guilty to credit card fraud
A former co-owner of the now-defunct Indigo Lounge admitted Thursday in federal court to stealing thousands of dollars from restaurant patrons. Kevin O'Connell, 33, flew to Great Falls from Buffalo, N.Y., where he lives, to appear on a felony charge of credit card fraud. He pleaded guilty to the charge, acknowledging that he made $44,209 in unauthorized charges to the credit card accounts of several customers. He said he saved receipts from credit card purchases made in the restaurant, and later used the card numbers on the receipts to make additional charges. .
Credit card dispute has Neiman's, HSBC in court
When HSBC Retail Services paid $640 million in 2005 for Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman's credit card customer accounts, it believed it was buying a lucrative portfolio. That assumption isn't panning out, and now HSBC and the department stores are in the courthouse. The Neiman Marcus Group, which also owns Bergdorf Goodman, has sued HSBC Bank Nevada for breach of contract after the bank threatened to stop opening new accounts and to cancel 192,000 accounts that represent potential sales of $500 million over the next two years. The dispute centers on HSBC wanting to increase charges and interest rates on customers to make up for estimated losses of $8.5 million over the next three years. In the complaint filed in Dallas County District Court on Feb.
Dear Abby: Keeping track of passwords is word to the wise online
Dear Abby: Allow me to draw your readers' attention to the importance of keeping track of their online log-in information. We all know it's smart to keep photocopies of our driver's license, credit cards, etc. With as much time as some of us spend online, in addition to the billions of dollars we spend there as a nation, it's wise to keep track of sundry log-in details as well. I keep track of the various Web sites from which I make purchases β the Web site name, user name and my password β because various Web sites require different information. Please suggest that your readers compile this information in a single document and print it out from time to time. Keep a hard copy in a safe place with other important papers. That way, if anything should happen to them, family members will be able to access these Web sites, delete saved credit card information and close the accounts.
Keeping track of online passwords is wise to do
Dear Abby: Allow me to draw your readers' attention to the importance of keeping track of their online log-in information. We all know it's smart to keep photocopies of our driver's license, credit cards, etc. With as much time as some of us spend online, in addition to the billions of dollars we spend there as a nation, it's wise to keep track of sundry log-in details as well. I keep track of the various Web sites from which I make purchases -- the Web site name, user name and my password -- because various Web sites require different information. Please suggest that your readers compile this information in a single document and print it out from time to time. Keep a hard copy in a safe place with other important papers. That way, if anything should happen to them, family members will be able to access these Web sites, delete saved credit card information and close the accounts.
Online Security Fear: Bank Details Selling On The Web
One fraudster was also reported to be offering to sell 30,000 British credit card numbers for 1 each. A spokesman for the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, said the available data suggested the accounts on offer were active. "From what I have seen the information would be enough for someone to go online and spend money, but at this stage there is no way of knowing which cards are on there," he said. Mr Thomas will address a House of Commons committee on Tuesday to ask to be given extra powers to tackle data protection breaches. However, if the websites involved are based overseas, the Information Commissioner would be powerless to intervene. James Jones, a consumer education manager, described the discovery was a "huge concern" and called for an immediate crackdown on the sites.
Las Cruces woman convicted of dozens of embezzlement charges
ALAMOGORDO, N.M.βAn Otero County jury has convicted a Las Cruces woman of embezzling money from an Alamogordo electronics store over a four-year period. Bertha Garcia was charged with 45 counts of embezzlement, 40 counts of conspiracy and 1 count of fraud over $250, according to District Attorney Scot Key. Garcia was arrested in October, along with her accomplice Lee Ann Hathorn, following a seven-month investigation. Police say the two used a credit card machine at EZ TV, where they worked, to credit their own cards. The district attorney's office said the scheme went undetected for so long because of Garcia's ability to hide the thefts through her bookkeeping and access to other company accounts. Garcia is awaiting sentencing. Hathorn was sentenced in January to 10 years in prison.
First Look: SplashMoney finance manager
To get started, SplashMoney helps you create one or more accounts to track your credit card expenses, checking account balance, or cash balance. Each time you spend money, record the amount, the class (such as Business or Personal), and the category (such as from your checking or savings account). .
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