Identity Theft | featured news

‘‘Identity Thief’’ has turned out to be the real thing at the North American box office. The comedy starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy debuted at No. 1 with a $36.6 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. ‘‘Identity Thief’’ opened solidly despite the winter storm that buried much of the U.S. Northeast. Distributor Universal Pictures estimates the storm might have choked off as much as 10 percent of the movie’s business.

"Identity Thief" topped the box office on Friday night, scoring $11.2 million despite the fact that much of the Eastern seaboard was buried under a massive snowfall. The Universal comedy, starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, is performing beyond expectations and should earn a strong $34 million or so for the weekend. Studios are unsure how the blizzard will affect the rest of the weekend, as many theaters in New England are closed. http://www.hitfix.com

A single malicious email sent to workers at the South Carolina Department of Revenue last August enabled an international hacker to gain access to 3.8 million tax returns.

Criminals are taking identity theft to an all-new level, getting jobs as you, going to the doctor as you, buying homes, even filing taxes as you. TODAY National Investigative Correspondent Jeff Rossen reports.

It’s a good idea to be a little paranoid about password theft, and there are several ways to strengthen your defenses.

In the age of identity theft, we are bound to run into conflicting information about what data we should share with providers, government agencies and especially strangers. Recently, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners cautioned drivers about providing too much information following an auto accident.

Law enforcement officials are investigating what appears to be a massive theft of U.S. consumers' credit card data, MasterCard confirmed Friday.

An AWOL soldier from Pittsburgh is charged with bank fraud for allegedly stealing the identity of one of the world's richest men: Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued its annual “Dirty Dozen” tax scams list, reminding taxpayers to use caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud.

To minimize identity theft, the Obama administration is urging Internet companies to agree upon and adopt a standard, reliable identity-verification system that people can use for any website. Each person would choose one company, perhaps their e-mail service provider, to handle credentials for sensitive personal or financial information on other sites.