FCC fines major US operators for illegal data sharing

The fines were first proposed in February 2020

This week, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined major US wireless carriers, including AT&T, Sprint (since acquired by T-Mobile), T-Mobile, and Verizon nearly $200 million for illegally sharing customer location information to third parties without their consent.

According to the FCC, the carriers sold access to their customers’ location information to ‘aggregators’, who then resold the access to this information to third-party location-based service providers.

This allowed “highly sensitive data to wind up in the hands of bail-bond companies, bounty hunters, and other shady actors,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement.

Under the Communications Act of 1934, carriers are required to take “reasonable measures” to protect certain customer information, which includes location information.

“Our communications providers have access to some of the most sensitive information about us. These carriers failed to protect the information entrusted to them. Here, we are talking about some of the most sensitive data in their possession: customers’ real-time location information, revealing where they go and who they are,” said Rosenworcel in a separate press release.

Specifically, the FCC fined T-Mobile $80 million, Sprint $12 million, AT&T $57 million, and Verizon $47 million.

Although the FCC’s fines are significant, they represent just a tiny fraction of the operator’s annual revenues. Verizon’s $47 million fine, for example, is less than 1% of its total 2023 revenue, which was nearly $77 billion.

T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have stated that they strongly oppose the FCC’s findings, and all three companies intend to appeal the decision. 

“[The FCC’s] decision is wrong, and the fine is excessive,” said T-Mobile in a statement. “We intend to challenge it.”

AT&T similarly claimed that the fines lacked “both legal and factual merit”.

“It unfairly holds us responsible for another company’s violation of our contractual requirements to obtain consent, ignores the immediate steps we took to address that company’s failures, and perversely punishes us for supporting life-saving location services. Source: https://totaltele.com/fcc-fines-major-us-operators-for-illegal-data-sharing/

Read More........ → May 01, 2024

'Rust' armourer found guilty over deadly on-set shooting

NEW MEXICO - The armourer who loaded the gun that killed a cinematographer on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. A jury in New Mexico took just over two hours to find Hannah Gutierrez guilty for the death of Halyna Hutchins in October 2021 during filming of the budget Western. A 10-day trial heard how Gutierrez had been ultimately responsible for the use of live rounds on set -- a red line across the industry. The court had also heard how she had repeatedly failed to adhere to basic safety rules, leaving guns unattended, and allowing actors -- including Baldwin -- to wave weapons around. "This is not a case where Hannah Gutierrez made one mistake and that one mistake was accidentally putting a live round into that gun," prosecutor Kari Morrissey told the jury in her closing argument Wednesday. "This case is about constant, never-ending safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another." Hutchins was hit by a live round fired from the Colt .45 that Baldwin was holding for a scene inside a wooden church on the New Mexico set. Director Joel Souza was wounded by the same bullet. Baldwin has repeatedly denied responsibility, insisting he did not pull the trigger. Ballistics experts have dismissed the claim, saying the gun could not have discharged any other way. His own involuntary manslaughter trial is expected in July. The tragedy sent shockwaves through Hollywood and led to calls for a complete ban on the use of weapons on movie sets. Industry insiders, however, insisted that rules were already in place to prevent such incidents, and that those working on "Rust" had not followed them. 'Rust' armourer found guilty over deadly on-set shooting

Read More........ → March 07, 2024

Two Indian nationals charged in elder fraud gold bar courier scam

Cleveland – Anil Mangukia, 39, of Edison, New Jersey, and Yash Navadia, 25 of Secaucus, New Jersey, who were Indian Nationals, were both indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with money laundering conspiracy for their roles in an elder fraud gold bar courier scam (“Courier Scam”) targeting older Americans. They allegedly stole more than $127,000 and attempted to steal an additional $650,000 from a victim in Warrren, Ohio.

According to court documents, coconspirators posed as a customer service employee at a company or bank. They contacted a victim—typically an elder person—and falsely claimed that the victim’s account was at risk or had been compromised by a hacking event or similar computer intrusion. The purported customer service employee then referred the victim to another perpetrator who posed as a government agent, claiming that the fake government agent would assist the victim in avoiding or mitigating the effects of the account compromise. The fake government agent would discuss the incident with the victim, validate the false story told by the purported customer service or bank employee, and instruct the victim to either (1) move the victim’s money to another account that the perpetrators controlled, or (2) purchase gold or other valuable items and move them to the perpetrators’ account, claiming that the new account was secure and safe from the purported hackers. The perpetrators then used the stolen funds for their own benefit, without the victim’s knowledge or consent.

According to court documents, the defendants caused their victims to engage in several different types of transfers, such as the following: (i) withdrawing currency, converting it to cryptocurrency, and transferring the cryptocurrency to the coconspirators, who claimed they would deposit it into secure accounts; (ii) initiating bank transfers directly from victim’s accounts to acquire things of value that were handed over or otherwise transferred to coconspirators, who claimed that they would then convert those items into funds and deposit them in a secure account for the victim.

According to court documents, the defendants and their coconspirators also obtained proceeds from the Courier Scam directly from victims, traveling to meet victims either at their homes or nearby designated locations. There, the victims would give the defendants and their coconspirators U.S. currency, gold bars, or gold coins under false pretenses, persuaded that the perpetrators would secure the victims’ property.

“Our Office is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who commit financial scams that defraud our elderly citizens of their hard-earned savings,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko. “Financial fraud schemes of any variety cause serious financial harm to our community members, but those that target the elderly are particularly reprehensible. We encourage all members of the public to remain vigilant against such hoaxes and report suspected scams to law enforcement.”

“The FBI is focused on finding and investigating criminals preying on the trust of older Americans,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “Scams are becoming more complex, with several layers of deceit in their ploy and bad actors working in groups to give the illusion of legitimacy. The FBI will not yield in its pursuit to identify these criminals and dismantle scam and fraud-based networks.”

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). Two Indian nationals charged in elder fraud gold bar courier scam

Read More........ → February 29, 2024