Bloomberg Government reported in the 2017 fiscal year that federal agencies could commit more than $1 billion on countermeasures for insider threats. Whether that number turned out to be accurate or not, it highlights the priority that the federal government is placing on protecting its information and data from being
Anyone know what's the number two form of economic crime, in terms of losses? Believe it or not, it's procurement fraud. I grew up in a small town south of “Big D” and in my neck of the woods having two first names is, well, normal. So, when Will Farrell’s character,
As the federal government’s ability to collect personally identifiable information has increased drastically in recent years, so have attacks targeting that information. Insider threats are of particular concern, according to the Government Accountability Office's 2015 bi-annual High Risk Report. The GAO specifically states, “Risks to cyber assets can originate from
Identity fraud typically conjures thoughts of credit card scams or stolen Social Security numbers. Medical identity fraud is often overlooked, but can be a crime that kills. On the black market your medical identity can be worth as much as $50 per person versus $1 for a Social Security Number.
Every day there are news stories of fraud perpetrated against federal government programs. Topping the list are Medicaid and Medicare schemes which costs taxpayers an estimated $100 billion a year. Fraud also is rampant in other important federal programs, including unemployment and disability benefits, health care, food stamps, tax collection,
Another day, another scam defrauding insurers and governments. For purposes of full disclosure, the case I'm highlighting today comes from Washington's Labor and Industries (L&I), the agency where I formerly worked and headed up fraud prevention efforts, and the investigation dates back to my time there. During my time there,
Before that headline really scares you, let me clarify - there hasn't been a single fraud scheme that managed to pull off a $2 trillion haul (yet). However, the fact remains that as rising scams, schemes, the gray market, work under the table and good old tax evasion escalate, as
Sometimes, it is good to start with a confession. I filed my taxes at the last minute. It was past time to get some money back from the IRS before they could waste $60,000 on another Star Trek spoof video. Normally I'm one of those people that files in February,
Personally, I love studies. They help put things into context, and when done well, provide an independent and hopefully unbiased view of the forces that shape our lives. They are also a great way to see government funds used in strange ways. For example, the new NIOSH (National Institute for
Watching our nation approach the "fiscal cliff", and the dire predictions if we truly drive off it like the last scene in Thelma and Louise, has sharpened my view of the potential risks that huge gaps of fraud and abuse present to all of us. One of the key lessons
