Friday, September 29, 2006

Wireless Carriers Attacking Data Theft






"So, Mr. Weiss (Associate General Counsel of Cingular Wireless), how do you feel about those people who call your customer-service rep's and pretend to be real phone customers in an effort to find out the personal data or calling records of those subscribers?"



"They are thieves -- data burglars, plain and simple," responds Meiss.

Wireless phone companies on Friday insisted that they are doing everything possible to prevent the theft of customers' personal data, and they urged Congress to criminalize behavior now commonly known as pretexting.

Meiss says, "The term 'pretexter' is far too innocuous."

Phone-industry executives called for stiffer punishment of pretexters in a House hearing Friday. They testified one day after lawmakers grilled Hewlett Packard Co. executives for possibly using illegal means to discover the source of boardroom leaks to journalists.

Read full story HERE (MarketWatch)

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