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Subscribe to RSSA website has posted what appear to be the social security numbers, addresses and even credit reports of celebrities, politicians and others who are in the public eye. NBC's Pete Williams reports.
“Sophisticated” online thieves have stolen information from first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, the FBI director and the Los Angeles police chief as well as several celebrities, including Beyonce, Ashton Kutcher, and Jay Z.
A website — which has an “.su” domain name, representing the old Soviet Union — posted what appears to be their credit reports and other information.
Some of the information, it turns out, is out of date . The website shows FBI director Robert Mueller living in San Francisco, for example. But other data appear to be accurate.
All of this kind of information can be bought online from commercially available websites, experts say, once someone's Social Security number and date of birth are known.
Staff / Reuters
Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Joe Biden, and Ashton Kutcher are pictured in this photo combination. All were apparent victims of recent identity theft.
Among other victims are former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. Other celebrities targeted include Mel Gibson, Kim Kardashian, and Paris Hilton.
The FBI and the Secret Service say they are investigating the website. So is the LAPD, because so many of the celebrities live in Los Angeles, as does the police chief.
The existence of the website was first revealed on Monday, and as of Tuesday morning was still in online. NBC News is not disclosing the website’s address.
There is no indication that any of the information was obtained by computer hacking. Instead, those on the site now join the millions of other Americans who are victims of identity theft. There's no indication so far that anyone has tried to use the information posted on the site to pose as any of those targeted.
Credit report agency Equifax said that reports of some of the individuals were accessed through AnnualCreditReports.com, a website it owns with Experian and TransUnion.
"Equifax can confirm that fraudulent and unauthorized access to four consumer credit reports has occurred through the AnnualCreditReport.com channel, a free public service that allows all consumers to get annual access to their credit report," the company said in a statement.
"Our initial investigation shows the perpetrators had the (personal information) of the individuals whose files were accessed and were therefore able to pass the required authentication measures in place. We have launched a full investigation into this matter and we are also working closely with law enforcement authorities on this matter."
Related: Celebrity hackers stole data from AnnualCreditReport.com, Equifax says
TransUnion said its systems “were not hacked or compromised in any way” but blamed the compromise on “sophisticated perpetrators.”
None of the people targeted by the website have yet come forward to comment on the accuracy of the information exposed. Representatives of those targeted either declined to comment on the accuracy of the information that was posted, or they did not return messages seeking comment, according to the Associated Press.
Stealing the personal information of celebrities isn’t new. More than a decade ago a California man masquerading as Tiger Woods used the golfing great’s name and Social Security number to buy big-screen televisions, stereos and other goods. Anthony Lemar Taylor was sentenced to 200 years in prison.
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this is unreal.
Why is this unreal? What's unreal is the picture of Michelle - wow, how woof!
Coming from a guy with a TINY penis.....................
They can't hack Skeeter's credit report. Ain't his real name or social security number.
You're a pathetic piece of @!$%#!!!
"Shipwrecked
Why is this unreal? What's unreal is the picture of Michelle - wow, how woof!"
I've seen your dog oops I mean wife so I know your a dog lover.
It doesn't surprise me that until something bad happens to important people, nothing happens.
Sounds like Anthony would have been better off outright stealing the stuff.
I had my credit stolen, The person bought all kinds of things online, Never served a day in jail from what I was told.
G. Bud,
I was just thinking the same thing. There are rapists and murders who do less time and because this guy stole a whack a** celebrities identity he gets 200 years so unreasonable. The guy who stole my identity didn't do a day in jail and I am still trying to fix the damage done. What is the world coming to and where are the governments priorities!
200 years in prison for taking Tiger Woods' identity? Harsh considering had Anthony Lemar Taylor stolen my identity, he would've only gotten probation.
I was thinking the same thing when I read this article!
I wonder if like those auto-warranty robo-calls that harassed people to death and took quite a few people for a ride, it takes hitting a celebrity (or two senators on a golf course) before anything actually gets changed. I guess we will see....
Goes to show you who's important in America, the rich, and the politicians!!!
200 years, that's pathetic.
Technology isn't so great after all. Just wait until everyone's medical records goes online. Electronic Health Records. (EHR).
I agree. Murderers don't get 200 years. Good grief! Tiger Woods ain't that good. Apparently money talks and bull$hit walks.
yeah no sh#t murderer and rapist can, and often do, get far less. Whats wrong with this so called Justice system we have?
I'm not concerned about EHR. I went to a doctor once about 20 years ago. Paid cash. I don't actually care if anyone finds out about it.
What gun protects you from this? Funny how the NRA forgets to tell you that white collar crime like these will destroy you faster. This enemy you can see nor touch. This kind of crime can bring any nation to its knees without firing a shot, just a few simple key strokes.
They didn't forget. They saw the irrelevance and sought distance from the irrational.
OMG, Linda, you're so right! Quick, let's ban computers.
jrsygrl; REALLY...nothing is fail safe girley girl
Sarah Palin and Kim Kardashian. Too funny.
Hope they bought lots of guns with Joes' info.......
Barry was hoping they keep the card info.... whoever has it is spending less than Michelle.....
This story was online at news sites late last night, I am surprised it took NBC this long to publish the story.
.....and I'm surprised it took you this long to comment.
I don't get it. If you hate MSNBC so much why in the world do you read it? Just to bash it? Get a life and read the news on a site you enjoy and forget about the ones you don't. No need in wasting your time here, now move on knuckle head.
bp,
I come here to join you in the whining and moaning is why I stay at newsvine and NBC, for this site han not been MSNBC for awhile. I moan about day late articles, you moan about religion. I moan about half truths, you moan because people do not see things your way. Welcome to the human race.
cit liberty
You are probably one of those that complain about not enough facts in a story. Because they rush to print a story just to be 1st. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
200 years in jail! That's a lot of soap to pick up.
Forget it! I'm cutting up my Paris Hilton credit cards!
Couldn't happen to a better bunch of outstanding citizens. Whoever did this has class... Hope that they spend, spend spend, just like the Obama's and Biden's do with our tax dollars!!
You mean the Congress that YOU put in place. They spend the money, not Obama. I see you failed basic civics class. Oh, you must live in the Bible Belt, where they teach you that your head is flat.
@Ted Arizona
You are patently clueless. The enormous federal cuts that are about to take place are absolutely going to affect YOU. People like you (without a properly functioning and cognitive brain) see federal spending, spending on American citizens' betterment, as a total waste. Well, you will soon feel the effects of federal cuts and I bet you will be the first to whine and moan about your entitlement rights being infringed upon when you are denied this and denied that, or have to wait hours going through an airport security checkpoint because of cuts in TSA personel. You will be the first to whine and moan about securing our borders when the INS agency has furloughed so many employees that it cannot keep up with illegally-entering people. You will feel the effects of cuts in health care when YOU or someone YOU love is denied a simple procedure due to cuts, cuts you evidently support. Just exactly how do you think goods and services are provided to the public? Many corporations and businesses rely on government subsidies in order to provide the services that YOU EXPECT as an American. You "entitlement" types really annoy me. You whine about federal spending then whine and moan the MINUTE you feel you have been wronged by a business, company, healthcare facility, airport services, and the like. "Cut, cut, cut, but don't cut anything that'll affect ME". You're pathetic.
Spoken like a TRUE REDNECK.................
Poor Ted, but what's new, look where he's from, the home of the bulldog Brewer.
Check out the link below Teddy, I bet you're ok with that, right?
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/how-congress-members-retirement-package-compares-yours-1C8823621
Here's my response to that link:
How could these millionaires in Congress comprehend the difficulties they have imposed upon others? Many people are living on less than a livable wage, many are living on fixed incomes that have been losing buying power for years, many have been seeking work and will soon be losing unemployment all while those responsible for this "sequestration" are getting their fat bi-weekly checks and retirement, all at taxpayer expense.
It appears these same people in Congress are not required to give up anything all while wanting the rest of us to shoulder the burdens of sequestration.
I would surmise the vast majority of these hypocrites in Congress are so out of touch with reality, they have no idea how the majority of their constituents live, or, they just don't give a damn! After all, "big money" is stuffed in their pockets every day, to screw us all to death.
Politician = Someone whose main political motive is self-advancement and whose methods are often unscrupulous!
Unbelievable. Some people still think the "sequester" will reduce spending. The "sequester" only retards the growth of spending. Barack will spend more in the coming year than he did last year.
If you're talking about me, what's unbelievable is you missed the whole topic of my post. But that's ok, I understand, for you it's President Obama's fault, not your republican buddies in Congress.
@Candlegal
You hit the nail on the head. All theses people bitch about spending but when the cuts come they bitch about the cuts. Its basically cut spending as long as it doesn't effect me. Problem is most people don't even realize just how much they themselves rely on government programs.
Mrlightrail.... I think you failed that same civics class. Ultimately the President is responsible for the spending. The president is the one that has to sign or veto the spending bills. If he vetoes the spending bill and congress gets a 2/3 majority to over-ride the veto then congress can be held accountable.
What's with the crack about the bible belt? Just have to attack anything and everything you don't agree with?
"Funny, I don't remember buying another double barrel shotgun & a case of shells???"
CandelGal. Ever heard the term, "Less is More".
A 5,000 word, run-on, paragraph puts EVERYONE to sleep.
Depends on the comprehension ability of the person reading it, I would think! Besides, some people just aren't capable of getting the point regardless of the clarity or the length - grammar police not withstanding!
Now that the big politicians and stars have had their Identity hacked into at all levels, we may see all of our Identity made safer as a result of this.
I thought government employees like Joe Biden and Michelle Obama and FBI director Robert Mueller had life lock, or something like that provided. If they did, I would like to know so I know what not to get for ID and banking protection. One would really think people like Jay Z and Beyonce and the other stars would.
NBC is not telling the whole story, there was more then AnnualCreditReports.com. There was freecreditreport.com and equifax that was accessed direct other sites are reporting.
I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to use any of the information on them, if they do, 200 years of room and board we get to pay for. Posting it on the Internet for anyone to access had to be for a calculated reason, I would not be suprised to read of more of this.
I hope NBC or some news agency does do a follow up on was any identity theft protection being used.
Nice! My buddy who got Biden's charged a $1.00 donation to the NRA, before that crapbag had it turned off. I told him don't worry we'll get him again, later on when he is a nobody out of the White House! lol
No information on the Internet is secure.
If your computer is connected to the Internet, there is a way to get through the firewalls and the spyware and everything else if you have the time and resources.
Big Brother is watching, but is that really a bad thing?
We are entering an era of shared information, and the theft of "secure" celebrity data is just an indication as to what the future holds.
Between predatory drones, security cameras, and cyber spying it has never been a better time to be an honest, upright citizen.
Very well said.
Hacked Michelle's credit report? I suppose Barack has tasked armed drones over Russia now.
Unbelievable how stupid some people are, well, not really, after all Bobby Jindal did call you'll "The Stupid Party!"
since the big cheeses are involved, may now the white house will do something about this issue and some one will find another way to identify us. I say down with the social security and any number that can be use as our identity and lets make it something else that can not be falsified.
Paying their fair share ....... who cares they are the rich people.
I heard Mayor Bloomberg is looking into banning credit cards because, people are getting obese.
He wants you all to run to the bank like when he was a kid in the 20's.
Note to self: never become a famous person or a public figure
Rip off a millionair golf celebrity get 200 years, but run a reverse robin hood scheme, and nearly collapse an entire economy, making retirement just another broken american dream for millions like Bernie Madoff and friends did hmmm not quite so bad lets only give him 3/4 of that tim, so 150 years sound fair to everyone or what?
This is great news. Our Leaders haven't seemed to care much about Joe average citizen getting hacked but First Lady and Vice President Great. Now we will see a more concentrated focus from law enforcement.
Careful with the hackusations there bub. lol
Joking aside though, ID theft is no laughing matter. The question is, are these real thieves or just jokester activists? The fact they posted the info online like they are waving a captured prize, tells me they are the latter. So not that big a deal. I would prefer the authorities put their efforts into catching actual thieves ripping off peoples money and credit.
Liberals don't mind it's called re-distribution of wealth