Social Security Numbers

One by one, the five women waiting for buttock-enhancement injections went into the room with Padge Victoria Windslowe, the so-called "Black Madam" charged with performing the illegal procedures as an underground business. After five to 10 minutes, each woman returned with cotton balls Krazy-Glued to the injection site on her instantly larger rear end. Windslowe left as soon as she was finished, according to one former client, but not before leaving instructions for the women.

The last of 34 South Jersey cement masons admitted in federal court in Camden yesterday that they used false Social Security numbers to deceive New Jersey and the Internal Revenue Service. The masons, who gathered at the federal courthouse in Camden yesterday, Tuesday and Wednesday were accused of giving false Social Security numbers, and in some cases false names, to various contractors who employed them on short-term cement-finishing jobs while they were improperly collecting unemployment compensation.

Andrea Mento is upset. The 59-year-old lifelong Downingtown resident received one of about 16,600 letters the Downingtown Area School District sent May 19, saying that a freshman at Downingtown West High School had downloaded files that included their Social Security numbers, birthdays, and addresses. Now Mento, like many of the roughly 41,000 people whose info was copied, is keeping tabs on her credit records in case of identity theft, while wondering how this happened. The district, which has admitted that an employee's mistake made the information available to student access, is scrambling to make upgrades to its network.

Pennsylvania's requirement that buyers provide a Social Security number to purchase a gun or obtain a concealed-weapons permit was struck down yesterday by a federal judge. The state law violated the federal Privacy Act, U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sanchez ruled. "This issue has been largely overlooked in Pennsylvania and other states for a long time," said lawyer J. Dwight Yoder, who brought the case on behalf of a retired U.S. Army officer from Lancaster. "This ruling is about privacy, not guns.

A former cellular-phone salesman was charged yesterday with stealing thousands of dollars in telephones from his employers and air time from telephone companies over the last two years. Police here and in Maple Shade, N.J., said yesterday that Pamfilo Dacua, 30, who has several Philadelphia addresses, was charged with theft and fraud. They said Dacua had used the names and Social Security numbers of numerous cellular-phone clients to fill out applications for additional cellular numbers.

As the Council Rock School District implements its 1 percent earned-income tax, some residents have noticed something unusual on their tax forms. In some cases, the part of the form labeled "Your S.S. #" is filled in with nine numbers that aren't the taxpayers' Social Security numbers. They're actually fictitious Social Security numbers, assigned as "tracers" for people whose real Social Security numbers are not yet on file with Berkheimer Associates, the Exton-based tax-collection agency hired by the district.

A Senate committee will hold hearings on identity theft and information brokers following the revelation that a data bank with information on millions of people was accessed by criminals, the committee chairman said yesterday. Democrats, including Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Dianne Feinstein of California and Charles Schumer of New York, have been calling for a Judiciary Committee inquiry into whether more regulation of companies such as ChoicePoint Inc. that buy and sell personal data is needed.

Pennsylvania State University has always rigorously sought to ensure the privacy of personal information for those associated with the university. This security just got better. Last month, more than 138 million records were converted and 90,000 identification cards reissued in a project that has been under way for the last two years. It's all part of an effort to enhance the privacy of more than 100,000 students, faculty and staff, and the 200,000 others who have been associated with the university over the last 25 years.

Last week, 652 criminal suspects did not have to go to jail or even post bail pending trial because of the Philadelphia prison cap. Another 53 were released after serving a brief time in jail because of the cap. They did not have to post bail. NAME: Reginald Kearney. Aliases include Stephen Kearney, Reginald McCoy, Steven Dickerson and Arnold Kearney. AGE: 37 or 38. Uses six birthdates, six Social Security numbers. LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: Heston Street near 52nd. OPEN CASES: Five.

A Commerce Bancorp Inc. employee gave out personal information on an unspecified number of the Cherry Hill bank's customers, a company official said yesterday. "It's a matter that's impacting a small number of our three million customers in a relatively small geographic area," Commerce spokesman David Flaherty said. Commerce, which is the second-biggest bank in the Philadelphia region by deposits, discovered the breach through an internal investigation and sent letters to affected customers.

One by one, the five women waiting for buttock-enhancement injections went into the room with Padge Victoria Windslowe, the so-called "Black Madam" charged with performing the illegal procedures as an underground business. After five to 10 minutes, each woman returned with cotton balls Krazy-Glued to the injection site on her instantly larger rear end. Windslowe left as soon as she was finished, according to one former client, but not before leaving instructions for the women.

H ERE'S WHAT will be making news in Philly this week: CITY HALL The British are coming! Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II, will pay a royal visit to Philadelphia on Thursday to mark the 60th year of his mother's rule. The prince - who is seventh in line for the throne - will plant a tree at Girard College and tour Independence National Historic Park before attending a private dinner at the Restaurant School. If you want to catch sight of the blue blood, he is scheduled to arrive at Girard College at 12:30 p.m. and tour Independence Park at 5 p.m. COMMON PLEAS COURT Ex-cop to be tried for murder For the second time this year, a disgraced ex-Philadelphia police officer will go on trial for first-degree murder.

N. Korea: No U.S. nuclear monopoly SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said Saturday that "nuclear weapons are not the monopoly of the United States," a day after a U.S. special envoy reported after two days of talks with North Korean officials that there had been no change in their negotiating style on nuclear programs under its new leadership. "The U.S. is sadly mistaken if it thinks it is safe as its mainland is far away across the ocean," said officials in North Korea, which has conducted two nuclear tests since 2006 and has been developing intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Jocelyn Kirsch - the buxom half of the city's infamous "Bonnie and Clyde" duo - worked at a San Francisco women's activewear store while finishing her prison sentence at a California halfway house. Yes, Kirsch - whose lavish criminal escapades were fueled in part by stolen credit-card numbers - was again swiping people's credit cards. Not anymore. After inquiries from the People's Paper, Kirsch was put on a two-week leave yesterday from her job at Athleta. "The security of our customers' personal information is a top priority for us," said Callie Canfield, a spokeswoman for the Gap-owned chain.

Everyone needs to take responsibility for his or her own privacy protection, for guarding financial privacy, and for avoiding identity theft. How can you do that? These sites point the way. At Mainstreet.com , Matt Brownell names "8 things you should shred right now" to protect your identity. Those things include old tax returns that might contain your dependents' Social Security numbers, as well as your own; credit-card offers that someone - even another family member - might use to open an account in your name; canceled checks, and all those credit-card convenience checks that you never asked for. Online shopping and banking can be a very secure way to do business, but it is important to remain vigilant in guarding your personal information and privacy.

HARRISBURG - Four years after auditors found criminal abuses in the state's home heating assistance program, benefits are still going to Pennsylvanians who do not meet eligibility guidelines, including some who applied using the Social Security numbers of dead people. That's what state Auditor General Jack Wagner says his office found in its latest look at the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). State welfare officials' oversight of LIHEAP has not improved, Wagner said Wednesday.

A Philadelphia man was charged Thursday with scheming to bilk more than 1,300 individuals. Authorities said David Ballard, 35, obtained names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers and other personal information from the individuals. Then he allegedly opened credit cards in their names which he used to purchase items from online retailers. The merchandise included expensive electronic equipment, including video game consoles and laptops. The indictment said the items, which were valued at $55,000 were then shipped to the individuals whose information was used to purchase them.

Over the last few days, online gamers who use the Sony PlayStation Network and subscribers to Sony's Qriocity music and video services have learned some disturbing news: A "criminal cyber-attack" last month on Sony's San Diego data center laid open the sensitive personal information of tens of millions of Sony customers, exposing them to identity theft and other data crimes. But the story also lays bare a disturbing truth for the rest of us: If a high-tech stalwart like Sony can't be fully trusted, it's clear that data insecurity is here to stay - something we'll all have to cope with for the foreseeable future, despite continual efforts to keep it under control.

Maybe Guillen shouldn't have tweeted what he tweeted Major League Baseball says it's looking into whether White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen violated policy by using Twitter to make derogatory comments about an umpire. The tweets came Wednesday night, not long after plate umpire Todd Tichenor tossed the manager for arguing balls and strikes in the first inning of Chicago's game at Yankee Stadium. After the ejection, Guillen tweeted: "This one going to cost me a lot money this is patetic".

Well, this is nothing to strut about. John Pignotti, former head of the Philadelphia String Band Association, was indicted by the feds yesterday on identity-theft and mail-fraud charges. The 50-year-old Mummer stole $437,000 from two local security firms where he worked the past nine years by forging scores of billing records and payroll checks, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Pignotti allegedly started the scheme on March 20, 2001, when he was working as a branch manager at a Bala Cynwyd security firm that provided guards for local businesses.