Social Security Numbers

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.

Officials at Cheyney University urged students Friday to check their credit reports after an inadvertent release of their personal data, including Social Security numbers. The historically black college in Chester County apologized to students in a letter sent Friday. Cheyney said it was using a credit-monitoring firm to prevent misuse of the information. An administrative e-mail sent to all students on Thursday accidentally included a file with personal data, the university said.

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.

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.

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.

New word: doxxing , the practice of piecing together detailed personal information from initial stuff you glean from Internet-available sources - such as when you find an e-mail address, then burrow through that to find phone numbers, addresses, info on chat rooms. It's a form of stalking. Hacker(s?) on the website exposed.su have either doxxed or hacked directly into celebrity private info, publishing photos, credit reports, mortgage details, Social Security numbers, etc. And now, says the FBI, the louts are "using" the info.

WASHINGTON - The United States is vulnerable to cyberattacks that could shut down financial services or destroy information that companies need for daily operations, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Sunday. Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.) says that 95 percent of private-sector networks are vulnerable and that most have already been hit. What's being stolen? Personal identities, Social Security numbers, money from banks, blueprints for next-generation jobs. At risk are private companies and public agencies.

Officials at Cheyney University urged students Friday to check their credit reports after an inadvertent release of their personal data, including Social Security numbers. The historically black college in Chester County apologized to students in a letter sent Friday. Cheyney said it was using a credit-monitoring firm to prevent misuse of the information. An administrative e-mail sent to all students on Thursday accidentally included a file with personal data, the university said.

AFORMER Main Line housekeeper accused of stealing a rare bust of Benjamin Franklin valued at more than $3 million was denied bail on Friday. Andrea Lawton, 46, who was arrested in Maryland on Sept. 21 by the FBI while in possession of the bust, must remain in custody pending trial. U.S. Magistrate M. Faith Angell deemed Lawton, 46, who showed up in court in a black head scarf and an olive prison jumpsuit, to be a flight risk. According to court papers, Lawton had told FBI and IRS agents that she had come to Maryland to sell the bust on the black market.

Md. man charged in 'joker' threat UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - A man accused of referring to himself as "a joker" and threatening to shoot up his workplace has been charged with misdemeanor telephone misuse, prosecutors said Wednesday. Neil E. Prescott, 28, of Crofton, was taken into custody Friday after police said they found ammunition and a cache of about two dozen weapons in his apartment. He has been undergoing an emergency psychiatric evaluation at a hospital since then. The "joker" comment prompted concern because of a mass shooting a week earlier at a Colorado movie theater screening the latest Batman movie.

As if the drama in Greece weren't tragic enough, here at home we're facing "taxmageddon," a fiscal cliff, and potentially, hackers breaking into our bank and brokerage accounts. Take a deep breath. The FBI is here to help — at least with the hackers. The FBI's Philadelphia field office offers tips for investors about how to avoid getting scammed — and who to call if you do. We don't think of G-men tackling securities and investment fraud, but in fact, they do most of the nitty-gritty investigating for the regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A Wissinoming tax preparer was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for filing more than 1,600 bogus federal income-tax returns for tax years 2007 through 2009. Miguel Vazquez, 45, also was ordered by U.S. District Judge James Knoll Gardner to pay $1.6 million in restitution to the IRS and to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on July 26. Federal prosecutors said the bogus returns prepared by Vazquez resulted in the payment of almost $7.5 million in refunds. The government said Vazquez, a native of Puerto Rico who has 13 children with 12 women, also lied on his own tax returns and failed to pay more than $250,000 in taxes on his illegally gained income.

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.