Mail theft may sound quaint in an age of ransomware, but an old paper-based scam looks to be roaring back, and it’s hitting taxpayers, Social Security and unemployment recipients, and everyday bill-payers who send their payments via snail mail. “Check washing” incidents are climbing fast, per the Washington Post: Reports of check fraud cited by the FBI and US Postal Service nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022, and high-volume mail theft is up roughly 2,000% since 2010, according to the Postal Police Officers Association. “This is not about lost birthday cards anymore,” says Frank Albergo, the group’s president. “We’ve entered an era of organized postal crime.”…

Only after the newspaper’s inquiry did the bank track down and refund most of the money. The Post also lays out specific prevention steps, from using gel ink and more-secure payments (including electronic ones), to avoiding putting up the little flag on your mailbox to alert the postal carrier you have outgoing mail. The FBI offers some tips of its own, though this Long Island woman says she was scammed out of $16,000 despite taking some of the recommended precautions.

[even though you securely post a check, doesnt mean that the recipient receives it securely /pmw1]

Former CIA officer Jason Hansen shares his perspective on smartphone surveillance and digital privacy.

What you need to know

• Former CIA officer Jason Hanson says government agencies have the capability to access phones and laptops.
• Hanson claims he uses a flip phone to reduce tracking, but says surveillance is still technically possible.
• The former CIA officer stressed that capability doesn’t necessarily mean agencies are actively listening.
• Hanson also warned against using public Wi-Fi without a VPN due to potential risks.

[…]

The Secret Service has serious gaps in its mobile device management and security practices, leading to heightened risks for the nation’s leaders, other protectees and its employees, according to an inspector general report published Thursday.

The security and management gaps included a culture of using personal devices even in protective operations, a lack of security software on government-issued devices and the approval of apps containing vulnerabilities, among others.

Much of the blame, per the report, lies with the Department of Homeland Security unit’s Office of the CIO, which is responsible for establishing security standards and ensuring compliance with policies.

“Because OCIO’s process for identifying and implementing capabilities on [government-furnished equipment] mobile devices did not ensure that employees were prepared — and because the use of personal devices was normalized — there is a risk that OCIO may not properly identify and prioritize other operational needs,” the inspector general report said.

“DHS is not required to provide the information to the OIG via direct access to agency systems, especially where the agency, as the steward of the data, assess that the system may include a significant amount of data that is beyond the scope of the OIG’s stated objectives,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a letter to IG Joseph Cuffari….