ATM fraud, a.k.a. skimming, is on the rise

ATM fraud, a.k.a. skimming, is on the rise

Andrea Rock; Consumer Reports

It pays to be wary at the ATM these days. The convenience of getting cash from a machine appeals to crooks even more than it does to you. Skimming crimes—whereby thieves tamper with an ATM or card payment device to steal your PIN and the account data stored on your card’s magnetic stripe—are on the rise, according to financial security experts.

The trade publication BankInfoSecurity reports that ATM skimming is expected to be among the top forms of fraud that banking customers will face in the coming year. The publication noted that ATM fraud ranked among the top scams last year too. A wave of skimming crimes was reported in the last two months of the year in cities such as Nashville and Las Vegas.

At the same time, law enforcement officials in Maryland, Illinois and Georgia were investigating ATM skimming schemes that netted at least $120,000 from bank customers’ accounts. And over the holidays, BankInfoSecurity reports criminals hit ATMs to steal money from the accounts of bank customers in Florida and credit union members in North Carolina.

“Crooks prefer tampering with unattended machines, so you can reduce your risk by avoiding ATMs in public locations like airports, kiosks or convenience stores and sticking with machines that are monitored by video cameras in bank lobbies,” says Avivah Litan, a senior analyst at Gartner Research specializing in fraud detection and prevention. You can find more tips here from Consumer Reports Money Adviser on avoiding ATM and debit card fraud.

Litan points out that crooks also have been pulling off ATM card fraud by breaking into the computer systems of the banks themselves or third parties that process banking transactions. They then obtain PINs and other data needed to clone ATM cards.
That’s what a network of crooks did in early November 2009 when they hacked such data from third-party processor RBS WorldPay and then used cloned ATM cards to make about $9 million worth of withdrawals simultaneously from cash machines in cities worldwide.

While there’s not much you can do to prevent this type of fraud, you at least can limit the potential damage by checking your accounts online regularly to spot any unauthorized transactions and report them as quickly as possible.—Andrea Rock

Opinion: Three Reasons to Celebrate MLK

In the wake of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's reported comments during the 2008 presidential campaign, the continuing struggles of black media and the tragedy in Haiti, I want to share my top three reasons to celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

1) King, a "dark-skinned, articulate speaker," helped blaze the trail for President Obama.

Unlike Obama, King was not "light-skinned," to borrow a much-maligned phrase attributed to Reid in the book "Game Change." But people remember King not for the color of his skin but for his humanity, which earned him the Nobel Prize for his advocacy for equality among races and peaceful resistance to discrimination.

They also remember the loftiness of his words – from his "I Have A Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 to his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" remarks in Memphis the night before he was assassinated in 1968.

After Obama secured the Democratic nomination, "CBS Early Show" co-host Harry Smith declared: "This day, Aug. 28, is steeped in history. Barack Obama delivers his historic acceptance speech and 45 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have A Dream' speech."

Maya Angelou noted on the same program that Obama was only 2 years old when King made his most memorable speech, but that "he has, I think, pretty much the same dream. I think he had the same dream that any leader has for [his] people."

Angelou then speculated that if King were alive today: "It'd be a lot of 'I told you so, we could do this.' To America, not to blacks, not to whites and not to Asians. But to Americans, 'I knew we could do this.' "

2) Special editions on King bring much-needed advertising dollars to black media.

As the former editor and publisher of a newspaper targeting the black community, I looked forward to the two coldest months of the year – January and February. The King celebration in January meant a special edition dedicated to the civil rights leader's life, the impact of his death on America and the black community, and other special stories and events.

It also meant that businesses, organizations and government agencies were more generous with their community service and advertising dollars.

But Black History Month in February is the real biggie. In addition to an editorial mix of current news and historical information, the special edition also means special distribution of the newspaper to schools, churches, businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

These special editions published in two months can mean the difference to the newspaper's bottom line for the entire year.

Now, with free information year-round on the Internet squeezing general interest as well as ethnic media, the special King editions in January and Black History Month in February are even more important to black newspapers, which still provide important news and information to their readers.

3) The spirit of King invokes community service and volunteerism.

One day before he was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, Obama participated in a community service project in the nation's capital dedicated to Dr. King.

Obama's decision reminded all Americans that the federal holiday commemorating the birthday of King has become a national day of service. Rather than rushing to the malls for "King Holiday Sales," Americans are called on each year to honor his memory by volunteering in a wide variety of projects – whether it's collecting food and clothing, packing baskets for Meals on Wheels programs, refurbishing schools and community centers, donating money, holding blood drives and so on.

Today, participating in similar community service projects has taken on new urgency as Americans and the world rush to invoke the spirit of King following a great natural disaster with immense human tragedy – the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
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Cancer-Stricken Michael C. Hall Says He's Doing Fine

Michael C. Hall, who has been undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma, made his first public appearance since announcing his battle with the disease at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.

"It's nice to see colleagues," he told reporters after winning the award for best actor in a drama for Showtime's Dexter, "and for me to show [people] I am doing fine."

The very private actor, 38, only revealed his battle with cancerfour days ago, and said he originally wanted to keep his condition a secret.

"I had every intention of keeping it quiet, but because award shows were imminent, I had to make a statement," Hall said. But, he added, that it was nice to be able to make the statement when his prognosis was good.

In his fight against cancer, Hall says he's been staying positive and gaining a new perspective on the important things in life. "I like to think I have a good head on my shoulders," he said. "I have never been less susceptible to [having a big head] given the more down in the trenches stuff I have been considering."

Hall's Dexter costar and fellow Golden Globe winner John Lithgow had nothing but praise for Hall, calling him "Tremendous … The man truly deserves [to win]," said Lithgow. "Michael is a stupendous actor."

Hall wore a dapper suit and a black designer Japanese cap to cover his head. He joked about the look, saying, "It's nice to have an excuse for accessorizing."

Robert Pattinson As Spider-Man?

Bats are sexy. Spiders: even sexier! According to OK! Weekly,Robert Pattinson is in talks to take over the Spider-Man tights in the wall crawler's movie franchise reboot! After three hit movies withTobey Maguire slinging through New York City, Sony is restarting the franchise, with a focus on Peter Parker's awkward high school years. Now, of course, OK! often makes things up faster than Stephenie Meyer with a book deadline, but still, it's fun to think about! Trading in the trench coat and woods for the blue and red and big city, we could totally see it working!

Plus, Rob has experience as a superhero leading man type already (heck, Edward Cullen probs could take Spidey in a fight).

Let's just hope he comes slinging to our neck of the woods. Send this to your friends and sign the petition if you want to see RPattz as Spider-Man (only after he completes the Twilight Saga, natch).

Conan O'Brien Leaving NBC WIth Large Payout, Leno Back To 'Tonight Show': Daily Beast

UPDATE: The Wrap reports that NBC will pay Conan $30 million to in a deal that could be announced "as early as Friday." Conan's agent Leslee Dart denies that figure.

The Daily Beast's Kim Masters reports that Conan O'Brien will exit NBC with a large payout and no noncompete clause in a deal negotiated by Universal President Ron Meyer:

According to the outlines of a settlement, Conan O'Brien will leave NBC and the network will make an as-yet unspecified payment. The comedian will be free to appear elsewhere on television well before his contract expires, despite earlier threats from NBC that it would prevent him from working anywhere else.

Masters' report follows Nikki Finke's reportThursday afternoon that Meyer had been negotiating a deal with Team Conan for days:

Universal Studios President/COO Ron Meyer was secretly drafted during this NBC late night crisis to negotiate a settlement between the network and Team Conan after O'Brien and his reps were threatened by NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker (see below). "Ron is a former agent, one of the biggest in Hollywood. He could get this done, so NBC used him," a source just told me. "No one would talk to each other, and they talked to Ron. He got everybody to talk to everybody." The deal as sketched puts Jay Leno back hosting The Tonight Show, and Conan O'Brien exiting with a lot of money. But there are still some terms to be worked out -- which is why there hasn't been any announcement yet. But I'm warned that "anything can happen" now that Meyer did his duty, and NBC is back in charge. I can tell you there are definitely people around NBC Universal boss Jeff Zucker who want to keep Conan in place at The Tonight Show. "But Zucker is digging in his heels because of the bad press. He's being stubborn," a Team Conan insider just told me.

Previously, Zucker had reportedly threatened to enforce O'Brien's contract and keep him off the air for 3.5 years until his contract ran out.

People.com reported Thursday that Conan would likely not host any new "Tonight Show" episodes after January 22.

TMZ reported Thursday that Leno and NBC had struck a deal for him to return as host of the "Tonight Show."

Top 10 'American Idol' Songs

With each 'American Idol' season, without fail, we fall in love with these unknown, small town voices and vote on our favorites. We listen to the judges' critiques; Simon Cowell's bickering (with this season to be his last) and Randy Jackson's belief in promising stars (for he fortuitously predicted Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson's success on day one). But in the end, we, the viewers, decide who stays in the running, where finalists hope the show will jump-start their careers, and soon after commercialize their talent. Over the past eight seasons, here are the Top 'American Idol' Songs that have been successful on the airwaves and rated by AOL Radio listeners. Let us know in the comments which idol songs are your favorite!

10) Katharine McPhee:' Over It'

Season five finalist, Katharine McPhee, sings 'Over It,' a song about a girl who is getting over her ex-boyfriend. The only thing is, she isn't entirely over the breakup yet: "For wanting you to be wanting me / No that ain't no way to be." To market her new single, McPhee guest-starred in an Webisode of 'Lonelygirl15,' which also played her song. Listen below to the MIG Mix, which was released with five other versions in the album, 'Dance Vault Mixes.'

9) Kris Allen: 'Heartless'

When Allen performed Kanye West's 'Heartless' on stage, he instantly won the judges' hearts. His acoustic performance of 'Heartless' propelled him into the lead and helped him win the No. 1 spot in the eighth season.

8) Elliott Yamin: 'Wait for You'

The 98 Degrees/S Club 7-sounding tune is about a man who is waiting for his lover to return. Yamin finished third place in season five -- his only singing experience covering scattered karaoke stints. Yamin toldPopEater: "I didn't have a whole lot of ambition. I wasn't really working toward any goals. I definitely wasn't pursuing a career in music." Yamin now recommends that if you are an upcoming artist, it's important to practice your craft everyday.

7) David Cook: 'Permanent'

Cook's live version of this single on the eighth season of 'American Idol' became downloadable via iTunes, with all proceeds going to Accelerate Brain Trust Cancer Cure, a non-profit in search of finding a cure for brain cancer. The seventh season winner co-wrote the heart-rending tune about his late brother, who succumbed to the disease just months before Cook's performance. The song was also featured on his 2008 eponymous album, which sold over a million copies in the states.

6) Jordin Sparks: 'No Air'

After winning the sixth season (in 2007), Sparks became the youngest winner and was considered to be the most improved over the course of the season (even beating the better-performing Leona Lewis). She's most known for her song with Chris Brown, 'No Air,' which sold more than 4 million digital copies internationally.

5) Adam Lambert: 'Whataya Want From Me'

Following Lambert's controversial American Music Awards performance for his single 'For Your Entertainment,' his scheduled talk show appearances were canceled. Finally, he debuted his next single 'Whataya Want From Me' on the CBS's 'The Early Show.' But as part of the deal, he also had to explain his behavior during a live interview on the morning show. Randy Jackson previously said that Lambert has a "bigger personality" than Allen. Hey, we were forewarned.

4) Carrie Underwood: 'Before He Cheats'

The song is about a girl who wants to take action before her boyfriend cheats again. So what does she do? She vandalizes his car. The song received some criticism -- for the double standard violence showcased both in the lyrics and the music video. That aside, country fans and the rest of the world went crazy for it -- the single sold more than 2.8 million downloads. And so far, Underwood has collectively sold 11 million albums.

3) Kelly Clarkson: 'Breakaway'

Close to Underwood in numbers, Clarkson has sold 10.5 million albums to date. Avril Lavigne co-wrote this song, but handed it off to Clarkson. 'Breakway' made the 'American Idol' sensation a pop princess, saving her from her first two unsuccessful singles. The song apparently fit Clarkson's life so "perfectly," that in the music video, she opted to play herself.

2) Chris Daughtry: 'Home'

Daughtry penned the song on his sofa before he auditioned for 'American Idol.' He wrote: "I don't regret this life I chose for me / But these places and these faces are getting old / So I'm going home, well I'm going home." After he was booted off the show, he landed a record deal with RCA Records. To promote the song before its release, the sixth season of 'American Idol' played the 'Home' before bidding farewell to contestants.

1) David Archuleta: 'Crush'

The seventh season runner-up finished strong, receiving 44 percent of the 97 million votes. But it's not surprising 'Crush' was such a hit (and our No.1 'American Idol' song) -- Jackson said Archuleta could "sing the phone book" and it would still sound great. Growing up in the 'American Idol' generation, he became one of the youngest contestants to participate in the show. To keep better tabs on him, check out his frequent tweets.

Listen to Pop Idols Radio

Dennis Hopper Files For Divorce

Dennis Hopper was diagnosed with prostate cancer in October, and though reports suggest his condition has declined in recent weeks, the actor has just filed for divorce from his wife of 13 years, according to PEOPLE. Hopper, 73, cites irreconcilable differences in his split with Victoria, Los Angeles court records show.

The actor is requesting joint legal and physical custody of their 6-year-old daughter Galen, and plans to provide spousal support to Victoria.

Hopper has been a mainstay in Hollywood for five decades, including an Oscar nomination for co-writing 1969's counterculture classic 'Easy Rider.' He also was nominated for an acting Oscar in 1986 for 'Hoosiers,' and had roles in films like 'Apocalypse Now,' 'Blue Velvet,' 'True Romance' and 'Speed.'

Hopper recently wrapped the second season of Starz series 'Crash.' . He plays maniacal music producer Ben Cendars on the series. The actor also has several film projects in the works.