Workplace fraud increases by 69%

According to the 260 members of CIFAS, workplace fraud has already increased 69% during 2009. Due to the effects of the recession, many employees are now engaging in fraudulent activity that would have never before. Peter Hurst, chief executive of CIFAS, said: "While it remains true that most employees are completely trustworthy, these figures do show that the impact of the current recession has been severe. Fraud staff advisors at CIFAS have also seen an increase in the number of female employees involved in fraudulent activity. Traditionally fraud is seen as more of a male activity.

Source: The Financial Times

Safety group says social media can help families connect during disasters

The Safe America Foundation said that text messaging, social network sites, and twittering could help families stay in contact in case of a disaster. The foundation is starting a campaign that will train families in ways to stay in touch if traditional forms of communication are down in wake of a disaster. The Atlanta-based group is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on the "Drill Down for Safety" program to make people more aware of communication options during an emergency. A spokesperson from the Safe America Foundation said they want people to understand what other forms of communication may be at their disposal during an emergency. Roughly 200,000 people will participate in a drill during the months of September and October to test the effectiveness of alternative forms of communication. The organization's Web site (www.safeamerica.org) offers a tutorial in emergency text messaging and will offer more tools in the future.

Source: Next Gov

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DHS clarifies laptop border crossing rules

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that border crossing officials could continue to search any device that can store electronic media without any suspicion of wrongdoing. Although the revised policy ensures searches will be completed in a "timely manner” and that travelers will stay informed about the search's progress. Officials can still seize any device, including MP3 players or flash drives and look at any file on it without giving any reason. Although these searches don't occur very often (the Border Patrol looked at around 1000 laptops and searched 46 laptops in-depth in the past ten months) the best bet for travelers concerned about privacy is to leave unneeded electronic storage behind. Another safe bet if traveling on business is to back up all files and data in multiple locations in case so you will never be left without them.

Source: PC World

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Airport Screening Will Now Include Powders

Passengers entering airports will now be subject to another form of screening at our nation’s airports. According to the TSA in addition to carrying less than 3.4 ounces of liquid, and removing shoes, belts, and laptops passengers can be stopped if carrying what security considers suspicious looking powder. Using a new type of explosive detection technology, the TSA will be able to screen passengers by taking a small sample of the powder and will be able to conduct on the spot testing. Although the TSA would not elaborate on what type of powders they may be looking for, the new precaution is expected to affect only a small percentage of passengers. Most medications, make up, and infant applications should not be affected by the new policy.

Source: The New York Times

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"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?" - Frank Scully