HP Identity Theft Case Not Dunn Yet as PI Pleads Guilty

In reversing his previous plea to state charges, the
former private investigator in the HP identity theft
case evidently is now cooperating with federal
authorities by entering his guilty plea.

As a follow up to our recent article from when
the scandal first emerged, it seems this HP hired
private investigator stands accused of having used
a reporter's Social Security number (ssn) to gain
access to the real reporter's phone call records as
part of his effort to find the source of the board
room leaks.

This posing of a real person, known as "pretexting",
was part of the Hewlett Packard scheme to identify
the source of leaks to the media which has now been
elevated from a state of California case to one
being prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

As a result the former private investigator for HP
has been charged and plead guilty to:

• Aggravated identity theft
• Conspiracy

If convicted on both charges related to the HP identity
theft case, the former private investigator could be
facing as much as 7 years in federal prison and
$500,000 in fines.

So, our tip for today is to start your new year right.
Review your portfolio of companies you either do business
with or even consider for future investments. Feel free
to conduct a search through our site's nearly 275 articles
to find out which companies have been the victims or
sources of identity theft.

Just knowing who or where to be cautious with your data can
save you and your family a potential life time of financial
misery.