Filed under: Identity Theft Prevention | Tags: data breach, facebook identity theft, facebook security, Facebook security concerns, identity theft, Identity Theft Prevention
My family has had a website where we shared personal family photos and updates for the last ten years. It was a dumbed down version of Facebook. Once Facebook because a hit, the family stopped posting and moved everything to Facebook. I was the last one to join in the fun as I was very sceptical about the security. After all, that’s my job right?
I finally caved in and joined the crowd. However, I did not post any personal information. I asked everyone in my family to remove their personal information including their birth date from the site and to stop identifying my kids in photographs. A few weeks later once of the first publicized breaches of Facebook took place where personal information including birth date were exposed on the internet.
Along with any growing company, Facebook is constantly upgrading it’s systems to keep up with and stay ahead of the competition and security issues will always be a concern. So the security breaches are not a surprise. With that in mind, why would you want to risk voluntarily placing your personal information on someone else’s website? If you decide to use the service there are some things you can do to lower your risk:
- Keep kids off the service. Posting pictures, their schedules and their parents schedules can put them at risk for abduction.
- Don’t auto save your passwords. Someone who break into your computer can gain access to this information and get into your Facebook account.
- Use strong passwords, including uppercase and lowercase alphanumeric characters. Don’t use the word password or your pet’s name in the password.
- Use strong virus and malware protection on your computer.
- Do not put any personal information on the website including your birth date.
Enough for today. I’m off to go work on my www.identitydoctor.com Facebook fan page!
California is a self pumping state, meaning you have to pump gas yourself. There is no attendant. Considering the weather is nearly always perfect in CA, it’s not a big deal. Since I am always questioning, have you ever tried to pump .01 or .02 of gas? I don’t think it’s possible to do. The pumps always start at .03! Try it next time you fill up your tank. Where is the extra .03 going? If a busy gas station fills 500 cars per day, that’s an extra 15/day or almost 5,500/year to the station owner.
Gas expands when it is warmer. Filling your tank first thing in the morning when the gas and your tank is cool will save you about .15-.20 per tank. This more than makes up for the .03 extra the station makes.
I know many people will take advantage of others when given the opportunity. Staying on the gas station theme, identity thieves are becoming bolder and taking advantage of trusting gas station patrons. Here are a few well known scams that are easily avoided:
- Take your keys with you when you fill up your tank especially when you have family waiting in the car while you pump. I hear many stories of cars stolen with the kids still strapped in the back seat while the owner is watching the pump.
- While some trusting gas station patrons are sliding their credit card in the card reader, an identity thief pulls up next to the passenger door, or walks up to the door, opens it and takes the purse or wallet on the passenger seat. The driver doesn’t know it happened until they get home and look for their wallet. Within hours, those stolen credit cards are added to an organized crime internet site used solely to buy and sell credit card numbers. It could show up in an IRC chat room, a web site designed to buy and sell cards or an FTP site. This is a growing multimillion dollar market and is run primarily by organized crime units.
- Credit cards are not just stolen from gas stations. They are also stolen from gym lockers, restaurant card readers and retail stores and any other place they are used. Keep an eye on your credit cards at all times when they are being swiped, so you know they were not swiped through a second card skimmer used to record the card number.
It’s time to pump up your awareness of identity theft. In this arena, knowledge is power. Check back often for addition insight and tips on protecting your identity.
Be safe.
The high cost of credit monitoring service is once again in the news.
The New York Times article points out that consumers are duped into thinking that FreeCreditReport.com will provide access to their free credit report mandated by the government. This is not the case. Consumers must sign up for Experian’s credit monitoring service in order to get the “free” report. There is only one website developed by the credit bureaus and mandated by the government that can give consumers access to their free credit reports.
This link, shows how you can get a your free credit report along with other valuable free services.
You may review my blog from March where I go into detail on why credit monitoring is overrated and overpriced.
There have been lawsuits against Experian (and their entities). Many have settled out of court. The most recent case accused Experian of unjust enrichment, constructive trust, and conspiracy. It’s much less expensive for Experian to settle rather than go through with the lawsuit.
Filed under: Identity Theft Prevention | Tags: identity theft, stolen purse, stolen wallet
Identity Theft is a crime that affects 9 million people each year in the US. The average victim spends over 175 hours trying to remedy the effects of this crime. When it comes to Identity Theft, being prepared can save you time repairing the problem if you are an unfortunate victim.
First, if you don’t check your credit report at least every four months, I advise you to do so. You can obtain a free credit report once per year from each of the three major credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com. If you space out the reports, every 4 months you should be looking at a free credit report from one of the three credit bureaus.
After reviewing the credit report, save a copy in a safety deposit box or fire proof safe. This preserves a record of what your credit looks like today. In the event of identity theft, the problem will be easier to repair if this record is available. Every four months when a new credit report is obtained, it is added to the safety deposit box. After one year, three credit reports will be stored. When the fourth report is obtained, replace the last report from that bureau with the new report. This way, you always have the most current three credit reports available. Make sure to shred discarded reports.
Additionally, copy everything in your wallet (front and back) and any credit cards, social security cards, medical cards etc that may not be in your wallet and keep that information in the safety deposit box with your credit report. Make sure you label the copies from your wallet. In the event your wallet or purse is stolen, you have an immediate source of valuable information about what exactly is in the hands of the thief. You also have the 800 numbers of all the credit card companies. You can immediately call them and let them know of the theft. Update this photocopy at a minimum once a year. It’s best to be prepared in the event it happens to you.
Filed under: Identity Theft Prevention | Tags: ebay email, paypal email, phishing, spoof email
Internet users are bombarded with emails from senders attempting to fraudulently obtain their personal information, and then use it to steal their identity for personal gain.
Phishing as it is known, involves the sending of a massive number of emails appearing to be from a legitimate source such as a bank, retailer, eBay, PayPal or others. Many recipients assume the emails are legitimate since some already have a relationship with the legitimate company. These messages typically contain a realistic message that your account has been compromised or closed, or in the case of eBay, a disputed transaction.
These emails prey on consumers fears which increase the response rates. They then lure you into clicking on a link in the email to “correct the problem” or confirm personal information.
Things to Watch Out For
- False website. Many phishing emails point you to a fraudulent web site that appears to be the subject site, complete with proper formatting and logos just like the real deal. Never click a website link from an email. Instead, enter the URL in a web browser.
- Generic email greeting. A typical phishing email may address you in a generic fashion, such as “Dear User” rather than using your real name.
- Sender’s Email Address. The “From” email address may appear to be from a legitimate source. These emails can easily be altered and should not be used to verify the authenticity of the email or the sender.
- Avoid Filling out Forms in the Email. Many times phishing emails will request personal information be “validated” and ask you to enter personal information on a form. If you have not initiated the contact, don’t fill out these forms.
- Act Now or Negative Action will be Taken. Most Phishing emails typically try to convince you that urgent action is required or negative action will be taken against your account. Call the company and ask them about the issue before responding.
- Attachments. Open attachments if you are certain who the sender is and you know exactly what the attachment contains. These attachments could contain small programs that can run on your computer and record your keystrokes or transmit other personal information to the bad guys.
- AntiVirus and Anti-Spyware. Keep your AntiVirus and Anti-Spyware up to date. Many will catch these emails before you do, but they are not foolproof. You must continue to be vigilant.
Reputable companies do not ask for your personal information via email or request you update your files. If you are not 100% sure the email is legitimate, delete it and call the legitimate company. Consider the email the bait. Don’t get caught by a “phish”.
Filed under: Identity Theft Prevention | Tags: credit monitoring, data breach, Identity Theft Prevention
About 24 million customers have signed up for credit monitoring services. For about $100 per year, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion state they can protect you from identity theft by regularly watching for changes in your credit report. Unfortunately, credit monitoring only informs you about new financial account fraud which accounts for only about 25% of identity fraud.
- Credit Monitoring often only monitors one credit bureau. Since creditors don’t always report to all three credit bureaus, you may be missing out on important notifications.
- Speed of notification is a problem. Some credit monitoring services report only once per week. In addition, delays in reporting information by the credit bureaus means notifications could take up to 45 days to go out. Consumers need information quickly if their identities are in jeopardy.
- Credit monitoring is reactive and not proactive. It doesn’t stop the issuance of credit to an identity thief. It only notifies that someone has opened an account in your name or has inquired about credit in your name.
Unfortunately, companies are lured into buying credit monitoring services for those affected by a data breach so it will appear as if they are doing something to protect the affected.
A change of mindset is necessary to effectively stop identity theft. Fortunately, companies are beginning to realize that employee training is imperative to lowering the risk of identity theft for their employees and data breach for their companies.
Instead of paying for credit monitoring, do the monitoring yourself by ordering copies of your credit report from all three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) and review them carefully. Credit reports can be accessed for free without having to sign up for any monitoring. Click here for more details.
Four months after ordering the first bureau report, order a copy of your report from the next bureau, and four months after that, the third credit bureau. This way, you get a free copy every four months. Review the reports carefully for any unexpected activity or accounts you don’t recognize.
Adding a fraud alerts to your credit report warns potential creditors to contact you by phone before granting credit in your name. Would you rather
- Get a phone call from a credit asking if you applied for credit or
- Wait to get an email from a credit monitoring service letting you know an account has been opened in your name?
I think the answer is obvious.
For more Identity Theft prevention tips, go to www.identitydoctor.com/identity_theft_information
