Archive for September, 2010

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Take a few minutes to be safe on social networking sites

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Delaware senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell released a statement yesterday denying she has an account at LinkedIn, and that she had posted misleading information about her educational background.

“There have been reports that I have released false information on a LinkedIn profile under my name,” her statement read. “This is categorically untrue. I never established a LinkedIn profile, or authorized anyone to do so on my behalf.”

The company has taken down the page, and a spokesman for LinkedIn said the problem of assumed identities is “par for the course” for any social networking site. There have been numerous articles published about the ease with which LinkedIn’s account security can be penetrated.

The day after O’Donnell won the Delaware GOP primary, she faced an onslaught of questions regarding what was presumed to have been information she had posted on her LinkedIn page, suggesting she had attended the University of Oxford.

O’Donnell actually attended classes sponsored by the Phoenix Institute, an educational organization dedicated to “tracing the course of Classical and Judeo-Christian thought,” which had rented classroom space from the British university.

An O’Donnell campaign insider said it took a while for candidate reps to respond to the accusations about the profile because the campaign was just getting organized. The O’Donnell team plans to take no legal action.

When using social networking sites, it is best to limit the information you post. You can always provide additional information to trusted sources at a later date if needed.

You should also set up as much privacy protection as allowed on the site, to be sure that your information remains safe. Make your password difficult to determine, using letters and numbers, and change it often.

By taking these simple steps, you can help make sure your identity remains safe.

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Trio picked up, charged with ID theft

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

If you regularly spend time in the gym, you’d better be sure to get a good locker.

Charges have been filed in Larimer County, Colorado against three people accused of running a burglary and identity theft ring.

Twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Mae Henderson, 32-year-old Jessica Hornback, and Joseph Lee Thyfault, 31, now face criminal felony charges. The arrests come after Fort Collins and Loveland police began a joint burglary investigation in which victims’ identities were stolen.

The trio stole personal information from lockers at local health clubs in northern Colorado and used stolen credit cards, checks or personal information to make purchases, forge documents and withdraw cash from banks. Investigators believe the crimes were committed through June 2009.

Henderson has been charged with four counts of identity theft and one count of theft, while Hornback has been charged with 19 counts of identity theft. Thyfault has been charged with four counts of identity theft, two counts of burglary, one count of possession of tools used to commit burglary and one count possession of drugs.

It goes without saying that when in a public place, be sure you keep your wallet on you or keep your hand on it at all times. This includes when you’re shopping, at a gym, sports facility or library. If you are at a facility that offers the use of lockers, be sure you use the lock, and that it is secure before you walk away. You may even wish to provide your own lock, so that you can be assured that no one else has a key.

If your wallet is ever lost or stolen, you’ll likely spend time, first of all, trying to remember the contents, then how to contact the bank or credit card issuers. You should make a copy of any credit or debit cards, as well as any identity information in your wallet, and keep that information in a secure location. That way, if your card is lost or stolen, you won’t have to scramble to find contact information.

The best thing you can do is to contact LifeLock before anything happens to your wallet. With LifeLock’s WalletLock™ service, if your wallet is missing or stolen, a LifeLock specialist will help cancel and replace the lost contents of your wallet.

But that’s just the start. For just $10 per month, you can receive LifeLock’s standard services, and for $15, you can sign up for LifeLock’s Personal Breach Detection™ Services, which means LifeLock will monitor unregulated and file-sharing networks for your identity information. If you’re found to be at risk, LifeLock will notify you immediately, and you’ll get the help you need to prevent personal information disclosures.

Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

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Protect Your Identity Week is coming up next month

Monday, September 27th, 2010

The Council of Better Business Bureaus and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling are encouraging consumers and small business owners all over the country to fight identity theft by taking part in the third annual Protect Your Identity Week, to be held Oct. 17-23.

Identity theft is a growing problem, with the number of U. S. victims climbing to 11.1 million in 2009, a 12.5 percent increase over the previous year, according to Javelin Strategy and research. No one is completely safe, but there are steps consumers can take to protect themselves against identity theft, and to limit the damage if it does happen.

As part of the special week-long focus, consumers and small business owners can take advantage of:

• More than 150 events taking place in communities across the country, most offering educational workshops, credit report reviews and document shredding. All events are free and open to the public. Some locations will also provide safe disposal of mobile phones and computer equipment.

• Consumers should take the time to assess their own risk for identity theft. Do you have the proper anti-spyware software on your computer? Do you have a firewall? Do you change your passwords frequently? Do you make them difficult to figure out? Do you shred your documents? Are you careful about when and where you give out your personal information? If you are unsure of any of these things, you could be at risk.

Visit the Better Business Bureau Web site to find event locations near you.

But you don’t have to wait until Oct. 17 to become proactive about protecting your identity information. You can begin by calling LifeLock today.

LifeLock is the industry leader in proactive identity theft protection. LifeLock scans for both credit and non-credit related threats to your information, and if any threat is detected, you’ll be notified immediately. If there is any activity, a LifeLock representative will move quickly to restore things back to normal.

Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

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IRS hasn’t complied with SSN restrictions

Friday, September 24th, 2010

The Internal Revenue Service has not yet complied with a May 2007 federal order to remove unnecessary use of Social Security numbers from correspondence with citizens, which can lead to identity theft, according to a recent report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

According to the report, the Office of Management and Budget gave federal agencies 120 days to develop a plan to eliminate the unnecessary collection and use of Social Security numbers and 18 months to implement the plan.

Although the IRS has developed the plan, it has yet to draft a detailed implementation plan.

In 2010, the IRS mailed more than 42 million notices and letters to individual taxpayers for various reasons, including balance due notices. Most of those included taxpayers’ Social Security numbers because they required the taxpayers to respond to the IRS.

The IRS submitted the release of its plan to reduce or eliminate the use of Social Security numbers to the Department of the Treasury in November 2007, and has provided three releases of its plan since then, the last in February 2009.

But to date, it has only redacted or shortened taxpayers’ Social Security numbers from a small number of systems, notices and forms, and there are no target dates for decisions on whether taxpayers’ Social Security numbers can be removed from notices and letters, according to the Inspector General’s report.

In a response to the audit, the IRS said it would file timely updates to its plan. The agency also said it was working on replacing the Social Security numbers on public correspondence with barcodes to protect personal information.

To be sure your information is safe, shred all unneeded documentation containing your personal information, such as Social Security numbers, before you dispose of it.

You should also make sure to not include the number when you reply to correspondence if you will be mailing your letter from an unsecured mailbox. Your letter could be stolen, along with your personal information.

You should put your mail, particularly any that contains sensitive information, into a secured post office box, or take it into the post office.

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Florida House candidate signs up with LifeLock after Democratic screw-up

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Florida House candidate and Republican Allen West has signed up for LifeLock after his Social Security number was released in a Democratic party mailer.

The mailer featured a copy of a 2005 tax lien against West, which bore his Social Security number. It also bore the employer identification number for West’s wife’s business. This information was mailed to thousands of voters.

West and his family members are in the process of obtaining new Social Security numbers, and purchased identity theft protection from LifeLock to provide additional and proactive protection.

West is running against Rep. Ron Klein (D-Boca Raton). Klein won his post over West in 2008. Although a spokesman for the Democratic Party has issued a formal apology to West, a spokesman for West and his family said the candidate and his family are offended by it, and West rejected an offer by the party to pay for two years of identity theft protection.

The mistake could work in West’s favor. Twenty percent of his district is over 65 years of age, and senior adults are often targeted by identity thieves.

West has released a new television advertisement, in which he calls Klein a “desperate politician.” He also says, “It makes me wonder what else Klein will do to me, or to you.”

West’s campaign is weighing its legal options.

This isn’t the first time such an incident has caused a stir in the political arena. In 2005, Maryland Democrats released the same information on Michael Steele, then the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. And in 2008, the Alaska Democratic Party revealed the Social Security number of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

West has called the matter an “unprecedented new low in American politics.”

For more information on LifeLock, go online at www.lifelock.com. Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

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How to spot a skimmer

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Since the earliest days of automated teller machines, banks have had to deal with thieves figuring out new and creative ways to commit crime. ATM theft in the form of “skimming” has become more common in recent years.

Card skimming is the practice of collecting ATM card numbers and personal identification numbers for the purpose of stealing money from bank accounts. This is done sometimes as simply as watching customers as the use the ATM, called “shoulder surfing,” and taking note of the PIN number as it’s punched in.

Thieves have also gone high tech, installing false card readers or “skimmers” on top of existing ATMs. The skimmers read the card information and store it, until the thief can retrieve it via computer. This can be done via computer or even, in some cases, wirelessly via smartphone.

The stolen information can then be used to empty a bank account in no time – no debit card needed. A thief can simply purchase a blank gift card and enter the information onto the card’s magnetic strip. The card can then be used just like the original debit card.

Skimmers have also been used at gas stations, installed on the pumps, and at restaurants and department stores, installed at point-of-sale credit card swipe stations.

While most people are aware of the fact that skimmers exist, they often don’t know what to look for or how to identify a skimmer. It’s important to be sure to examine an ATM carefully, looking for anything that looks out of place or unusual before using it. If signage is covered up, blinking lights are blocked or something on the unit appears to have been tampered with, do not use the machine, and notify your bank immediately. If the machine looks different than the last time you used it, go inside the bank and inquire if changes were made.

If you are purchasing an item in a retail store or paying for a meal in a restaurant, it is a good idea to be sure that your credit or debit card never leaves your sight. In other words, ask the waiter to swipe the card at your table if possible. If that isn’t possible, go to the register to pay for your meal yourself. The same goes in a retail store; ask the clerk to swipe your card in front of you, or follow them to the register where this will be done.

Thieves often hire young people working in restaurants and retail stores to skim cards, paying them top dollar to steal the information on the thief’s behalf. Don’t be shy about asking for this: you are protecting your personal information, and you must be vigilant.

To help consumers understand what skimmers can look like, and learn how to identify them, we’ve included some photos in this post. Of course, not all skimmers look the same, so be cautious and examine the machines you use carefully an thoroughly.








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Meth use and identity theft: What’s the connection?

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

While public concern about identity theft is largely fixated on elaborate computer schemes, there is another face to this type of theft – the methamphetamine addict.

Meth addicts are awake for days at a time and able to fixate on small details. They are also always on the lookout for ways to make money to either buy or make meth. So they often look for checks or credit card numbers, and they convert the stolen identities for money, drugs or ingredients to make drugs. Identity theft has become the perfect support system.

One of the most popular ways meth addicts finance their habits is by mail theft. Meth addicts often admit to watching for red flags on mailboxes, which signal there is mail inside, waiting for the postman.

They also dumpster dive at business locations where paperwork is simply discarded and not shredded. Targeted businesses include financial firms, customer service call centers, car rental agencies, large retail chain stores and hotels. Addicts also break into cars and steal driver’s licenses, credit cards, cameras and laptop computers.

But meth users and sellers are becoming more sophisticated as well, coming together to form crime rings who no longer rely on dumpster diving or mailbox pilfering. These rings have advanced to complex joint ventures to steal identity information, conducting their business over the Internet, in partnership with organized cybercrime rings outside of the United States.

Identity theft has become the crime of preference among meth users for three reasons: it’s non-violent, criminal penalties for first-time offenders are light, and the use of computers and the Internet offers anonymity and speed. Meth is highly addictive and cheap, and it turns users into automatons, willing to take on any kind of risky behavior for a fix, including street-level crime.

The connection between meth and ID theft has received nationwide attention, and the problem is growing so fast that law enforcement officers have difficulty keeping up with the cases. Some estimate that fraud cases connected with meth use has increased in the past few years as much as 300 percent.

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Tallahassee restaurant data breach totals more than $200,000

Monday, September 20th, 2010

Patrons at a restaurant in Tallahassee, Fla., both local and those passing through, have become victims of credit card fraud.

The computer system at Julie’s Place, a familiar dining spot for many years in Tallahassee, was hacked from outside the system and credit card information from restaurant patrons was re-routed to an unknown person over the Internet. The information was being used around the country to purchase goods.

Restaurant management is working with security software personnel to find the breach and stop it, and new security software has been installed to prevent this type of breach from re-occurring.

Local banks have issued new credit cards to customers who may have been compromised, The theft has resulted in the loss of more than $200,000.

More than 100 new cases of credit card fraud have been reported in the Tallahassee area within the past month.

Restaurant owners can combat data breaches by using a point of sale vendor with PCI-compliant hardware and software. Security should be maintained by limiting wireless access to the office computer in the restaurant, and up-to-date anti-virus and spyware software should be installed. All staff who have access to the computers should be familiar with the latest security updates.

The investigation is ongoing.

While preventing this type of breach isn’t something the average Joe can do, you can protect your personal information by regularly checking your credit card statements. Look for charges that are bogus, and contact your credit card issuer immediately to notify the issuer of the fraudulent charges. Close the credit card and ask for a new one to be issued. You should also report any fraudulent charges to the police and obtain a copy of the police report for your records.

To take a proactive stance against credit card fraud, call LifeLock today. LifeLock monitors for both credit and non-credit related threats to your personal information, and notifies you the moment any such threat is located.

Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

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Maryland woman arrested for mystery shopper scheme

Friday, September 17th, 2010

A Maryland woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a mystery shopper scheme designed to steal both money and identity information.

Sheila Otela Myers is, according to investigators, part of an international network with connections in China and Ecuador that targets real estate agents and the elderly through the use of the Internet to lure people into becoming mystery shoppers.

The investigation began when an 81-year-old contacted police after being e-mailed more than 25 times in March about employment as a mystery shopper by someone calling herself Cynthia Spears. The man received an e-mail March 12 telling him to run a survey on two prominent companies in his area, one of which was Western Union. The e-mail claimed that Western Union had “reports of lapses in services.”

The man was directed to transfer funds from one Western Union store to another mystery shopper, and he would be sent a check to cover the costs of the money transfer, with $200 left over for himself. Later on that same month, the man reported that he received a check for $2,800 and the name of the person he was directed to transfer money to was Sheila Myers.

He then did as he was told – he deposited the check and used his own funds to transfer the money via a Western Union in a local Kmart store. The money was collected at a La Plata, Md. Western Union by Myers. Within hours of receiving the money, Myers wired large amounts of U.S. currency through Western Union to two people, one in Cyprus and one in Romania.

Several days later, the elderly man was contacted by his bank and told the check was counterfeit.

When police contacted Myers, she was evasive and told officers she picked up the money at Western Union after meeting a man named Tom Hanks on the Internet, at a website called Tagged.com. She then hung up.

Police called her again the next day and asked about Hanks. Myers became angry and hung up.

The e-mails sent to the elderly man, investigators found, came from bluetie.com, and the account holder for “MyMysteryShopper” is the victim of identity theft whose American Express card was used to open the account.

Myers was arrested in late August, and police confiscated more than $110,000 worth of counterfeit checks and check making materials. She has been charged with theft by deception, unlawful use of computer, computer crimes, receiving stolen property, theft of property lost, deceptive or fraudulent business practices, corrupt organization, securing execution of documents by deception, bad checks, and criminal conspiracy to commit theft by deception.

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Students should be extra careful when it comes to ID security

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

If you asked 100 people which age group is most targeted for identity theft, most of those polled would respond that it’s those who are ages 30 to 50, because those are the people who are working and building credit.

Not so.

The most targeted group for identity theft is students, ages 18 to 29. Why? Because students often don’t know enough about the threat of identity theft to know how to protect themselves, and they don’t check their credit reports. So a crime against a student can go undetected for a very long time.

Students are often preoccupied with classes, housing, stretching their tight budgets, financial aid, buying books, homework, exams…the list goes on and on. What most aren’t worried about is identity theft. If they do think about it, they think it’s a crime that won’t happen to them. They figure, “I don’t have any money or credit. Why would anyone want to steal my identity?”

The truth is that identity theft isn’t just about stealing someone’s money – it’s about stealing his good name and credit. Unfortunately, college students are a prime target due to lax habits and indifference.

More than half of all college students receive multiple pre-approved credit offers each week. Those forms, already partially filled out with student information, is a great opportunity for an ID thief to steal a student’s identity. If a student just throws away the form, a thief can easily fill it out and obtain the credit card in that student’s name.

Another danger to students is the availability of their Social Social Security numbers. Many college courses require a student to use his number to log in to post homework assignments or participate in course communications. Universities also sometimes use SSNs as an identifying number in the administration office.

Students often use their SSNs so often that they forget to be diligent to protect it. Lax computer security or even something as simple as a criminal watching a student enter the number can provide a criminal with easy access to not only the number but to additional personal information about an individual.

Students shouldn’t overlook one of the most common ways to steal a person’ identity – stealing a wallet, purse or backpack. This can happen even in a dorm room. Students should exercise caution in all circumstances and environments.

Some tips for students:

• Shred all documents containing personal information.
• Don’t let mail pile up, particularly in common areas.
• Always log out of secure sites before exiting the program.
• Never store personal information or username and password combinations on your computer’s hard drive.
• Use secure passwords.
• Shop only on secure websites.
• Be care about giving out your Social Security number.

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