Archive for January, 2012

Keeping your Social Security number safe

Monday, January 30th, 2012

One of the biggest concerns when it comes to identity theft is keeping your Social Security number safe. Once a thief has your SSN, he can open new accounts, obtain a mortgage, get a new cell phone and apply for a job.

Identity thieves use all sorts of scams to try and trick you out of your Social Security number. But there are steps you can take to be sure your information is safe. Here are a few suggestions.

• If someone calls you and asks for your SSN, you are not legally bound to give out that information over the telephone. If you are unsure of the person on the other end of the call, don’t give out your SSN. If the caller persists, hang up, and verify the request with an official representative of the organization.

• If you are establishing a new account with a business you’ve never dealt with before, and the business requires your Social Security number, but can’t give you an explanation of how they will use and protect your SSN, remember that you have rights. There is no law that prevents businesses from requesting your SSN, and the business has a right to refuse service if you don’t provide it. Ask if there is an alternate form of identification you can provide, like your driver’s license.

If you have given your SSN to someone and you’re now worried that you may have fallen for a scam, contact the credit bureaus and watch your credit reports carefully for any fraudulent activity. If you find any bogus activity, report it immediately and close the accounts. You will need to file a police report and contact the Federal Trade Commission to report the incident as well at 1-877-438-4338 or go online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

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Know the ‘life’ of the documents in your business

Friday, January 27th, 2012

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Child safety – It’s every parent’s responsibility

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Some people think they can do what LifeLock does for themselves – and they can do it for free. But in order to monitor your information just as LifeLock does, you’d have to invest a considerable block of time. And if you’re also concerned about the identities of your family, then it will require even more time and energy.

Think about it. Child identity theft accounts for about 5 percent of all identity thefts reported each year. But that’s only the ones that are reported – there are many more that aren’t reported because the ones perpetrating the crimes are family members or friends, and it gets sticky when you point the finger at family or friends. Then there are thousands of cases each year that occur, but aren’t reported because child identity theft can go undiscovered for years.

But monitoring your children’s identities is incredibly important, because their Social Security numbers are given out almost as often as yours.

If you have LifeLock, then consider adding your kids for just a small amount per month. You can pull your child’s credit report each year as well, but the peace of mind you’ll get from knowing that LifeLock is checking 24/7 to be sure your child’s information is safe is worth the extra couple of bucks you’ll pay per month.

It’s a parent’s responsibility to watch out for the welfare of his kids. We all know to make sure they are fed, clothed, get an education and are healthy. But how often do we think about protecting their personal information? It should be on the forefront of every parent’s mind. Ignoring the possibility won’t make it go away. If you already are signed up with LifeLock, take the extra step to protect your whole family today.

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Look for shredding events near you and take advantage

Friday, January 20th, 2012

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Social media posts can be used by thieves – and employers

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

It’s not just criminals who are trolling social media sites for information on you these days – potential or current employers do it as well.

More than half of employers are estimated to have looked at the social media sites used by current employees to check out their “off-duty” activities, concerned about how postings and implied behavior might reflect on the company. Potential employers have also jumped on this bandwagon, also checking information to see whether a person is a good hire.

Ironically, 27 percent of those surveyed said they would feel uncomfortable if this were done to them. Thirty-seven percent said people change their persona online, so it doesn’t matter what you see on social media sites – it’s phony anyway, they maintain.

So if you are looking for a job, or value the one you’ve got, you should make sure there’s no “incriminating” posts on any of your social media profiles. Check out your photos and comments from friends, as well as your own commentary.

As for employers, they should be aware that they must comply with the law, and make sure they don’t violate anyone’s rights, and that they avoid dismissing someone unfairly because of social media content. This could result in a lawsuit with a discrimination charge. And if a company is pointed out as a “snoop and a snitch,” it could damage its reputation.

It’s not enough to guard your identity these days – you’ve also got to guard your reputation. Watch what you post.

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Online risk to your identity on the rise

Monday, January 16th, 2012

So you got yourself a shredder, and you shred all documents bearing your personal or financial information before you throw them out. Good for you. Think you’re doing all you can to protect your identity? Think again.

Every time you turn on your computer, you put your personal and financial information at risk. Cybercriminals are working harder every day to find new and innovative ways to get at your information online, and they’re getting better at it minute by minute.

Most people have heard of hacking and phishing, and they understand how these techniques work. But many people don’t know about the black market, and how criminals use it to commit crime.

The black market is an online place where criminals can literally purchase parts of your identity or the whole ball of wax. They can then sell the information they’ve purchased to criminals all over the world. The buying and selling of personal and financial information is big business, and millions of identities are stolen each year to fuel the fire.

One of the hottest tickets on the black market is Social Security numbers. It’s crucial that you protect yours. Don’t carry it with you – keep it stored in a safe place, and only carry it when you need it for a specific purpose.

If you are asked to provide your SSN, find out why it’s needed and how it will be handled after you have given it. If you are uncomfortable with what you hear, ask if an alternative form of identification can be used.

When online, never enter your SSN in response to an unsolicited e-mail. If a site requires your SSN, don’t give it unless the site is secured.

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Tips on protecting your information from threat of tax fraud

Friday, January 13th, 2012

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Don’t let Google give away your ‘goodies’

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

A Georgia teenager is facing felony charges after he unknowingly stole the Social Security number of a senior White House official and tried to apply for a Discover card.

The teen has been charged with identity theft, even though he had no idea whose identity he had stolen. He apparently googled different areas and eventually came up with a random Social Security number, which he used to apply for the card. The card didn’t match the applicant, so a credit agency alerted the Secret Service, once it realized who the number really belonged to.

The boy’s attorney said the 17-year-old isn’t a “terrorist,” but also expressed that since this number was so easy to obtain, she’s concerned about what other personal or financial information is easily attainable via the Internet.

So if you discover your Social Security number or some other personal information is available via Google, what do you do? Google will remove your Social Security number or government ID number, bank account or credit card number, an image of your signature, or your name or business name if it appears on an adult content site. Any other information and Google will point you toward contacting the offending site and requesting the information be removed on your own.

You can file a Web page removal request with Google at tinyurl.com/7zm3576. You can also read more about Google’s removal policy at tunyurl.com/84r4wpx.

Be careful with your personal or financial information. Only enter it on secured sites, and never on social media sites.

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How does debit card skimming work and is it preventable?

Friday, January 6th, 2012

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Beware of like jacking in Facebook

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Beware of tricksters on Facebook.

This is not a new warning, but at year’s end, 2011 was the year of social engineering tactics being used to trick Facebookers into going to affiliate marketing sites in order to fill out surveys. And users of the social media site did just that by the millions.

In the past, online criminals used Facebook for identity theft or phishing scams. But these days, it’s much more profitable to use the site for the defrauding of affiliate businesses. These scammers directed their victims toward the affiliate marketing sites in three out of every four scams attempted last year.

The scam works like this: links are posted on Facebook, asking Facebook users to go to the fake sites to fill out various surveys. These surveys generate affiliate payments for the scammers, and cost the legitimate businesses that pay the fees.

Legitimate affiliate sites are big business, and a popular way to generate user traffic. Businesses pay sites a fee for referring visitors to the site, often offering rewards. When a scammer gets in on the action, they get paid and the business gets nothing.

The catch is that when a person fills out one of these surveys, the scammer can hack in and get the personal information found there, and use it to commit identity theft.

And the scary part is that the cybercriminals are getting smarter about how they conduct this scam. They’re now tricking users into sharing the link, called “like jacking.” By clicking on the link, a user unknowingly unleashes a malicious script which makes it appear that he or she has “liked” the link, and shares it with his or her Facebook friends.

Be careful when it comes to these links. Don’t click on any links that are unsolicited. Better safe than sorry.

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