Posts Tagged ‘identity theft prevention’
What teens should know to prevent identity theft
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Don’t ‘open your wallet’ to hackers and thieves
Friday, February 25th, 2011Survey says: Consumers are getting smarter
Monday, December 20th, 2010As the number of incidents of identity theft continue to rise, consumers are beginning to get more savvy – and they’re fighting back, taking measures to protect themselves and reporting incidents as soon as they happen.
A recent survey reported that the top two types of personal identification being compromised in a data breach were the victim’s full name and physical address. The percentage of Social Security numbers being compromised in data breaches decreased from 38 percent in 2008 to 32 percent in 2009.
The survey also reported that the number of identity fraud victims in the U.S. had increased by 12 percent to 11.1 million adults in 2009, the annual fraud amount increased by 125 percent to $54 billion.
It was also found that the average fraud resolution time dropped 30 percent to 21 hours. The survey also reported that nearly half of all victims were reported to have filed police reports that ended up doubling the reported arrests, tripling the prosecutions and doubling the percentage of convictions in 2009.
But the single ray of light the survey found was that there is an increasing number of consumers fighting back against identity theft, and taking the necessary precautions to preserve their personal information.
Consumers are getting more aggressive in monitoring, detecting and preventing fraud with the help of technology and partnerships with financial institutions, government agencies and resolution services.
Experts encourage consumers to take some simple steps to protect themselves from fraud. It’s important to carry on the identification and bank or credit cards you actually use and need. You should shred receipts, credit card solicitations, expired cards, statements, checks or other sensitive personal information before disposing of it.
Be aware of those around you when you are using your cards in public places, and pay attention as clerks fill in debit and credit card slips to prevent a dishonest clerk from making a second slip and submitting a false charge later.
Don’t give out your sensitive information over the telephone unless you initiated the call or are sure of the other party’s identity, don’t leave your cards in your vehicle, even if it’s locked, and don’t e-mail your personal information.
A little safeguarding with personal information can go a long way toward giving consumers the power to stop identity theft before it leads to bigger problems down the road.
Keep your eyes open this holiday season
Monday, November 29th, 2010Police in Upper Darby, Pa. arrested two men who purchased gasoline with stolen credit cards. The arrests were fairly routine – until the cops dug a little deeper.
Sheik Fofana, 29, of Yeadon, Pa., and Conde Mamady, 28, of Bladensburgh, Md., were picked up after filling up two cars with gas with stolen credit cards Nov. 24. When the cars were searched, police officers found a quantity of credit and gift cards registered in New Hampshire and Maryland. The two men were also carrying stolen cards in their pockets.
The men have each been charged with credit card fraud, identity theft and other related offenses. The Secret Service was called in to assist with the investigation because of the number of credit cards. Investigators from the Secret Service were already in Philadelphia working on a rash of recent credit card thefts.
The case in Philadelphia involved hundreds of credit cards found in a raid at a house on the 1000 block of South 57th Street. Investigators found cards and the machinery needed to make phony cards.
Officers said those arrested had been making cards bearing victims’ identities and buying gift cards. Money was also being counterfeited at that location, with bleaching and changing $1 bills into $50 bills. Investigators called it a “major operation for counterfeiting and for the manufacture and distribution of credit cards.”
Activity involving stolen credit cards and fraudulent cards created using purchased gift cards will be on the rise in the coming weeks as Christmas approaches. Experts say there is an increase in these types of crimes during the weeks leading up to Christmas day each year.
Be vigilant about your credit card. When your statement arrives, check it carefully for any questionable activity. If you find charges listed that you didn’t make, contact the card issuer immediately.
If you are a business owner, be sure to ask for photo identification when a customer presents a credit card. Be suspicious if a person pays for a transaction with a gift card, but your computer readout indicates it is a credit card.
The key to playing it safe this holiday season is to be alert and aware. You can’t afford to not be.
Never take things at face value
Thursday, September 9th, 2010The Federal Trade Commission has halted the operation of Canadian con artists who posed as domain name registrars and convinced thousands of U.S. consumers, small business owners and nonprofits to pay bogus bills. The scammers led their victims to believe they would lose their Web site addresses unless they paid.
Toronto-based Internet Listing Service was charged by the FTC with sending fake invoices to businesses and others, which listed the existing domain name of the consumer’s Web site or a slight variation. The invoices instructed the recipient to pay for an annual “Web site address listing.” The invoice also included information about a search optimization service that would direct mass traffic to their sites.
The FTC’s complaint stated that most consumers who paid the invoices didn’t receive any domain name registration services and that the search optimization service did not result in increased traffic to the consumers’ Web sites.
The judge’s order to halt the company’s operations also froze its assets. The order includes a suspended judgment of $4,261,876, the total amount of consumer injury caused by the illegal activities.
Domain name scams are fairly common, and often play out in the same way as this case. A consumer receives a legitimate-looking bill, which states payment is due in order to maintain the domain listing.
Many of these also have text on the reverse side of the invoice that states “this is not a bill. This is a solicitation. You are under no obligation to pay the amount stated above unless you accept this offer.”
But unfortunately, many people don’t see the text on the back and remit the money as requested.
It’s wise to always read the fine print.
This type of scam works for several reasons: they use real information about you or your company, they create the impression you are already a customer, they provide you with a “legitimate” customer number, and they create a sense of urgency.
You can protect yourself by keeping good records. Then you can compare information you’ve already received to the new information to see if they match up. If not, it’s likely that the new invoice is fake.
You should pick up the phone and call the company if you get such an invoice. You’ll likely get no response or a “we’ll get back to you” kind of response. And they never do.
Remember: always read the fine print and never take things at face value.
How do I protect myself after identity theft?
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010If you fall victim to identity theft, remember that you don’t have to go it alone. LifeLock is there to help.
After having been through the nightmare of identity theft, you may ask yourself, “How do I protect myself and stay safe afterwards?”
This is a legitimate concern, and the solution is easier than you think. You can make prevention an everyday part of your life by following these simple measures:
• Purchase a cross-cut paper shredder. All documents containing personal information, such as junk mail, credit card receipts, and bank and credit card statements, should be shredded. This will prevent thieves who go through trash from obtaining your personal information.
• When you order checks,, have them delivered to your bank, rather than to your home address.
• When using ATMs and phone cards, be wary of anyone who might be close enough to see your numbers. “Shoulder surfing” is a common way that thieves obtain your personal identification numbers to gain access to your accounts. (more…)
Red Flag Rules delayed … yes, again
Saturday, December 26th, 2009
It’s impossible to write about the Red Flag Rules without an apologetic “stop me if you’ve heard this one before” preface. So don’t shoot the messenger, but the deadline for the Feds’ identity-protecting Red Flag Rules has been delayed. The newest deadline—the fifth—replaces the January 1 deadline with one of June 1, 2010.
Congress created the program in 2003 in an attempt to stem the tide of identity theft by forcing creditors to use a common sense approach to identity theft prevention. It was originally slated to take effect in November 2008.
From its inception the rules have met with formidable pushback from the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association and the nation’s bankers, each group taking exception to the FTC’s interpretation of “creditor.” (more…)
ID theft and pickpocket risks during holiday shopping season
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
I’ve decided to do most of my Christmas shopping from home this year, using only well-known sites to make sure I don’t become an ID theft or credit card fraud victim. The only thing that will get me to the mall or the big box stores is the Black Friday bargains. Other than that, I’m doing the rest of my shopping over the Internet from the comfort of my home office. Unfortunately, while this strategy will get me the best bargains, it also presents ID theft risks.
To get the best deals, shoppers have to get in line for a coupon at 3 A.M., and then wait till 5 A.M. to rush the doors with hundreds of other shoppers. Once they have their loot in their carts, they’ll wait in line again to check out. It’s the perfect opportunity for pickpockets who take advantage of the mayhem to steal wallets for credit card fraud and ID theft. (more…)
Cloud Computing Security Concerns
Friday, September 25th, 2009Could cloud computing lead to more data breaches and Identity theft? The growing trend of document being stored and created on provider’s servers to be accessed from anywhere has become a topic of security discussions for some time now. Could this trend drive up the amount of data breaches we see in the media.
For those of you who don’t know, cloud computing refers to the use of web applications and storage. Creating documents on the web is something that has become popular for some time now. With providers like Google Docs and now the New Windows Live Documents providing enticing way to create and share documents with other people with a simple web browser. It’s great for productivity but is it good for security. (more…)
Which ID theft service should you choose?
Thursday, May 21st, 2009With the FTC’s announcement that 10 million Americans became identity theft victims in 2008, you might be wondering how to protect yourself. You have three options: Do-it-yourself, credit monitoring or comprehensive identity theft services. (more…)
