President Obama’s cybersecurity
By karen | May 28, 2009
It seems that everything relies on computers and the internet now — Cyber security involves protecting that online information by preventing, detecting, and responding to attacks. Some attacks are more serious than others. Among these attacks are viruses erasing entire computer systems, someone breaking into a system and altering files, or someone breaking in and stealing personal information and committing fraud or identity theft.
During Obama’s presidential campaign, he pledged to bump up the issue of cybersecurity to “top priority” and appoint a national cybersecurity adviser. And it seems he is gearing up to honor that promise. The commitment was to establish the proper structure within the government to ensure cybersecurity issues continue to receive top-level attention and enhanced coordination.
This new official would develop a strategy to protect the nation’s government-run and private computer networks. The idea is have a senior official who can contact the president, directly. READ MORE>
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Education and awareness are major tools to protect against cyber crime
By karen | May 26, 2009
From January to December of 2008, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) website received 275,284 complaint submissions. This is a 33% increase compared to 2007. These complaints were composed of many different fraud types such as auction fraud, non-delivery, and credit/debit card fraud as well as non-fraudulent complaints such as computer intrusions, spam/unsolicited e-mail, and child pornography.
The total dollar loss was $264.6 million with the median dollar loss of $931.00 per complaint. This is up from $239.1 million in total reported losses in 2007. E-mail (74.0%) and web pages (28.9%) were the two primary mechanisms by which the fraudulent contact took place.
Education and awareness are the major tools to protect ourselves. READ MORE>
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Banks + Fraud = the Economic Crisis
By karen | April 7, 2009
Worth a LISTEN. Bill Moyers interviews William K. Black, the former senior regulator who cracked down on banks during the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s.
The financial industry recently brought the economy to its knees. Black offers his analysis of what went wrong and his critique of the bailout. How will identity theft ever be taken seriously when our banks/financial institutions are part of the scams?
Part 1 of 3
Part 2 of 3
Part 3 of 3
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Cyber-crooks targeting social-networking Web sites
By karen | March 5, 2009
Facebook has become prime hunting ground for tricksters and malicious software spreaders because it is the leading social-networking community, with more than 175 million people sharing personal information.
The bad guys know how to see all the things you post. You may be revealing personal information that is extremely valuable to them.
Even seemingly innocent information posted on profile pages can sometimes provide opportunities for criminals. For example, names of grandparents or pets in posted pictures can tip hackers off to answers for typical challenge questions asked before providing information about “forgotten passwords” to online accounts.
WATCH FOR:
1) Fraudulent applications sent warnings that the Web site was shutting down or that they had been reported for violating terms of service which was followed by instruction for correcting the issue.
If people followed the instructions in the bogus messages, software was installed on their computers that stole information and sent similar bogus messages to their friends on the site.
2) Messages claiming to be from Facebook friends wanting to share digital video. Clicking on the link results in a prompt to download viewing software that is actually a computer worm called KOOBFACE.
Then it steals your cookies (store identifying information such as user names and passwords) on your desktop; not just for Facebook but for a half-dozen social networking Web sites including MySpace.
Then, your account is compromised at that point. Using the hijacked cookie, it tries to log in as you, goes through your address book and starts posting messages and comments.
People can reduce the odds of becoming victims by being selective about friends at social networking websites and not clicking on links that take them outside the walls of their online communities.
Computer users are also wise to use unique complex passwords for each online account so if hackers get hold of one virtual key it won’t open other locks.
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Bureaucracy Breeds Identity Theft
By karen | February 17, 2009
I can’t believe it. I thought I had been through bad legal inadequacy after I captured the woman who stole my identity only to see her set free. Yet, there are many frustrating stories out there in regards to our country’s legal system surrounding identity theft. Here’s another. I feel Mark’s pain!
Mark Giordano, a resident of Fishkill, N.Y., is one of millions of Americans who fall victim to identity theft every year. The thief has rented an apartment in San Francisco under Giordano’s name, has signed him up for utilities, and ordered pizza with his credit card. But he can’t get any action to stop the criminal activity.
Fortunately, Giordano knows who the thief is. So you would think this would be the end of the story as an arrest is made, even if the likelihood of doing jail time is minimal. But while the SFPD is actually working on the case they need to hear from Giordano’s local police authority.
Fishkill is so small and has only a part-time force, nothing yet has happened. Unfortunately, that’s typical in these kinds of cases, which are notoriously difficult to track down and prosecute.
Giordano said, “I’ve talked to the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Treasury, the Secret Service, my congressman and the San Francisco police.”
So he took matters into his own hands and called the crook on the phone.
“He starts apologizing to me,” Giordano said. “He’s telling me how sorry he is and how he is going to make it right. He’s going to pay the bills.”
A week later Giordano got another bill. The crook had opened a Netflix account in his name.
So a frustrated Mark Giordano contacted the San Francisco Chronicle, explaining how he couldn’t get anyone to do anything about his identity theft issue. In fact, he recalls talking to various authorities who told him “our hands are tied.” Boy, have I heard that one so many times I lost count!
WAY TO GO SF CHRONICLE!! This is why it is so important we keep our papers alive in this country.
Apparently the authorities hands were untied after the story broke in The Chronicle. The next day Giordano got a call saying a SWAT team had broken into the SF Parkmerced apartment, arrested the alleged crooks and discovered some 50 other stolen identities. By arresting one criminal they saved many victims. This is a happy ending!
Story from C.W. Nevius, SF Chronicle Columnist (02/17/09), Identity theft victim traces himself to S.F.
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Wells Fargo Jeopardize Customers and Make Profit
By karen | February 14, 2009
It’s true Wells Fargo along with many other companies have jeopardized the personal information of hundreds of thousands of their customers through a string of security breaches and now have found a way to profit from the problem. So now, after endangering the personal data of about 700,000 customers, Wells is offering a service that will provide protection from identity theft. For $12.99 a month. $12.99 x 12 (months) x 700,000 (victims) = $109,116,000 a year for Wells and its partner Trilegiant. Wells, by the way, reported record quarterly earnings of $1.9 billion.
They are turning their security problems into a profit center when they should be giving this service to their customers for free. Working with the marketing giant Trilegiant, Wells’ offers a credit monitoring service which they claim will protect your identity from theft. For $12.99 a month, it includes daily monitoring of one’s credit files and assistance in dealing with cases of fraud. Well Fargo is encouraging people to enroll in the service by providing the first 30 days free. Becoming a regular practice with companies if you don’t call to cancel during that period — the bank will begin automatically bill your credit card every month.
Though it is important for us to safeguard our personal information a service like the one Wells is offering is NOT true identity theft protection. The service only monitors credit. For instance, it doesn’t watch fraudulent usage of your Social Security Number. Most people don’t need to pay for a credit monitoring services. Instead, taking advantage of a federal law that allows you to receive a free report from each of the three credit agencies (Equifax.com, Experian.com, and TransUnion.com) once a year. Simply arrange it so you get a different report from each agency every few months, thus providing year-round coverage. If you are concerned with identity theft insurance it pays to shop around for a company that is truly offering identity theft protection.
The bank has experienced a series of major security breaches from stolen computers since November 2003. In each instance, customers’ names, addresses and Social Security numbers — the main ingredients for identity theft — went missing. In most cases they didn’t alert customer of breaches until years later. Wells consistently declined to say precisely how many customers have been affected in each security breach. They claim disclosing this information could jeopardize any criminal investigations. How can making your customers aware be jeopardizing? They just don’t want to lose customers.
And of course Wells Fargo continues to deny that customer’s stolen information has been misused.
(PERSONAL NOTE: I am disgusted with the practice of automatic billing. I recently found a monthly charge on my phone bill when I hadn’t signed up for any service. When I complained they removed the charges but they were reluctant to report my complaint when I said I hadn’t signed up for anything. They told me I must have purchased an item and then was automatically enrolled. I asked how this can be I was never informed and I never purchased an item. They said this was a legal practice any business can have a disclaimer ‘in the fine print’ on our purchases. It seems you need a lawyer these days to know what you are purchasing anymore. It was fraud and no one at AT&T was interested in taking a claim for the issue. They acted like it was just a part of everyday business practices and that was okay. Maybe to them it is, but not to me!)
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Scammers Sure Stay Busy Cheating Us
By karen | February 12, 2009
SCENE 1
A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, ‘Funny, I thought I locked the locker. Hmm…’ He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.
A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of $14,000! He called the credit car d company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions. Customer care personnel verified that there was no Mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen?
‘No,’ he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet.
The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.
THE OUTCOME: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.
SCENE 2
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along.
Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person.
He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man.
All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter casher immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words — nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.
VERDICT: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many of us just take back the credit card without even looking at it, ‘assuming’ that it has to be theirs.
SCENE 3
A woman went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that she had called in. She paid by using her Visa debit Card which, of course, is linked directly to her checking account.
The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he waited for t he approval, which is pretty standard procedure. While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.
She noticed the phone because it is the same model she has, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then she heard a click that sounded like her phone sounds when she takes a picture.
He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons. Meanwhile, she was thinking, “I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on.
VERDICT: Whenever you are using your credit card take caution and don’t be careless. TRUST YOUR GUT INSTINCTS.
SCENE 4
A woman received a phone call late at night from a caller who said her grandson was in the hospital and they needed money.
She wired money to Texas for a bogus hospital bill and now she is out the amount she sent.
VERDICT: Never send money!! Ask them to send a bill. Talk to your family first. Verify your Grandson is really in trouble.
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A New Victim Every 2 Seconds
By karen | February 11, 2009
Have you noticed that along with the many stories about the state of the economy, you’re seeing more and more reports of crimes? Is it any wonder that identity theft is thriving? According to Gartner, 15 million identities per year are stolen, a new victim once every 2 seconds. Given 15 million a year, in ten years every U.S. citizen who uses the Net will have had his or her identity stolen. Well, either that or one unfortunate person will have to suffer through filing 150 million claims for himself.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the incidence of identity theft increased by 50 percent in 2008 from 2007, and it continues to be one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States.
There is a thriving online international black market in stolen identities that local, state, federal, and international law enforcement seem powerless to stop. In fact, it has gotten so easy to steal and sell identities that prices have come down dramatically over the past two years. Why does it seem like it is getting easier for the bad guys and harder for the good guys like you and me? Because your identity is spread far and wide around the Internet, and its protection is out of your hands.
For ways to protection yourself visit my protection page.
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Hacking Becomes Bad Reality
By karen | February 8, 2009
Twitter hijacking: A scam in 2008 hacked major celebrity accounts, including Bill O’Reilly, President Barack Obama and Britney Spears. Here’s how it works: Someone sends a link which leads to a Web page asking for the user’s login credentials. It’s a completely avoidable – NEVER EVER enter your login credentials from a website accessed via email, IM, or twitter. It should concern all citizens when our President of the United States is among the victims. This just goes to show, we are ALL vulnerable, not matter how smart or aware we think we are, so BEWARE!!
Facebook phishing scam: This phishing scam posted messages on users’ profiles warning friends that they were going to delete their profiles and that friends should click on a link to the new profile. The new profile link, however, was really a fake login page that tricked Facebook users into logging in and letting hackers steal their information.
MySpace hackers: The rapper, Soulja Boy was scammed by members of 4chan, who demanded that Soulja Boy pay them $2,500 “in order to regain control over his MySpace account,” Cyber Crimes reports. Soulja Boy’s record company contacted MySpace, who returned his account.
Teen actress and singer Miley Cyrus’ MySpace page was hacked and photos of her midriff were circulated around the Internet, her parents got mad. Her hacker Josh Holly was eventually caught in an FBI raid on October 2008. (It’s seems being rich or famous springs the FBI into action. Most of the time they will not pursue these types of crimes.)
Evil Friends: Long Island friends Shaun Harrison and Saverio Mondelli were caught when they tried to track MySpace users through e-mail by creating their own code, demanding that the social media network pay them $150,000 as a consulting fee. Under their plan, MySpace users would be able to view the IP and e-mail addresses of all the visitors to their profile, but MySpace’s terms of agreement prevents that sort of monitoring. MSNBC reports that “two counts of attempted extortion and another illegal computer access count were dropped in the deal,” however.
For more Shocking Crime stories>
Helpful security tips to help fight against Phishing Scams:
- Stop the virtual popularity contest. There’s a real trend among members of social networking sites to friend as many folks as possible, even if they don’t actually know them. The same goes for “following” and responding to unknown “tweets” on Twitter.Promiscuous “friend-ing” provides ripe opportunities for would-be attackers to spread worms and other viruses.
- Don’t go click happy. Regardless of whether you know the sender, never click on links received unexpectedly.
- Be careful what you click for. If you do click a link that then requests you install something, don’t install it. If you have a reason to believe a legitimate update is required, visit that vendor’s website directly and update from there.
- Be cautious with your login information. If you follow a link that then instructs you to provide your login credentials, don’t. Never login to a site accessed via email, instant messaging, or a social networking site. Instead, visit the site as you normally would and login via the normal interface.
- Always sign out and log off. Users should log off of sites they are not actively using. By taking this extra step, you will not only be enhancing your own security, but the security of your legitimate friends as well.
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Don’t Respond to ‘IRS’ Email Scam; Protect Your Identity
By karen | January 23, 2009
The Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers to beware of IRS impersonators sending emails that could result in identity theft. Official say the email looks official but it is dangerous to you and your computer.
The scam email appears official and to come from the IRS. It tells recipients to fill out an attached form and fax it in. Or another scam email ask you to click on a link and provide personal information online
No matter what approach the scammers use, there are two things the IRS needs people to remember:
- The IRS never sends e-mails about your taxes.
- If you get a scam e-mail, don’t access any links or attachments.
The link or attachment in a scam email, may have allowed the scammers to download malicious software to your computer. If you have fell prey to these emails immediately scan for viruses and spyware, plus be alert for suspicious activity on your financial accounts.
If you provided private information immediately take steps to prevent identity theft. Steps include contacting the Federal Trade Commission and go to my Recovery and Protection pages within my website.
Taxpayers can help the IRS stop scammers by sending the original scam email to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov. The email must be forwarded using special instructions at IRS.gov or it loses the encoding needed to track it to its source
For more information about tax scams, visit the IRS Web site and check out the Dirty Dozen, a list of tax scams updated each year by the IRS. The IRS also provides information on its Web site to help taxpayers protect their personal and financial information. Just type “Identity Theft” in the key word search feature for additional information.
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