Posts tagged as:

identity theft

Don’t Be Promiscuous with Your Passwords

February 4, 2010

According to a study by Trusteer, a security firm, 73% of internet users use the same password for online banking and other sites. This is not a good idea.
If you use the same password to access multiple accounts, so can an identity thief. I recommend generating long, complex random passwords for your bank accounts, and [...]

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What Credit Card Security Codes Are For

January 27, 2010

Credit card security codes (CVV2 codes) are not stored on your card’s magnetic strip, and merchants may not keep them. Providing it ensures that you have the actual card in your possession. Maryland consumer rights lawyer Sonya-Smith Valentine explains:

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Avoid Identity Thieves on Facebook

December 14, 2009

Take a moment to look over your Facebook profile, and consider all the information your friends have access to. Your name, address, and date of birth? How many of the answers to your “security” questions for your financial websites are contained within your profile or updates?

Only friend people you know. Nearly half of Facebook users [...]

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Phishing Simplified

August 24, 2009

Explain Phishing To Your Grandma | Consumerist

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Debt Collection Scammers Often Worse Than the Real Thing

August 17, 2009

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has put out an emergency alert regarding bogus debt collectors that have recently been praying on consumers. The fake debt collectors are often just as nasty as real debt collectors can be, if not worse.
If you are contacted by a debt collector and think it is a scam, here are [...]

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Link roundup, week of July 5

July 6, 2009

When I get busy, quality links tend to pile up in my Google Reader queue. Here are some great news items I have not gotten around to blogging about:

Researchers can guess your social-security number from public information like your birthdate and birth location | Red Tape Chronicles
Young adults dispute Suze Orman’s claim that young people today “have [...]

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Steps to Prevent Identity Theft, and What to Do if It Happens

May 8, 2009

Steps to Prevent Identity Theft, and What to Do if It Happens | NYT

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Credit Card Skimming: How thieves can steal your card info without you knowing it

April 7, 2009

Fantastic gallery of card skimmers. Credit Card Skimming: How thieves can steal your card info without you knowing it | NetworkWorld (via Consumerist)

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Identity theft at the ATM

February 23, 2009

Embedded video from CNN Video

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U.S. passport information a piece of cake to steal

February 4, 2009

A hacker with $250 of easy-to-obtain equipment drove around San Francisco grabbing users’ personal information from passports and drivers’ licenses equipped with soon-to-be-mandatory radio-frequency identification (RFID) cihps.
The government has been pushing for tagging most identification with RFID chips, claiming it would be impossible or unlikely for hackers to do just what Chris Paget did with [...]

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Credit reports apparently generated by Flintstones technology

December 17, 2008

According to Gary Nitzkin, “[t]he credit reporting industry is operating in the stone age.” By which he means the credit reporting agencies seem incapable of dealing with credit information that comes from identity theft. Gary filed two lawsuits because even though the identity thief confessed, he could not get his clients’ credit reports fixed.
Why not? [...]

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How Outsourced Call Centers Are Costing Millions In Identity Theft

October 27, 2008

How Outsourced Call Centers Are Costing Millions In Identity Theft | Consumerist

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Mortgage firm Countrywide, in response to alleged data breach, offers free credit monitoring

September 10, 2008

“As many as 2 million loan applicants may have had their personal information stolen, the FBI says.” Mortgage firm Countrywide, in response to alleged data breach, offers free credit monitoring | LA Times

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Credit card industry kills Mythbusters attempt to examine RFID security

August 30, 2008

Credit-card companies killed Mythbusters segment on RFID vulnerabilities | Boing Boing

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Former Countywide Employee Arrested For Stealing, Selling Customer Identities

August 4, 2008

Former Countywide Employee Arrested For Stealing, Selling Customer Identities | Consumerist

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Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Georgia Sends 202,000 Letters Containing Personal Information To The Wrong Addresses

July 30, 2008

Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Georgia Sends 202,000 Letters Containing Personal Information To The Wrong Addresses | Consumerist

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Are airline kiosks safe?

July 29, 2008

Are airline kiosks safe? | Red Tape Chronicles

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Bank Of America Lets Identity Thief Withdraw $40,000 In A Single Day

July 27, 2008

Bank Of American Lets Identity Thief Withdraw $40,000 In A Single Day | Consumerist

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Most Bank Websites Are Insecure

July 24, 2008

Most Bank Websites Are Insecure | /.

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