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Those interested in how to prevent identity theft can attend the InsightOne20 conference on March 16, where John Sileo will be presenting along with Seth Godin. Guests can register for the event on the InsightOne20 website.
The presentation, entitled “Spies, Hackers and Facebook Attackers: Bulletproofing Your Privacy & Profits in the Digital Age,” will contain information and instruction on how best to avoid the pitfalls of digital privacy and social media. The conference is hosted by City National Bank, and is considered a premiere event for small businesses. It will take place at the LA Convention Center.
Businesses of all sizes have many risks to consider when it comes to the stakes of modern commerce. Social media and even basic online browsing bring with them a host of dangers that concern your digital reputation. But the risk is especially palpable for startups and growing companies that may not yet have a strong security network in place. All data is valuable, and this presentation will seek to impart some wisdom about the best way to keep your information secure while promoting healthy online habits.
Posted in Digital Reputation & Trust by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: “How to Prevent Identity Theft”, digital reputation, Online Reputation
Businesses may already be rushing to protect their financial information, but other kinds of personal data are at risk, too. Case in point: medical records.
Big companies with huge profit margins might seem like the most attractive targets for identity theft and fraud. After all, what more direct way to get at your money? But there are other ways an outsider could infiltrate your personal data. Right now, security around healthcare information is a big concern, and fraudsters are lying in wait to pounce on gaps in the system.
Recently, the Montgomery Advertiser reported the story of National Guardsman Zane Purdy, who fell victim to a particularly nasty bit of fraud that cost him his high-paying job. Now he's a waiter making fewer than eight dollars an hour, barely enough to support his wife and two kids. Purdy's story is heartbreaking, and he's only one of the more than 800 people taken advantage of by the same criminal.
Posted in Fraud Detection & Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Fraud Detection, Fraud Prevention, identity theft and fraud
Do you trust LifeLock to help protect your identity? The answer to that question can be just as crucial as the measures you take to monitor your identity on your own.
With online theft as active as it is, many are trying to cash in by offering protection against hackers. But you’ve got to have a keen eye to pick the ones that are actually going to help you out. LifeLock is one of the most widely-seen internet security companies in the country – but then again, LifeLock has a record that makes its viability somewhat questionable.
Oakland news station KTVU recently reported the local story of a woman whose identity was stolen after signing up with LifeLock. An outside source managed to apply for a loan in her name without so much as an alert going to the woman in question. I’m sure that person is going to be more cautious with the identity theft monitoring service they choose next time.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Identity Theft, data security, digital security, id theft services, Identity Theft Services
2013 could go down in history as the Year of the Hack, or the Year of the Counter-Attack. The choice is up to us.
Not only are businesses and the government finally taking measures to stop identity theft, consumers are waking up as well.
It doesn't matter if you're the Fortune 500 banker cashing a hefty check or the teller at the front desk: everyone's personal information is valuable. The risks to businesses and major companies, even giants like Apple and Google, are pretty well-known by now. But the threat of a breach looms over everybody, regardless of occupation.
The Federal Trade Commission recently revealed that identity theft was the number one consumer concern of 2012. There were more complaints over different types of identity theft than things like fraudulent lenders and fixed gas prices. That's no fluke: it's the sign of a major threat.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: identity theft expert, stop identity theft, types of identity theft
Threats to online security have been coming thick and fast. But a new study shows that CEO's may finally be taking notice. Is that enough?
If there's an upside to the recent rash of hacks and digital subterfuge, it may be that businesses are beginning to see the ugly reality of online privacy exposure. According to the Wall Street Journal, a study by analysts at AIG recently showed that more executives are concerned about breaches than harm to their property. Eighty-five percent of executives polled placed more emphasis on their information and digital reputation than their physical holdings.
Awareness is one thing, but are these executives putting their money where their mouth is?
It appears so. Studies show that there has been a corresponding increase in the amount of money recently spent by retail companies on cyber security measures and experienced anti-fraud experts. It's remarkable what a little bad press (hacking of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Twitter, Evernote) will do to motivate previously complacent companies.
Posted in Cyber Data Security by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Cyber Security, digital reputation, Identity Theft Prevention, online identity
Evernote gets hacked, prompts us to look at the sensitive information we store in the program.
Evernote, the online note-taking service that gives you access to all of your notes on all of your devices through the cloud was hacked this week. In an attempt to keep the cyber hackers from stealing all of our notes, they quickly reset every user’s password. Here’s what you need to know:
- If you use Evernote, you were hacked.
- Your first step should be to visit Evernote.com and attempt to login. This will force a reset of your password.
- Make sure that your password is 13+ characters and contains upper and lower case letters, numbers, symbols and isn’t a word a hacker could find in a dictionary, on your Facebook page or by easily guessing.
Posted in Cyber Data Security, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Here's a pop quiz: how many incidents of identity theft do you think happened in 2012? How often do you think they occurred?
Maybe you're aware of threats to your personal information. Maybe you've already taken steps to prevent identity theft. But do you really know how common it is?
Ok, I know I kind of gave it away in the title of this post, but take a guess anyway. A hundred thousand? Maybe a couple million?
The answer may shock you: there were 12.6 million cases last year, according to the 2012 Identity Theft Report by Javelin Strategy & Research. That breaks down to a new incident every three seconds, and it's higher than the year before. The total amount of money stolen through hacks and compromises was over $21 billion, and many victims of identity theft were targeted through their Social Security numbers.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: “Prevent Identity Theft”, data security, victims of identity theft
It's no secret that the U.S. is currently vulnerable to a debilitating online attack. But many top IT security professionals have predicted that something catastrophic is coming – and it could happen in 2013.
"Spear phishing."
It sounds kind of silly – the sort of phrase used to make these dramatic events even more sensational. But it's a real threat, and it skewered our gas pipeline systems repeatedly last year, as infiltrators scoured for information and wreaked all sorts of structural havoc. And that could be just the beginning.
Before the parade of high-profile hacks of the last few weeks, industry experts were already foreseeing a huge cyber security disaster. In January, the conference of the Information Systems Security Association sent a survey to IT gurus asking about the current strength of American online safety. Without specifying exactly which kind of disaster would occur, members of the conference were asked if they thought a major act of cyberterrorism could happen soon. The results were chilling, though unsurprising for anyone who's been paying attention: 79 percent of those surveyed said that a significant attack on our infrastructure will occur this year, and nearly 60 percent believed the government should step up and make more of an effort to keep Americans safe.
Posted in Cyber Data Security by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Cyber Security, data security, data security breaches
Identity theft prevention is not a one-time solution. You must accumulate layers of privacy and security over time. The following identity theft prevention tips are among those I cover in one of my keynote speeches.
- Review your Free Credit Report 3X per year at www.AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Opt-Out of financial junk mail.
- Stop Marketing Phone Calls at www.DoNotCall.gov.
- Freeze Your Credit. State-by-state instructions at www.Sileo.com/2.
- If you don’t want to use a credit freeze, place Fraud Alerts on your 3 credit files.
- Use sophisticated Identity Monitoring software to detect theft before it’s disastrous.
- Stop Sharing Identity (SSN, address, phone, credit card #s) unless necessary.
- Protect Your Wallet or Purse. Watch this video.
- Protect Your Computer and Online Identity. Privacy Means Profit
- Protect your Laptop. Visit www.Sileo.com/laptop-anti-theft for details.
- Bank Online: online bank statements, account alerts and bill-pay.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Data Breach, Fraud Protection, identity monitoring, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Protection, John Sileo, opt out, Prevention, Protection, social networking safety, Tips
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