Too often we hear about what steps people should take after they have been victims of identity theft and fraud. That’s like telling a batter to wear a helmet after he’s been hit in the head by a baseball.
In a recent news report from a local Fox affiliate in Florida, Jackson Hewitt tax preparer Jessica Douglas said she constantly sees instances of fraud when people come to her to file their returns. Many of these individuals don’t even realize that they have been victimized until months later when they’re sitting at her desk and are blindsided with the news. The Internal Revenue Service sends back a rejection notice, which signifies that someone else has already used your Social Security number to file a return.
Now, Douglas says the IRS will give you a personal identification number that supposedly makes it more difficult for villainous types to steal your identity. But, once again, the catch is that you have to have already been victimized once before you can get a PIN.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Milton Friedman said it in the 70s and my slightly skeptical and generally accurate Italian father has told me that for at least as long. Friedman can have the credit for the saying, but Dad gets credit for the applying.
Since the beginning of the Internet, we have been told that we are getting free stuff (songs, articles, videos, entertainment, gigabytes of storage, social connections, etc.). In reality, we have just been paying with a different currency-our private information. Think about it, you have given Facebook your birthdate, hometown, current town, religion, sexual preference, marital status and a daily update of what you like, what you do and who you know. As Javier David points out in a piece for CNBC in a piece about online privacy, we, as consumers, have become slaves to what we were told was free, but in reality comes with massive payments in a very personal and powerful currency.
Holiday Security Tips: On the ninth day of Christmas, the experts gave to me, 9 protected packages
Thieves are on the lookout for the delivery of packages, especially around the holidays. Fed Ex and UPS packages might sit outside for hours, often in plain view from the street, making a mighty tempting target. Not only can thieves grab the precious contents inside, but also the shipping labels often contain personal information the thieves love to get their hands on.
Solution: Ship packages to your work address, a PO Box or require a signature
If your employer doesn’t mind your receiving packages at work, have them shipped there since someone is generally available during the day (when shipments arrive). If that doesn’t work, consider getting a PO Box at the post office during the holidays. When all else fails, ask to have your packages shipped with signature required so that they aren’t dropped off unless someone is there to sign.
Almost 20 billion packages will be delivered through the mail this holiday season. Even at $5 per package, that’s more than $100 Billion in value going through the mail–a scale too large and tempting for criminals to ignore.
Why do thieves target us during the holidays? In addition to the volume and value of holiday mail, criminals are taking advantage of the perfect winter storm:
Trucks are overloaded, mail & UPS carriers are overworked and shoppers are overwhelmed, which makes theft easy and attractive
Thieves take advantage not just of our good nature during the holidays, but of how distracted we are
Criminals see our generosity of giving as a goldmine waiting to be exploited
Cyber Thieves are officially out today to steal your credit card information or any other private personal information they can intercept as you shop online during Cyber Monday (and for the rest of the holiday season). In less that 60 seconds, you can know what they are up to and what to watch out for. Only 50 seconds left, so here they are (note: some of the “for more info” links will only become live over the next few weeks in our 12 Days of Christmas series, so please check back):
Be extremely careful when using free Wi-Fi hotspots to shop online, as you are being watched by data sniffers.
Only shop on secure, reputable websites that: A. You know via other means (the press; you shop at their store) B. Look for “https” in the URL, C. The website has a small padlock icon in the bottom right corner of your browser or the URL turns green, signaling a “safe” site.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley blamed an outdated Internal Revenue Service standard (see below) as a source of a massive data breach that exposed the SSNs of 3.8 million South Carolina taxpayers plus credit card and bank account data. The identity information, nearly 75 GB worth, was stolen from computers that belonged to the SC Department of Revenue.
The breach reveals some shocking realizations for the people of South Carolina, and the rest of us:
South Carolina is compliant with IRS rules, but the IRS DOES NOT REQUIRE THAT SSNs BE ENCRYPTED. In other words, the keys to your financial buying power (your credit profile via SSN) is protected in no material way by the IRS, and therefore by your state government.
Technology isn’t the only source of blame. As is the case in nearly every data breach I’m brought in to help clean up, a HUMAN DECISION is at the heart of the breach.
So I’m out to dinner with a professional speaker whose name I’ll drop so that you’ll be impressed. Larry Winget. Larry is the Pitbull of Personal Development and he’ll probably kill me for not putting a trademark after that title, because he owns it. If you have somebody in your life (kid, employee, boss) that doesn’t take responsibility for the life they lead and the work they’re supposed to do, Larry’s your man. Google his name and find out, or go to LarryWinget.com.
But back to my story. I treated Larry to dinner in Phoenix because I owe him a thousand meals for the coaching he gives me and we’re leaving the table when his wife (who is much nicer than Larry) asks if I’ve taken my credit card out of the folder. Nope. God I hate when that happens! Small oversight for someone who lives and breathes security and privacy. I left my card in the folder, on the table and was fully prepared to leave the restaurant!
Interactive Webinar, Sponsored by Deluxe Corporation, Featuring Privacy Expert John Sileo
ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct 04, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Cyber criminals sabotaged John Sileo’s business – and nearly landed him in jail. Now he’s determined to help small business owners prevent the disastrous mistakes that loom ever-larger in the age of identity theft, mobile computing and social media.
Sileo will share his story – and the lessons he learned – in an hour-long interactive webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. EST. Titled “5 Disastrous Decisions that Destroy Small Business,” the webinar is sponsored by Deluxe Corporation and designed to provide business owners with simple, actionable tools to help protect their operations and enhance their efficiencies.
Privacy. Or lack of it, to be specific. This past week, nude photos of Duchess Catherine (formerly Kate Middleton) were published in several French tabloids. The photos were taken from hundreds of meters away using sophisticated photographic equipment to capture a moment meant to be highly private.
Also this week, Mitt Romney was secretly videotaped at a small fundraising event dismissing 47% of the electorate as victims who take advantage of government and the taxation system.
Put aside for a minute what you think of Kate or Mitt, and ask yourself what you BELIEVE about our right to privacy.
Some people say that in the digital surveillance age, you are naive to think that anything is private. Everything outside of your own walls is fair game. But Romney and the Duchess thought that they were operating inside of their own walls. Others argue that we are entering a dangerous age of constant surveillance, and that the government and corporations are gaining too much access to our images, words and thoughts.
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ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct 04, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Cyber criminals sabotaged John Sileo’s business – and nearly landed him in jail. Now he’s determined to help small business owners prevent the disastrous mistakes that loom ever-larger in the age of identity theft, mobile computing and social media.
