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Latest "Identity Theft Prevention" Posts
The free WiFi hotspot ritual is habitual. You head to your favorite café to get some work done “away from the office”. Justifying your $4 cup of 50 cent coffee with a Starbucks-approved rationalization (“I work so much more efficiently at my 3rd spot!”), you flip open your laptop, link to the free WiFi and get down to business. The caffeine primes your creativity, the bustling noise provides a canvass backdrop for your artful work and the hyper-convenient Internet access makes it easy for someone else (think organized criminal) to intercept everything you send through the air.
Posted in Burning Questions (Video), Cyber Data Security, Identity Theft Prevention, Video Tips by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Free WiFi, Free WiFi Hotspot, John Sileo, Mobile Security, Mobile Security Expert, Tobin & Associates, Tyler Tobin, wifi hotspots
Though businesses of all kinds have reasons to be concerned about their susceptibility to identity theft and fraud, contractors working for the government should be fine, right? Well, not when glitches lurk.
There are enough threats to private information floating out there without us accidentally opening the floodgates. If proper security is kept up at all times, it creates a higher standard that can allow for less laziness and more protection. Unfortunately, even the government can’t keep the possibility of dangerous security gaps at zero. Contractors working for the feds may have learned this the hard way last month, when a flaw in software used by the General Services Administration left valuable information vulnerable to identity theft and fraud, potentially including Social Security and bank account numbers.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: identity theft and fraud, identity theft expert
With all the news about fraud hitting big name companies, you might think that identity theft training is only for the corporate giants. Think again.
A study recently performed by a subcommittee in the U.S. House has revealed an alarming statistic: small businesses are a target for digital criminals just as celebrity brands like Twitter and Facebook attract fraudulent attention. But unlike those huge companies, smaller names usually have less to spend on security and are therefore more vulnerable to those kinds of attacks. According to a report mentioned in a statement by the subcommittee’s chairman Chris Collins, 60 percent of small businesses hit by online attacks end up closing within six months.
Here are some more rather frightening tidbits, courtesy of the same source: 87 percent of smaller businesses don’t even have an official written security policy. And attacks on companies with fewer than 250 employees apparently make up 20 percent of the total number of instances of online infringement. It’s not just the total gross that draws the attention of data thugs, and just because you’re not raking in billions doesn’t mean you’ll go unnoticed.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: identity theft expert, identity theft training, Online identity theft
Proper check fraud prevention is of the utmost importance, especially at a time when instances of data crime are on the rise. A line of checks from Deluxe aims to utilize technology to increase your financial security.
A big part of financial fraud comes from faulty or insecure checks, and companies need to take whatever measures they can to ensure their employees’ payments are kept safe. Deluxe is now offering a brand of High Security Checks with more than 20 features to keep information private by reducing the chance that they can be copied successfully.
Each individual check in this series comes equipped with several simple but high-tech elements. While some of these features can be found in standard checks, several are exclusive to the High Security brand. The check’s face alone contains both a foil hologram that is incapable of being reproduced and a thermally sensitive image designed to detect heat, not to mention a layered background image, which is more difficult to fake than a solid color. There is also a highly secure watermark that’s resistant to such efforts. Even the paper itself contains chemicals on the back that will respond to any tampering attempts.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: check fraud prevention, check scams, Check Washing, Fraud Protection
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqSWxvsmczI?rel=0]
Check washing is so simple, you must learn to prevent check fraud
Are check fraud and check washing still relevant in the age of digital payments? If you’re like the average person, chances are you don’t write too many checks anymore. With the convenience of online payment options, nearly universal acceptance of credit and debit cards, and the proliferation of ATMs offering you easy access to money at every turn, why resort to the archaic, labor-intensive method of writing a check?
The simple answer—sometimes we have no other choice! Some places still don’t accept credit cards (Costco if you don’t have an American Express), or they charge an extra fee for them. Some retailers don’t offer online payment options. And frankly, sometimes it’s just an old habit and we haven’t made the effort to find a safer option because we’re stuck in the mindset of “it’s never happened to me” when thinking about check fraud.
Posted in Burning Questions (Video), Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention, Video Tips by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "High security checks", "prevention of identity theft", “How to Prevent Identity Theft”, “Prevent Identity Theft”, Check Fraud, Check Washing, Check Washing Techniques, Chemical check washing, Fraud, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Prevention, John Sileo, Security Checks, Security Pens, Sileo
How to Stop Check Fraud and Check Washing
Check washing, a highly common form of check fraud, is the practice of removing legitimate check information, especially the “Pay To” name and the amount, and replacing it with data beneficial to the criminal (his own name or a larger amount) through chemical or electronic means. One of the many ways to protect yourself against check fraud is so important that it deserves its very own article.
A foolproof way to protect your checks from being altered, whether by washing or by electronic means, is to use security checks offered by most companies.
Here are some of the features to look for when you’re purchasing High Security Checks. These features will safeguard you not only against check washing, but other high tech forms of check fraud as well:
- Safety security paper (visible and invisible fluorescent fibers, chemical-sensitive)
Posted in Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention, Product Endorsements by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Identity Theft, "prevention of identity theft", “How to Prevent Identity Theft”, “Prevent Identity Theft”, Check Washing, Chemical check washing, Fraud, Hologram, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Speaker, Identity Theft Statistics, John Sileo, Security Check Features, Security Checks, Security Pen, Watermark
It can't be said enough: these days, any of us can become a victim of identity theft, and those in power are even more at risk. Whether they want to or not, many of America's most familiar faces are being forced to realize the reality of what hackers can do.
You heard it from the leader of the free world himself. This week, President Obama told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News that "we should not be surprised" at the abilities of hackers to access our personal data. Still, you have to wonder if he was at all surprised when AnnualCreditReport.com (the credit monitoring site that is a joint venture between Equifax, Experian and TransUnion designed to help consumers like you and me to make sure we aren't the victims of identity theft) revealed the credit reports, Social Security numbers and other pieces of information on many noted public figures, including the First Lady. In a bitter chunk of irony, even the tools we use to protect ourselves against identity theft are being targeted by hackers.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Cyber Security, digital identity theft, Identity Theft Prevention, victim of identity theft
Identity Thief Bloopers
When a waitress says, “Hi, I’m Brianna and I’ll be taking care of you today,” you don’t expect the customer to be thinking, “What a coincidence, my fake name is Brianna.” And you certainly don’t expect said customer to be so bold, or idiotic, as to buy a drink using a fake ID belonging to the very same Brianna she’d stolen it from a week before.
As they say at Applebee’s, welcome to the neighborhood – at least the identity theft neighborhood.
According to a recent 9News story, Brianna Priddy, an Applebee’s waitress in Lakewood, CO was out with friends when her wallet was stolen. Enter the crime-challenged suspect who stole Priddy’s wallet containing cash, credit cards and her driver’s license. The suspect then used the license to cash hundreds of dollars of fraudulent checks, creating a financial and administrative nightmare for Priddy.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Identity Theft, Darwin Awards, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Stories, Identity Thief, John Sileo, Stupid Thieves
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
