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Have you experienced that clutch of fear that makes your heart skip a beat when you all of a sudden discover your wallet is missing? Your first reaction might be a cuss word for carrying all that critical information in the first place. Your second is to try to slow your mind as it frantically scans for solutions. Knowing what to do if you lose vital information and knowing your rights if you become a victim of identity theft will save you time, money and a ton of stress.
A consumer survey conducted by the Federal Trade Commission reveals, in a new report, that many identity theft victims do not understand their rights. Following is a summary of what you should know if you become the unfortunate victim of identity theft.
Posted in Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Identity Theft, Credit Bureau Assistance, Credit Freeze, Fraud Alert, Fraudulent Information in Credit Report, Free Credit Report, FTC Consumer Survey, FTC Report on Identity Theft, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Protection, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, Privacy, Workplace ID Theft
None of us wants to be part of a scam that allows links to be forwarded as if from a friend, invading their privacy and endangering their sensitive information. It’s not always easy to avoid bad sites but by just being aware of the problem, you can become more adept. The following article is a summary of an original post By Rob Spiegel, E-Commerce Times.
In its on-going effort to mitigate spam activity, Facebook filed a lawsuit against a company that allegedly ran a “likejacking” operation. “We’re hopeful that this kind of pressure will deter large scale spammers and scammers,” said Facebook spokesperson Andrew Noyes. The state of Washington is also applying pressure, having mounted a similar lawsuit against the same company. Both suits were filed citing violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, which prohibits the sending of misleading electronic communications. Facebook and Washington state filed federal lawsuits on Thursday against Adscend Media for “clickjacking,” a form of spamming that fools users into visiting advertising sites and divulging personal information.
Posted in Cyber Data Security, Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention, Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Clickjacking, data security, Facebook Safety, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Speaker, Information Privacy, John Sileo, Likejacking, Privacy, Social Media Privacy
Freezing your credit is the number one way to protect against financial identity theft. If everyone in the country applied for a Credit Freeze, identity thieves would quickly be out of business. At least, a major part of their business. Take 30 minutes and lower your chances of identity theft drastically (see the online Freeze links at the bottom of this post).
To go directly to placing a security freeze on your 3 bureau accounts, page down to the bottom section.
Every time you establish new credit (e.g., open up a new credit card, store account or bank account, finance a car or home loan, etc.), an entry is created in your credit file which is maintained by companies like Experian, Equifax and TransUnion (listed below). The trouble is, with your name, address and social security number, an identity thief can pretend to be you and can establish credit (i.e., spend your net worth) in your name.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: credit, Credit Freeze, Equifax, Experian, freeze, How do I freeze my credit, Identity, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, Prevention, Security Freeze, Theft, TransUnion
There are complete industries built around collecting, massaging and selling your data – your name, phone number, address, spending patterns, surfing habits, net worth, the age of your children, the magazines you buy, etc. Companies buy bits of your privacy so that they can knowledgeably market products to you that you are likely to purchase. The problem is, that data, once collected, is often breached by hackers who want to know more about you.
To minimize the amount of your personal information bought and sold on the data market, begin “opting out”. Opting out is the process of notifying organizations that collect your personal information to stop sharing it with other organizations. “Pre-approved” credit card offers (i.e., financial junk mail) are a major source of identity theft. Those mailers give thieves an easy way to set up credit card accounts in your name without your consent. They spend money on the card and default on the balance, leaving you with the mess of proving that you didn’t make the purchases. The solution is to opt out of receiving pre-approved credit, home loan and insurance offers as well as mass marketing databases.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Identity Theft, Credit Bureaus, Credit Card, Credit Report, Credit Reporting, Direct Marketing Association, Financial, How to Opt Out, Identity Theft Speaker, junk mail, opt out, Opting Out, Pre Aprroved, Stop, Stop Junk Mail
The IRS admittedly has little control over protecting your tax returns against identity theft. The problem is too big, the data too widely available, prevention too rarely attended to until it’s already too late.
Your tax returns are the Holy Grail of identity theft because they contain virtually every piece of information a fraudster needs to BECOME you. But you don’t have to be a victim; you simply need to take responsibility for what is rightfully yours – your tax return information and your identity. The changes aren’t difficult, they simply require you read through this document so that you recognize the risks. Once that’s done, you simply avoid the highest-risk behaviors.
Here is a comprehensive list of frauds, scams and high risk tax-time practices.
Top Tips for Tax Time Identity Theft Protection
Posted in Cyber Data Security, Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Identity Theft, breach, Data Breach, Fraud, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, Privacy, Tax, tax fraud, Tax Identity Theft, Tax Preparation, Tax Return Theft, taxes, Theft
It’s nerve racking to realize that the IRS increasingly struggles to control taxpayer identity theft. Since 2008, the IRS has identified 470,000 incidents of identity theft affecting more than 390,000 taxpayers. “Victims of tax-related identity theft are the casualties of a system ill-equipped to deal with the growing proficiency and sophistication of today’s tax scam artists” said Sen. Bill Nelson, who chairs the newly formed Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth.
Posted in Cyber Data Security, Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Identity Theft, breach, Data Breach, Fraud, id theft, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, Privacy, Tax, tax fraud, Tax Identity Theft, Tax Preparation, Tax Return Theft, taxes, Theft
Freezing your credit is the number one way to protect against financial identity theft. If everyone in the country applied for a Credit Freeze, identity thieves would quickly be out of business. At least, a major part of their business. Take 30 minutes and lower your chances of identity theft drastically (see the online Freeze links at the bottom of this post).
To go directly to placing a security freeze on your 3 bureau accounts, page down to the bottom section.
Every time you establish new credit (e.g., open up a new credit card, store account or bank account, finance a car or home loan, etc.), an entry is created in your credit file which is maintained by companies like Experian, Equifax and TransUnion (listed below). The trouble is, with your name, address and social security number, an identity thief can pretend to be you and can establish credit (i.e., spend your net worth) in your name.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Identity Theft, Credit Freeze, Equifax, Experian, Freeze Credit, Freeze Your Credit, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Identity Theft Speaker, Prevention Tips, Prevention Tools, TransUnion
I’ve got a neighbor who’s going back to college this week and reminds me that this is by far the highest risk group for identify theft and it’s for a couple of reasons. When these kids are going off to college, it’s the first time they are getting true financial independence, which might never have been trained to handle. They have access to credit cards, to new bank accounts, and they’re managing it themselves. That’s a huge red flag that there’s going to be trouble. Number two, they’re going into an environment where their stuff is not particularly protected. They’re in a dorm room, they’ve got roommates that may need extra cash; they know they can take advantage of them. So it’s kind of a high risk environment. The third reason is because they do so much online. There’s so much social media interaction and that’s where ton of information is stolen. So you need to take some of these steps that are in this blog post. Help your students take them. It will help them out not just this year in college but helping them build their financial future going forward. Your identity is pretty much everything in terms of your net worth. You got to take care of it now.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention, Online Privacy, Video Tips by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Identity Theft, College, Facebook, Fraud, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, Privacy, Social Media Privacy, social networking, Student, Students, University
Why You Should Share Facebook Privacy Settings with Friends
A true friend does more than just post updates about their conquests on your wall. They share information with you that makes your life better, even if it isn’t exactly what you want to hear. And you do the same for them. But are your friends unwittingly sharing too much information about you with others (strangers, advertisers, app developers, scammers)? Probably. For example, if they (or you) haven’t customized your privacy settings lately, you are giving Facebook permission to:
- Publish your name, photo, birth date, hometown and friend list to everyone?
- Indirectly share your restricted data with outsiders through your friends?
- Let your friends check you in to embarrassing locations where you aren’t?
- Post your Likes as advertisements on friends’ walls using your name?
- Authorize Google to index, access and share your information on the web?
Posted in Cyber Data Security, Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention, Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Customizing Facebook, facebook privacy, Facebook Safety, Facebook Security, Facebook Settings, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, Keynote Speaker, Online/Social Media Privacy, Sileo, Social Media Speaker, social networking, Social Networking Speaker
