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Google removes 20+ Apps from Android Market, signaling that malware distribution has gone mainstream, and not just for Droids.
The Adroid Operating System is open source – meaning that anyone can create applications without Google’s approval. It boosts innovation, and unlike Apple iPhones or Blackberrys, Droid Apps aren’t bound by all of the rules surrounding the Apple App Store. But this leniency can be exploited by hackers, advertisers and malicious apps. And now those apps aren’t just available on some sketchy off-market website, but on the Android Market itself. As smartphones and tablets become one of the primary ways we conduct business, including banking, this development shifts the security conversation into high gear.
A recent discovery forced Google to pull 21 popular and free apps from the Android Market. According to the company, the apps are malware and focused on getting root access to the user’s device (giving them more control over your phone than even you have). Kevin Mahaffey, the CTO of Lookout, a maker of security tools for mobile devices, explained the Android malware discovery in a recent PC World article (emphasis mine):
Posted in Cyber Data Security, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Android, Android Market, App Store, Applications, Apps, BlackBerry, BlackBerry Security, data security, Droid, Droid Security, Expert, Fraud, Hacking, Hijacking, iPhone, iPhone Security, jail break, jail breaking, Jailbreaking, John Sileo, Lookout, Mobile Phone, safety, Security, Smart Phone, Smartphone, Smartphone Survival Guide
For six years I have done almost nothing professionally but study and speak on phenomenons that drive companies out of business or otherwise destroy their reputation. In the process, I have discovered what I consider to be an under-recognized and highly powerful maxim that remains relatively untapped both by people (especially leaders), and by businesses. We talk about it, but we rarely take an active role in improving it.
Reputation gets you what you want.
I know this because I have seen countless people’s reputation destroyed by identity theft (including mine when I was thought to be a criminal) and hundreds of businesses’ reputations wrecked because of data breach, social networking over-exposure or reputation hijacking. I know this because I’ve worked as a reputation management partner to companies that aggressively manage what the world thinks of them from an offensive perspective – they cultivate it long in advance of any attack.
Posted in Digital Reputation & Trust, Fraud Detection & Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Bad Reputation, Expert, John Sileo, Management, Online Reputation, Reputation & Trust, Reputation Management Partners, Reputation Speaker
UPI.com wrote a story on the punishment for a recent Identity Theft case which shows how sentencing is finally catching up to the severity of this crime.
A Florida man who admitted masterminding an identity theft ring has been
sentenced to nine years in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution.
Oscar Diaz and his confederates used items stolen from parked cars to get money from their victims’ bank accounts, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. Prosecutors say they stole from people attending funerals.
“Diaz’s co-conspirators would even follow funeral processions in order to target cars parked at graveyards,” a release from Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said.
Diaz, 30, of Fort Lauderdale pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Baltimore earlier this month to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. At a hearing Friday he was ordered to pay the victims $130,000.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: id theft, John Sileo, Oscar Diaz
Here comes Spring Break! And the scams that go along with travel and vacations, whether you are a student or just taking some time off.
Picture this: you find a great deal online for a vacation package and are counting the days till you take off for some fun in the sun. The day finally arrives and you show up at the airport, bags packed and ready to take flight. But when you reach the ticket counter, you learn that you have no flights booked… you’ve been scammed!
It happens ALL THE TIME, and scammers are getting more and more convincing. Scams rise during any busy travel season, but there are ways to avoid becoming a victim. Here are some tips on how to prevent travel scams and make sure that you get to enjoy a great Spring break trip.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Fraud, Fraud Expert, John Sileo, Scams, Spring Break, travel, Travel Scams, Vacation, Vacation Scams
Whether you like it or not, your information is available publicly to everyone through online directories. Businesses and advertisers have the ability to easily find this information and then market their products to you. This means that you have never actually “opted-in” to receive these ads. Fortunately, there are ways for you to “opt-out” of widespread information sharing (see the list of more than 120 ways below).
The Top 4 Opt-Out Opportunities:
- www.OptOutPreScreen.com. Remove yourself from the marketing lists sold by the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. There is not cost for this list.
- www.DMAchoice.org. This puts you on a Do Not Mail list for the Direct Marketing Association. The cost is $1, but it is well worth the instant trip down in your mail.
Posted in Cyber Data Security, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Data Mining, Directories, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Identity Theft Research, John Sileo, Online Directories, Online Theft, opt out, Opting Out, Removing Name, Spokeo
In response to the growing demands for more privacy on the internet, Mozilla implements a Do Not Track option in Firefox 4.
The most recent version of Mozilla Firefox, which was rolled out this February, offers users the option to opt-out of website tracking. Once enabled, the user’s preference to not be tracked is automatically sent to the website. That doesn’t mean that the website has to do anything about it, but there will probably be a bit of a stink about those sites that don’t respect user’s privacy preferences (it would be the equivalent of someone making a sales call to you after you join the Do Not Call list). Unfortunately, most users will never know which websites are participating in the opt-out Do Not Track function.
Learn more about Firefox’s Do Not Track Technology and about the Big Brother issues posed by companies tracking your every move on the internet.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Do Not Track, Firefox 4, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, Mozilla, Online Safety, Online Security, Web Bowser Safety
Identity theft speaker John Sileo shares his tax-time identity theft prevention tips.
This past week, a New Jersey man admitted to stealing tens of thousands of dollars in government checks from mailboxes. He stole Social Security, tax refund and unemployment checks from November 2009 to April 2010, then recruited people to cash them using fake IDs. Prosecutors say the scheme cost the government more than $70,000. Not only did this criminal have the actual financial refunds from most individuals, but he also had identity information and even social security numbers.
Around this time of year, tax time, people are more vulnerable to Identity Theft. There is very little that is more damaging and dangerous to your identity than losing your tax records. After all, tax records generally contain the most sensitive personally identifying information that you own, including Social Security Numbers (for you, your spouse and maybe even your kids), names, addresses, employers, net worth, etc. Because of this high concentration of sensitive data, tax time is like an all-you-can-eat buffet for identity thieves. Here are some of the dishes on which they greedily feed:
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Data Breach, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention, John Sileo, Tax Identity Theft, tax time
The 2011 Identity Fraud Survey Report by Javelin was just released, and it shows new trends in identity theft. While the report states that identity theft cases have decreased overall, it is costing consumers more time and money. The good news is that the drive to increase awareness about identity theft is working.
Meanwhile, consumer costs, the average out-of-pocket dollar amount victims pay, increased, reversing a downward trend in recent years. This increase can be attributed to new account fraud, which showed longer periods of misuse and detection and therefore more dollar losses associated with it than any other type of fraud. – Javelin Strategy & Research
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: 2010, Fraud, Identity Theft Prevention, javelin, John Sileo, social networking, Statistics, Stats
Romance is in the air, but so is fraud.
I hate it when scammers take advantage of you on holidays. In fact, I don’t much like being the person responsible for telling you that fraud goes way up during holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day. But it’s my job, and it’s important to me, and you have nothing to worry about if you are using common sense. In case your common sense is lacking due to all of the chocolate, here are some thoughts on Valentines Scams.
In happy and/or busy moments, people tend to let their guard down. Consumers are happier, more trusting, generous and hopeful around Valentine’s Day. This is a good thing. We want people to be happy, in love and celebrating each other.
Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Fraud, holiday, holidays, How to Spot Malicious Links, identity theft expert, Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Theft Speaker, John Sileo, Malicious Links, scammers, Valentine's Day. Valentines Day Identity Theft, Valentines Day Scams
