Posts tagged "John Sileo"

Identity Theft of H&R Block Customers | Sileo Group

H&R Block identity theft

The number of identity theft victims rose 22% last year! Although it’s important to always protect your identity, tax season makes people more vulnerable to this crime and you should be especially cautious.

H&R Block identity Theft

A recent article in the New York Times uncovers an H&R Block office in the Bronx that was infiltrated by identity thieves (apparently it was not the only office affected).

Last year, Kevin Johns, a construction worker in the Bronx, did his taxes at the H&R Block store on Riverdale Avenue that he had used for the past 20 years or so. The next day, though, he got a call from the tax preparer: his return was rejected because he had already filed. Or at least, someone had filed in his name. That someone helped himself or herself to a $8,499 refund.

Posted in Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker .
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Must Read: 2010 Census Identity Theft

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After receiving many emails and calls from people that have been victims of a Census Scam, I can not express enough the importance of reading the following article!

Posted March 15, 2010

Along with the many benefits of the Census come some privacy risks. While Privacy Rights Clearinghouse does not focus on Census issues as one of its core missions, we encourage you to visit the website of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).  EPIC has extensive resources about the Census posted at http://epic.org/privacy/census/.Census Scams.  There have been reports of scammers attempting to defraud the public by posing as Census workers.  The Census potentially presents an opportunity for con artists to collect personal information about you to commit fraud.  Typically, scammers will seek to obtain information such as your Social Security number or financial information.  Don’t fall for the trap! Keep the following tips in mind to make sure that you don’t fall prey to a scammer:

Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker .
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CNN Article: Job-Seekers Hide Facebook Profiles

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Young job-seekers are hiding their Facebook pages.

In today’s economic climate, more and more individuals are searching for jobs. Many job-seekers are just beginning to realize that managers looking to hire them can easily Google their name to find Facebook profiles, tweet history and vast quantities of online information that they would probably rather keep a bit more private.  This is even more prevalent with recent college graduates who are entering the job market for the first time. With tough competition from so many qualified candidates, employers are turning to Facebook to help them sift through resumes. While some profiles are innocent, many have pictures, posts, and more that could possibly disqualify them from getting a job before they even walk into the interview. A new article by CNN discusses how more and more job-seekers are choosing to hide their Facebook profiles by changing their names (assuming an Alias, in spy terms) in order to keep a clean digital image of themselves on the web.

Posted in Identity Theft Prevention, Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker .
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Cybercrime on the Rise: Reported Losses over $550 million!

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According to a new article in the Wall Street Journal, cybercrime has significantly risen 22.3% in 2009 from 2008. Identity thieves and white collar criminals have taken to the internet and caused over $550 million in reported losses. There were also over 60,000 more complaints of cybercrime in 2009. Many experts say the plummeting economy is responsible for the great rise last year.

The article goes on to discuss the new and more technologically savvy way that criminals are stealing our information.

Criminals’ tactics also are changing, with a growing number of crimes involving malicious applications installed on mobile devices and embedded in news and celebrity gossip Web sites. In this type of crime, Web criminals are using search-engine optimization to allow fake Web sites to rise to the top of searches. When users click on the links or pop-ups, malware or key loggers infect their computers, usually with the intent of hijacking personal and financial information such as bank passwords and account information. Scam artists also are switching from email to social-networking sites to perpetrate “phishing” scams designed to steal sensitive information from victims.

Posted in Cyber Data Security, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker .
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New Item: Identity Theft Prevention and Recovery Workbook!

TLAS-Workbook

Identity Theft Prevention and Recovery Workbook

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The #1 recommendation to prevent Identity Theft is Education. Know what to look for and the steps to take to fight Identity Theft. If you have been a victim, learn which steps to take and in what order to recover your Identity quickly, accurately and safely!

Identity Theft is on the rise and according to Javelin Strategy & Research there were a staggering 11.1 MILLION Identity Fraud victims in 2009 alone. The cost of this handbook is well worth the price of protecting your most valuable asset, your Identity!

This 20 page Workbook includes:

Part I – Prevention

This 10 phase process of Preventing Identity Theft Includes:

  • Protecting your credit.
  • Knowing what is in your wallet.

Posted in Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker .
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Social Networking Safety – Travel

Identity theft and social networking speaker John Sileo discusses what you should and should not reveal through Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other social networking sites while traveling. When you are away from home, identity creeps and other thieves can use this knowledge to take advantage of your home or office.

Be conscious of what you share on social networking sites and always remember that what you post is public, permanent and exploitable!

Order your copy of the Facebook Safety Survival Guide to make sure you and your children are protected online.

John Sileo became one of America’s leading Social Networking Speakers & sought after Identity Theft Expert after he lost his business and more than $300,000 to identity theft and data breach. His clients include the Department of Defense, Pfizer and the FDIC. To learn more about having him speak at your next meeting or conference, contact him by email or on 800.258.8076.

Posted in Burning Questions (Video), Identity Theft Prevention, Online Privacy, Video Tips by Identity Theft Speaker .
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Read about John Sileo in the Denver Examiner

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The Denver Examiner just published a new article featuring John Sileo entitled; How to avoid the nightmare of identity theft by Ed Hickok.

Local Denver author, John Sileo, embezzler, thief, cyber criminal, felon . . . but in name only, and that’s the point. Identities have power. Accused of crimes he did not commit, Sileo sought to clear his good name by learning everything he could about identity theft, a crime that consumed his life, his business, and threatened to take away his freedom. Now that he has emerged not guilty, he’s become America’s leading professional speaker on identity theft prevention and corporate data privacy. His experiences led him to write the critically acclaimed, award-winning book, Stolen Lives, which was recently chosen as the #1 Business Book at the EVVY Awards….

Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker .
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Health Insurance Fraud: Why pay when you can steal?

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Why pay for Health Insurance when you can steal it?

As the economy dropped severely in 2009, the instances of Identity Theft continued to rise. With desperate times and individuals struggling, Medical Identity Theft and Health Insurance Fraud reports by emergency rooms have been higher than normal over the past several months.  According to Javelin Strategy and Research, in 2009 Medical Record Theft had the longest length of time, 493 days,  between the theft and detection by the insured. This also led to the highest fraud amount of $18,480 and the largest mean consumer cost of $2987. That means the average consumer that suffers from Medical Identity Theft pays almost $3000 of his own money to resolve the theft! This shows how the financial repercussions of Medical Identity Fraud are the largest among Identity Fraud types.

Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker .
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2009 Identity Theft Statistics

Javelin Stratecy and Research

Statistics can be dry but these figures could prompt you to zealously guard your most valuable asset, your identity. According to Javelin Strategy and Research, Identity Fraud continues to rise, but mean customer costs and resolution time have decreased. In their latest 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report they found that Identity fraud has risen to 11.1 MILLION US victims, which is up 12% from 9.9 MILLION in 2008. That is a significant climb.

  • 4.81 % of the US population is a victim of Identity Fraud.
  • The total fraud amount in 2009 reached 54 BILLION dollars, which is up from 48 BILLION dollars in 2008.
  • Consumers who monitor their accounts electronically have shorter detection times and their consumer costs are over 50% less.
  • Social Security Number thefts remain the top breached data and one of the most difficult frauds to detect.
  • Posted in Identity Theft Prevention by Identity Theft Speaker .
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