Sony Playstation Network Breach
In an April 26, 2011 blog post on the Sony PlayStation site, the company warned that an unauthorized person was believed to have obtained the names, addresses, email addresses, birth dates, and...
View ArticleDanger of Malware
Malware can gain access to your computer through an email attachment or a link to an infected or counterfeit website. It can then transmit personal information you may have stored, including banking,...
View ArticleSocial Networks and ID Theft
More than half of U.S. adults actively use social sites such as Facebook and Twitter.1 Identity thieves are discovering the potential for financial gain by incorporating pieces of the everyday...
View ArticleSmartphone Data Theft
According to comScore, 97.9 million Americans owned smartphones in the last quarter of 2011.1 Smartphone proliferation, including the iPhone, Android, Windows and Blackberry platforms, has certainly...
View ArticleSeniors at Risk for ID Theft
Seniors are prime identity theft targets for a number of reasons. They often have saved a lot more money than younger people who are just starting out. At the same time, they have less people around to...
View ArticleOnline Rental Scams
Online rental fraud starts with a listing, most often on a free listing site because it costs them ZERO and they don’t have to provide their own credit card number. The address is probably real. And...
View ArticleMillennials — Easy Bait for ID Thieves
Millennials. Eighties Babies. Echo Boomers. The Connected Generation. You may think of them as tech savvy and device dependent. Identity thieves think of them as an easy victim. It’s like taking candy...
View ArticleMilitary ID Fraud
Deployed troops are often a long way from home and way too busy to keep an eye on potential identity threats. The United States military has recognized the increased threat to military personnel and is...
View ArticleMedical ID Theft
Medical ID theft involves stealing an individual’s personal identity information or health records and using it to obtain free healthcare or commit insurance fraud. Each year, it is estimated that more...
View ArticleInternet Privacy and ID Theft Protection
You’re being tracked online. The sites you visit, the products you purchase and even the location of your computer. It is often a harmless way for marketers to learn what products you like so they can...
View ArticleID Theft Recovery Steps
Worst case scenario, an identity thief steals your money. Or maybe some tricky fraudster is using your identity across the nation. That doesn’t mean you should panic. Luckily, there are steps you can...
View ArticleFriends and Family ID Theft
Identity theft can happen from those you least expect it from—friends and family. In fact, it’s more common than you might think. In a study by the Department of Justice, only 8% of all identity theft...
View ArticleEmployment ID Theft
With a nationwide crackdown and numerous immigration laws pending, an anticipated side effect is an increase in the amount of employment identity theft. As employers more frequently check employee...
View ArticleScam E-Mail ID Theft
Did you really win the prize? Does a foreign bank have money for you from an unknown relative? If you’re like most people, you have something in your spam folder or an unrecognized email in your inbox...
View ArticleID Theft Protection — A Do it Yourself Task
In today’s economic environment, “do it yourself” has become a mantra for saving money. If people have the necessary expertise and the time to complete the task, it can be a sure way to get it done for...
View ArticleVisa and MasterCard Alert Banks of Major Security Breach
Visa and MasterCard are reporting a security breach by a third-party U.S. based card processor. Estimates of the number of cardholders affected vary widely, but both Visa and MasterCard are alerting...
View ArticleIdentity Theft and Your Credit Score
When you apply for a car loan, mortgage or credit card, lenders want to know their level of risk in approving the loan. Your credit score is the measurement of your credit worthiness, and is a major...
View ArticleCorporate Data and ID Theft
The names are well-known—Citibank, Sony, Google and many others—and each is a respected, successful leader in their industry. But they shared at least one thing in common in 2011: hackers were able to...
View ArticleHow Companies Protect Your Data
Have you ever left your home, turned the corner and suddenly wondered whether you left the garage door open or the back door unlocked? It’s triggered by a natural desire to keep your home secure.
View ArticleChildren ID Theft Protection
A Carnegie Mellon CyLab study, the largest child ID theft report ever published, came to some sobering conclusions. First, 10.2% of children in the report had someone else using their Social Security...
View ArticleCounterfeit Website ID Theft
These days, that email from your bank in your inbox could be real—or a phishing attempt. Today’s thieves are busy impersonating legitimate businesses via email and websites in order to acquire your...
View ArticleDebit vs. Credit Card ID Theft
Which type of card protects you the best? With over 1.5 billion credit cards and more than half a billion debit cards in use in the U.S.1, millions of consumers have a choice, but some cards are safer...
View ArticleWhat is a breach?
A “breach” is defined as a gap, a crack or the result of a rupture. Breaches cause bad things get in and good things get out.
View ArticleDid you pack your identity?
A vacation isn’t very relaxing once you’re identity—and the money in your checking account—has been stolen. But with all the hustle and unfamiliarity involved in traveling, it’s easier to make mistakes.
View ArticleIdentity Thieves Rob The Grave
In complete disregard of respect or compassion, identity thieves are after a new, even more helpless target. The bull’s-eye? Great credit. No pulse.
View ArticleIdentity Theft: How big is the threat, really?
When people access your personal information for personal gain, it’s called identity theft. But that doesn’t mean the bad guys had to uncover every bit of your personal information. Some of these...
View ArticleThe Buyer’s Guide: Information Protection vs. Identity Theft Protection
Not all forms of protection are created equal. And there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what identity theft protection actually is. Some services may guard your finances—which is...
View ArticleProtecting Your Password Infographic
Maintaining your online security is imperative in today’s growing digital era. Over 8 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2011.
View ArticleFile Sharing
Forget everything you’ve learned about the golden rule and sharing with others. When you’re online, it’s survival of the cautious. One of the most common ways identity thieves get a hold of information...
View ArticleCriminal Activity: Prosecuting Identity Thieves
One of the most devastating aspects of identity theft is that the crime can often go completely undetected—the criminals walk away without any consequences. To make matters worse, only a small portion...
View ArticleMobile Wallet
What’s the difference between your smartphone and your wallet? Sooner than you think, not much.
View ArticleProtecting Kids from ID Thieves
Modern life has taken a lurch in recent years toward greater transparency. We share our locations, our desires, our likes and dislikes, who we are with and who we think about, day and night, live...
View ArticleJury Duty Identity Scam
You’re relaxing at home, perhaps after work or while watching the game. Suddenly the phone rings. The caller claims to be a jury duty coordinator or an officer of the court and they’ve got some real...
View ArticleIs Your Small Business a Big Target for Identity Thieves?
According to Javelin Strategy & Research, “Small business owners are being disproportionally victimized by identity thieves.” So the short answer to the question is YES, you sure could become a...
View ArticleLaws & Attraction: Dating an Identity Thief
Most people have had their share of dating horror stories—bad breath, rude behavior, maybe a blind date gone wrong. But what about a date that ends up stealing thousands of dollars?
View ArticlePhishing With Bait
Phishing is a way identity thieves steal your information by pretending to be a company, organization, or entity that you know and trust. Phishing generally begins with an electronic communication,...
View ArticleNew Account Fraud: The Cost of Remediation
There’s a major difference in receiving a pre-approved credit card in the mail and receiving an actual credit card in the mail. The former implies a creditor wants your business. You can shred the...
View ArticleFake ID Identity Theft
Finally. Away from home and on your own. But you’re not old enough to buy a beer at that hot new club. So maybe you’re thinking ... just thinking ... about getting a fake ID. So you check out some...
View ArticleFish Out of Water
Let’s try to have some compassion; identity thieves are people, too. True, they’re often looking to steal your money, use your health insurance, gain employment or start a new small business with your...
View ArticleData Breach Infographic
In 2012, government agencies, banking institutions and businesses around the world leaked millions of personal records. These records include social security numbers, addresses, medical details and...
View ArticleMalware Infographic
Malware is technology’s monster under the bed: an unseen menace developed to damage computer systems and steal private information. 32% of the world’s computers are now infected with malware, causing...
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