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Identity Theft Articles
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- An ode to Angry Drivers - by Submitted on Jul 02, 2015 from Robert Siciliano“Wes” is a professional man who, if you saw walking on the street, you‘d easily imagine being jumped by a few teen punks and getting beaten up for his wallet. Wes is nearing retirement age, has a potbelly, doesn‘t work out, has grey hair—hardly an imposing figure. But ...
Views: 928 - What happens when a Bank Account is hacked? - by Submitted on Feb 24, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWho’d ever think that 50 years ago, your money was safer in your bank account than it is today in this “modern” age: remote theft. If you bank with a large or small bank, your account may be at risk by hacking rings. However, most of the time, but not always, if your account ...
Views: 928 - Infrastructures under attack - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIt’s been stated more than once that WWIII will most likely be cyber-based, such as dismantling a country’s entire infrastructure via cyber weapons. And don’t think for a moment this doesn’t mean murdering people. A report at bits.blogs.nytimes.com notes that foreign ...
Views: 927 - Equifax Exposed: Major Breach of Data from Major Credit Bureau - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIf you haven’t yet heard, Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States, has been hacked. What does this mean for you? It means that your Social Security number, and possibly even your driver’s license information, could be in the hands of hackers. Some are ...
Views: 926 - How to Prevent your Devices From Spying on You - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2020 from Robert SicilianoYou might not realize it, but your electronic devices may be tracking you. They know what you are doing, what you are reading, and the things you like to do. In almost every case, you give these devices permission to collect this info when you start using them. Here are some tips to help you ...
Views: 925 - Is your Daughter chatting with a Pedophile? - by Submitted on Dec 22, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThat’s a horrible question to ask. There is a very alarming report on nbcsandiego.com, about a dad who regularly checked on his kids in the middle of the night, and one night at 2 a.m., upon checking his 12-year-old daughter’s room, saw that she was gone. The window was open. He ...
Views: 924 - How to Delete Yourself from Social Media - by Submitted on Jul 05, 2017 from Robert SicilianoHave you been thinking that it’s time to make the drastic choice to remove yourself from social media? Most of us were quick to join the social media bandwagon, but these days, you might have worries about privacy. Though it’s possible to delete yourself from social media, the ...
Views: 923 - Police offer 18 Burglary Prevention Tips - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2015 from Robert SicilianoTo help keep your home and property safe from crime, the New Castle County Police Department provides the following guidelines: Sounds like a no-brainer, but so many people do otherwise: Keep your doors locked at all times. People will actually go to sleep with the front door ...
Views: 923 - How to unsend or cancel an E-mail - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIf the person you are sending an e-mail to pretty much instantaneously receives it, how on earth can you unsend or cancel it? Well, you have several options. Criptext This is a browser plug-in that works for Chrome and Safari. Your message including attachments will be encrypted. You ...
Views: 922 - Pass word over load - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2011 from melissa campbellIt’s all come down to the fact that we all have too many pin numbers and passwords to remember. Have you ever taken the time to count up how many you use in the course of a day? Have you ever sat in-front of your screen and your mind has gone absolutely blank? If you think you’ve got it bad what ...
Views: 922(2 votes) - Tell your Grams about these Scams - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2015 from Robert SicilianoDo we really get wiser with old age, or just more vulnerable to all the scammers out there? Here are the top scams directed towards senior citizens. IRS The phone rings; it’s from the IRS, claiming you owe money. Caller ID says IRS (spoof technology). Caller says if you don’t ...
Views: 922 - Top 12 Scams Happening NOW - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2015 from Robert SicilianoScamerama is here to stay! Scams are as old as time, and evolve as inventions and technology evolve. Top scams, according to a report on FraudAvengers.com, are as follows: Scammer “accidentally” overpays you for an item you sold online; you cash the crook’s phony check and ...
Views: 922 - 10 ways to beef up Digital Security - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2016 from Robert Siciliano#1. Keep everything up to date. You know those annoying popups telling you updates are available? Do you ever click out of them? Don’t. Always update at the time these appear. #2. Two-step verification. Two-step verification or authentication should be set up for all your accounts that ...
Views: 921 - Craigslist encounter ends very badly - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAt least one woman is happy that her driver drove like a drunk. That’s because his erratic driving caught the attention of troopers who pulled him over. They then heard a woman calling for help—from the backseat. She was bound and gagged with a bag over her head. The 41-year-old ...
Views: 921 - How to stop Teenage Sexting - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2015 from Robert SicilianoSexting is the act of sending images of a sexual nature via cell phone, often naked pictures. Because texting technology is so readily available and easy to understand, parents should be quite leery of telling themselves, “Oh, MY kid would never do that!” Studies showy your kid ...
Views: 921 - Retirees Prime Targets for Identity Theft - by Submitted on Oct 11, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIs it easier for crooks to prey on senior citizens, or is it that most targets are the seniors? Well, one thing’s for sure: A disproportionate percentage of identity theft complaints come from people 50-plus (though I’m sure some readers would hardly consider 50-somethings to be ...
Views: 920 - Beware of Vacation Rental Scams this Summer - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2015 from Robert SicilianoTalk about getting taken to the cleaners: Imagine you spot a great summer rental property advertised online. Looks wonderful. The deal sounds too good to be true, but the owner tells you (via e-mail or even phone) that the fee is correct. You apply for the rent and send in the required upfront ...
Views: 919 - How to freeze your Child's Credit - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIdentity thieves are after children’s Social Security numbers. With this number, a thief can do so many things like open a credit card account and rent an apartment. Kids’ SSNs have great appeal to crooks because: A child’s record is usually very clean. This means fertile ...
Views: 919 - Human error is inevitable: Ways to protect your business - by Submitted on Sep 14, 2015 from Robert SicilianoNational Preparedness Month is happening right now. It’s the perfect time to take action for you and your community. It’s all about making plans to remain safe, and when disasters do strike, to keep communications going. September 30th is the culmination of NPM, with the National ...
Views: 919 - Stolen Social Security number? Don’t Worry! - by Submitted on Mar 17, 2015 from Robert SicilianoJust when you think it was safe to believe your Social Security number can’t get stolen…news breaks of the Anthem data breach. Over 80,000,000 patient records were compromised, including SSNs and home addresses. Like a meteor striking the earth, a disastrous ripple effect is ...
Views: 919 - How to prevent your Pics from being lifted: Part 2 of 2 - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThere are many reasons someone might right-click on your image and “Save image as…” Porn, Sex and Dating Sites A woman might steal your blog headshot and use it for her dating site profile. A perv might take the picture of your child off your Facebook page and put it on ...
Views: 918 - 14 Social Media Disasters Ready to Strike - by Submitted on Mar 02, 2018 from Robert SicilianoThere are many ways that you or a small business could get caught up in a social media disaster. Can you think of any off the top of your head? If you are like most of us, probably not. Here are 14 ways that you could be in danger: A Terrible Online Reputation – Do you keep a watchful ...
Views: 917 - Disinformation i.e. FAKE NEWS: How the Weaponization of Social Media Has You Conned - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2019 from Robert SicilianoThis post takes a hard and honest look at whats happening right now. You either “get it” or you are a victim of whats going on. Victims who read this will trash it and deny the reality of what they read. Denial is warm and comfortable. The truth is cold and can hurt. And nobody likes ...
Views: 917 - How to avoid Online Fundraising Scams - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYou’ve probably heard of the gofundme.com site, where all sorts of stories are posted of people seeking donations. Some are tragic, others are trite. You may be touched by a particular story, perhaps one in which an entire family is killed in a house fire. You click the “Donate ...
Views: 917 - It's Tax Time: Play it Safe or Lose Your Identity - by Submitted on Mar 12, 2020 from Robert SicilianoOnce again, tax time has rolled around, and though you technically have until April 15th, it’s always best to file a bit earlier…especially if you want to avoid setting yourself up for ID theft. How Could Filing Taxes Compromise Your Identity? Here’s how you could become a ...
Views: 917 - The Growing Demand for Cybersecurity Professionals - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2015 from Robert SicilianoCybersecurity professionals are always in demand[i]. Threats to intellectual property and sensitive data constantly evolve with technology, which means a security professional’s job is never done. There’s always another security problem to solve. Consider the recent proliferation ...
Views: 917 - Apple's bizarre Crashing Text and how to fix - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2015 from Robert SicilianoOf all the weird things that can happen to your iOS device, the latest is a relatively benign situation in which a string of text is sent to the phone…and it causes the phone to crash. The phone will reboot if the particular nonsensical text string is received while the phone is locked. Data ...
Views: 915 - 8 Ways to Ensure Safe and Secure Online Shopping this Holiday Season - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2015 from Robert SicilianoSo, who’s on your holiday gift list this year? That list is a lot longer than you think; consider all the names of hackers that have not yet appeared on it. Scammers will do whatever it takes to get on your holiday gift list! Here’s how to keep these cyber thieves out of your ...
Views: 914 - Predators use Emojis to target Kids - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2016 from Robert SicilianoWho’d ever think those silly little yellow circular faces and other such cyber symbols would become such a worldwide smash? I’m talking about emoticons, also known as emojis. Five years ago Apple put an emoji keyboard on its mobile devices. Six billion of these doggone things are ...
Views: 914 - Coming up, Your Phone contains your Driver's License - by Submitted on Jun 26, 2015 from Robert SicilianoGone are the days of the fat wallet bursting at the seems, since smartphones can now contain most anything that a wallet does—except the driver‘s license. But don‘t write that possibility off just yet. Forbes.com reports on a story from the Des Moines Register that the Iowa ...
Views: 913 - Passwords in Real Life: Don't be Lazy - by Submitted on Aug 07, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIt’s tough being responsible sometimes. And managing responsibilities for what is precious in your life usually takes a little extra thought. Let’s say you’ve just welcomed a beautiful set of triplets into the world. Lucky you . . . and lots to managed! But, you ...
Views: 913 - This is what Passport Security looks like - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2015 from Robert SicilianoSixty different materials go into the printing of a U.S. passport. That little booklet of a thing contains up to 30 pieces of security—and you can’t see most of them. And good luck trying to get details on these security features. The author of an article on gizmodo.com points out ...
Views: 913 - What kind of Home Security System is right for Me - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2015 from Robert SicilianoBurglars don’t usually depend upon the light of the moon to break into homes; they depend on the daylight—because that’s when they know most homes are empty! The kids are in school, the adults are at jobs or shopping…duhhh, even a halfwit burglar knows this is an ...
Views: 913 - What Was Scary About Blackhat 2017? - by Submitted on Aug 02, 2017 from Robert SicilianoAs you might know, at the end of July, all types of hackers came to Las Vegas to attend Blackhat 2017. During the conference, some pretty scary hacks were exposed, and we can all take this as a lesson on what we are up against in this technology-heavy world. Here are some of the scariest hacks ...
Views: 913 - 10 Ways to Protect your WordPress Site or Blog from Hackers - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2016 from Robert SicilianoAs much as you try, the unfortunate truth is that hackers are going to try to attack and access your WordPress website or blog, whether you like it or not. So, it is up to you to make sure you make the hacker’s job as difficult as possible. Here are some tips: 1. Use Plugins One way to ...
Views: 911 - 10 Surefire Staff Security Awareness Techniques - by Submitted on Jan 18, 2018 from Robert SicilianoThink about how great this would be: Imagine that all of your company data is safe from hackers. Your hardware is totally safe and secure. You have IT specialists at your disposal at all times and have a constant flow of cash to pay them. Unfortunately, this is a fantasy for most of us. No ...
Views: 910 - Butthead Burglar buttdials Cops - by Submitted on Oct 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYou know what a “buttdial” is. This is when a person has a seat somewhere, and the ensuring pressure of their butt against the seat accidentally presses upon the keypad of the phone that’s in their pocket. Or they don’t lock their phone and their fingers indiscriminately ...
Views: 910 - Covid-19 Remote Desktop Has Significant Risks - by Submitted on Mar 24, 2020 from Robert SicilianoAre you newly working from home? Or are you an old pro? Either way, it is likely you are using some form of remote desktop protocol. Those of us who have been working home as our primary means of earning a living, know these tools very well and are accustomed to eliminating the various ...
Views: 910 - Protect Your Mobile from Hackers - by Submitted on Jul 19, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIf you are like most of us, you probably have a password, antivirus program, and a firewall for your home computer to protect it from hackers. Are you doing the same thing for your phone? From 2015 to 2016 malware infections on smartphones swelled by 96%, and about 71% of the smartphones out ...
Views: 910 - The Security Costs of being too Social - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2015 from Robert SicilianoOne of the arguments against being very virtually social is that nobody is SO important that everyone wants to know, for instance, that this person is going to be at the local sports bar watching the Super Bowl (or almost nobody; sad to say, some celebrities have half the world following ...
Views: 909 - Identity Theft - Learn About the Facts and Statistics - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2020 from DefendX SoftwareIdentity theft is a term that means different things to different people. What one person calls identity theft is often different from another person's definition of the word. The meaning of the word "idiot," for instance, is different from a person who uses this term to describe someone else. ...
Views: 908 - Identity Fraud Victim every two Seconds - by Submitted on Jun 04, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYes, identity fraud is SO common that someone becomes a victim every two seconds. The 2014 Identity Fraud Study, as reported on javelinstrategy.com, turned up some alarming results. Though the dollar amount stolen had decreased over the year preceding the study, the number of victims had ...
Views: 907 - Hackers for Hire both Good and Bad - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2015 from Robert SicilianoEver see those public bulletin boards with all the business cards on them? Don’t be surprised if you spot one that says “Hacker•for•Hire.” These are hackers who will, for a nice juicy fee, hack into your wife’s Facebook account to see if she’s cheating on ...
Views: 906 - Ins and Outs of Call Center Security - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2015 from Robert SicilianoCompanies that want to employ at-home workers for their call centers to save money and reduce the hassles of office space have to look at security considerations. In addition to thorough vetting of the agents and their equipment, organizations also need to ensure that the security is top-notch. ...
Views: 904 - Top 12 Tips to Destroy Your Sensitive Data - by Submitted on May 18, 2017 from Robert SicilianoBelieve it or not, you just can’t shred too much. If you aren’t destroying your sensitive data, my best advice is for you to start now. There are people out there who make a living diving into dumpsters in search of credit card info, bank account number, mortgage statements, and ...
Views: 904 - Catfishing Scammer tells all - by Submitted on Sep 18, 2015 from Robert SicilianoCatfishing is when someone creates a phony online account—and not necessarily to scam someone for financial gain. An article on vice.com tells all about a person who’s been catfishing for eight years. She started in middle school by creating “Joey” on MySpace. She then ...
Views: 902 - Hackers don't play well with Kids' Toys - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2016 from Robert SicilianoNo company is immune from hackers—even a toy company. Hong Kong based VTech got hit by a hacker recently. This company makes techy educational toys for kids, and its database got breached. Customers go to the Learning Lodge store and download content to their children’s VTech ...
Views: 902 - Do we need a Criminal Background Check? - by Submitted on Apr 19, 2011 from Lucien LucioEvery day the news tells of violence in the workplace and sex offenders on the prowl. The scary thing is that you usually never know who these people might be until it's too late. How many times have you seen an interview of someone describing criminal defendants as the most beautiful person ...
Views: 901 - LinkedIn targeted by Scammers - by Submitted on Nov 06, 2015 from Robert SicilianoLinkedIn is a free service that allows professional people to network with each other. Often, a LinkedIn member will receive an e-mail from another LinkedIn member “inviting” them to join their network. Sometimes, the inviter is someone the recipient doesn’t know, but the ...
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