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Identity Theft Articles
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- 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: 997 - Top 3 Social Engineering Scams - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2017 from Robert SicilianoThink about hackers breaking into accounts. If you think they need top-notch computer skills, you would be wrong. These days, instead of requiring skills behind a keyboard, hackers generally rely on strategy…specifically a strategy called social engineering. This means that hackers ...
Views: 997 - 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: 996 - 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: 996 - Dept. of Homeland Security Computers Vulnerable - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThere’s a problem on the home front: security lapses in the computers of the Secret Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says a report on townhall.com. These departments were recently audited, and weaknesses were revealed. Recently, hackers got into the White House, State ...
Views: 996 - Facebook Photos bust Bank Robber - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2015 from Robert SicilianoDo these bank robbers have bricks for brains? They actually posted photos of themselves with wads of the stolen cash on Facebook, says a story on thesmokinggun.com. The alleged bank robers are John Mogan, 28 and Ashley Duboe, 24, and they’ve been charged with robbing a bank in Ohio. ...
Views: 996 - 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: 995 - How much is your Data worth online? - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2016 from Robert SicilianoCyber crime sure does pay, according to a report at Intel Security blogs.mcafee.com. There’s a boom in cyber stores that specialize in selling stolen data. In fact, this is getting so big that different kinds of hot data are being packaged—kind of like going to the supermarket and ...
Views: 994 - 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 ...
Views: 994 - Survive Falling Through Ice - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIt can be truly terrifying to fall through ice on a frozen lake, but if you remain calm, it can save your life. Most people don’t realize that you have more time than you think, according to experts. This is due to the concept of thermoregulation and how your body deals with the shocking ...
Views: 994 - 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: 993 - Louisiana Woman Tries to Buy a Million Dollar Home with False Document - by Submitted on Dec 12, 2019 from Robert SicilianoHave you ever seen a house and thought…I wish I could afford that? Some people actually try it, but let this story be a lesson learned: if you can’t afford the cost of a house, you probably shouldn’t try to buy it. Pamela Chandler was arrested and now faces forgery charges ...
Views: 992 - Protect your small business against viruses with these tips - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIt is September and it’s National Preparedness Month—a great time to get involved in the safety of your community. Make plans to stay safe, and this includes maintaining ongoing communications. National Preparedness Month culminates September 30th with National PrepareAthon! ...
Views: 992 - Self-Monitored Security System Market heating up - by Submitted on Oct 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe Angee home security system is the only one with a video camera that rotates 360 degrees as it detects motion. And this high definition camera has smart zones; you can set up specific zones for monitoring. But Angee is more than just a video surveillance setup. It’s a self-monitored ...
Views: 992 - Oh No, iOS Hacked by NSO - by Submitted on Dec 22, 2016 from Robert SicilianoRecently, says a report at wired.com, it’s been unveiled that the obscure Israel-based NSO Group has been selling spyware delivered to smartphones through vulnerabilities in Apple’s iOS operating system. “Pegasus” spyware can put a surveillance out on nearly everything ...
Views: 991 - The most horrible Craigslist Killing ever - by Submitted on May 21, 2015 from Robert SicilianoBeware. This is tough to read. An expectant woman had spotted an ad on Craigslist asking for baby clothes, so she contacted the ad placer—a woman—then went to her Longmont, Colorado house alone. The woman stabbed the would-be seller and removed the seven-month-old fetus. The baby ...
Views: 991 - Creating an Effective Business Continuity Plan - by Submitted on Jan 04, 2020 from Robert SicilianoMost of us have no idea when a disaster is about to strike, and even if we do have a little warning, it’s very possible that things can go very wrong. This is where you can put a business continuity plan to good use. What does this do? It gives your business the best odds of success ...
Views: 990 - Secure your home for the holidays - by Submitted on Dec 14, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe holiday season is ramping up. And so are burglars. Even if you don’t get very festive, burglars may still target your home. Your dark, unlit home among all the dazzling festive homes will stick out like a sore thumb. Whether you have 10,000 decorative lights on or none, here’s ...
Views: 990 - The Smart Parent Guide to Digital Literacy - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2019 from Robert SicilianoIf you are the parent of a child or teen who uses the internet, here are some stats you need to know: Stats About Teens and the Internet Teens think that the internet is mostly private They also think that they can make the best decisions for their life online They believe they are safe ...
Views: 990 - 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: 990 - Blackhat Hackers Love Office Printers - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2017 from Robert SicilianoThe term, or in this case the word “blackhat” in tech generally refers to a criminal hacker. The opposite of black is white and a “whitehat” is a security professional. These terms originate from the “spaghetti western” movies when the bad guy cowboy wore a ...
Views: 989 - Everything You need to know about Door Security - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2016 from Robert Siciliano“I don’t need to lock my doors all the time; this neighborhood is very safe.” And I have some land in the Caribbean I’d like to sell you. Burglars know that every “safe neighborhood” has a certain percentage of fools who think they’re immune to ...
Views: 989 - Most Locks are stupid easy to pick - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2016 from Robert SicilianoI hate to say this, but…any dummy can learn to pick a lock. This means that the locks on your house’s doors are probably very “pickable” unless you have a top-flight lock system—which few homes actually have. An article on lifehacker.com describes how easy it ...
Views: 989 - Stop being a blabber on Social Media - by Submitted on Dec 24, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAre you a cyber-blabber? Even a post about your daily afternoon foray to the sub sandwich shop could get you in trouble: A burglar reading this knows when to rob your house. But it doesn’t end there. STOP THE MADNESS! The Giants: Facebook and Twitter Be careful what you post on ...
Views: 988 - Top Cyber Threats Organizations Are Facing Right Now - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2018 from Michael PetersCyber security is a continuous game of Spy vs. Spy. Every time a new technology is introduced, the potential attack surface expands. The moment one vulnerability is patched, hackers find another way in. Keeping up can feel overwhelming, even for security professionals. In no particular order, ...
Views: 988 - Are You Part of the 70 Percent Who Are Clueless About Identity Theft? - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2016 from Robert SicilianoYou’d think with all the media attention regarding data breaches, hackers and identity theft, that consumers would be more focused on their privacy and how to protect their information from prying eyes. Surprisingly, almost 70% of the people are clueless about how a criminal might have got ...
Views: 987 - Want Mobile Privacy? Read - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIf you don’t want your smartphone to know more about you than you do, here are top choices, as detailed on gizmodo.com: BlackPhone 2 The Blackphone 2 will black out the federal government from spying on you. Has a five inch handset with full HD screen (with Gorilla Glass 3 that ...
Views: 987 - What is Two-Factor Authentication and How Does it Work? - by Submitted on Nov 22, 2019 from Robert SicilianoThere are a number of ways that you can protect yourself online, and one of the things you can do is to start using two-factor authentication. You probably have seen two-factor authentication even if you aren’t sure what it is. For instance, if you do online banking, your bank might ...
Views: 987 - Another Successful Ransomware Attack - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2016 from Robert SicilianoRansomware thieves sure know how to pick their victims—institutions that store loads of highly critical data that they need on a daily basis, that without—even just 24 hours without—can have crippling effects. This form of cybercrime is growing by leaps and bounds. Recently ...
Views: 986 - 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: 986(2 votes) - Beware of these 4 Scams - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIRS The e-mail (or phone call) says you owe money; if you don’t pay it immediately, you’ll be put in jail or fined.The scammer may know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security number. Caller ID will be spoofed to look like the call is from the IRS. The ...
Views: 985 - Business Credit Scores 101 - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2016 from Robert SicilianoAre you a small business? Do you know your business’s credit score? The range is zero to 100 for most credit reporting agencies, with at least 75 being desirable if you want to be approved for financing and trade credit (business loan or line of credit), says a report at nav.com and from ...
Views: 985 - Case allows Employees to run amok on Social Media - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2016 from Robert SicilianoLesson learned: If you run a fast-food restaurant or any company for that matter, you’d better treat your employees right. After all, they have a legal right to tweet all they want about you. A Chipotle Mexican Grill in Havertown, PA, had a ban in place: Employees are prohibited from ...
Views: 985 - 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: 985 - State sponsored Attacks big Problem - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe U.S. Office of Personnel Management, an identity database, was attacked by hackers rather recently, and they hit the jackpot: More than 21 million federal workers are at risk of identity theft for perhaps the rest of their lives, reports an article on forbes.com. The hackers from overseas ...
Views: 985 - Seniors big Target for Romance Scams - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2015 from Robert SicilianoJanet N. Cook, 76, was duped by a dashing younger man. A report at nytimes.com explains that in July 2011 she connected with Kelvin Wells via a dating site. Next thing, this seemingly-together man was in trouble and needed lots of money. Cook got burned; she sent the crook nearly $300,000 ...
Views: 984 - How to build up or rebuild your Credit - by Submitted on Feb 11, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAfter taking all the necessary steps to Fixing a Credit Report after being hacked, it is then tome to rebuild your credit. Bad credit is bad credit no matter how it happens. No matter how responsible you are with your money, you won’t get a loan if there’s no evidence of this. The ...
Views: 983 - Medical Identity Theft: 12 Million Patients Breached - by Submitted on Oct 17, 2019 from Robert SicilianoQuest Diagnostics is a US-based company that provides medical testing services, and announced that it used third-party billing collection companies that were hit by a severe data breach. In fact, about 11.9 million Quest customers were affected. The compromised information could include ...
Views: 983 - Phishing is Getting Fishier - by Submitted on May 02, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIf you are like most of us, you have undoubtedly received an email that has asked you to click on a link. Did you click it? If you did, you are like 99% of internet users because clicking links in normal. But in some situations you may have found that the link took you to a new or maybe spoofed ...
Views: 983 - What are Consumer Reports? - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYou’ve heard the term “consumer report.” Many times, I’m sure. But do you really know what one is? If you’re nodding your head, would you be able to explain it to a Martian? If not, then you probably do not have a solid understanding of what one is. But lenders, ...
Views: 983 - Work from Home isn't the Scam It used to be - by Submitted on Sep 16, 2015 from Robert SicilianoMany, including me, have reported for years about all the “work at home” scams. And frankly, there are still plenty out there, unless you know where to look. There has never been more opportunity to legitimately earn a living working at home, and NOT get scammed. Mothers with ...
Views: 983 - Your Uber Driver May be a Criminal - by Submitted on Jan 16, 2020 from Robert SicilianoDo you Uber? If you do, you probably feel pretty safe getting into the car of a stranger. However, you might not be as safe as you think. Most people take for granted that Uber does background checks on its drivers, but there are actually a number of shady drivers who have recently been ...
Views: 983 - Tax Return Basics: What You must know! - by Submitted on May 16, 2015 from Robert SicilianoTax ID Theft Three things in life are guaranteed: death, taxes and tax-related identity theft. Michael Kasper would agree. Someone registered Kasper’s IRS.gov account, requested the document for his 2013 tax return, then filed a 2014 tax return. The crook used a middleman—an ...
Views: 982 - Bank Tellers stealing Identities - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2016 from Robert SicilianoEver consider the possibility that a person gets a job as a bank teller…for the sole purpose of stealing a patron’s identity? Do you realize how easy this would be? No techy hacking skills required. No gun required. So we’ve all been instilled with fear of our bank ...
Views: 981 - Street Fights can result in Death - by Submitted on Aug 17, 2015 from Robert SicilianoPeople who don’t believe they have been brainwashed by the film industry, which repeatedly shows men in a brawl who are still standing after each have received a dozen punches to the head and face. Sometimes it takes five full minutes to just daze a man, after he’s been hit in the ...
Views: 981 - Summer of Home Invasions - by Submitted on Sep 17, 2015 from Robert SicilianoEven three men in a house aren’t immune to a home invasion, as was the case in Bedford, Massachusetts recently, says a report at boston.cbslocal.com. Three men broke into the apartment’s second floor at 2 a.m. and attacked the three male occupants. Three men, especially when one ...
Views: 981 - Getting attacked by a Police Dog - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2015 from Robert SicilianoHave you ever seen men getting “attacked” by a police or military dog as part of the dog’s training? The men (I’ve never seen a woman, but I’d like to think there are some strong, feisty women who suit up for this role) wear either just a big padded thing on one of ...
Views: 980 - Gift Cards: The Newest Scam that You Should Be Aware of - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2019 from Robert SicilianoHackers are making a lot of money thanks to phishing attacks these days, and now they are also focusing on gift card scams. One of the most notorious scam groups, Scarlet Widow, which is out of Nigeria, has been boosting its efforts to scam people with gift cards since 2015. This group generally ...
Views: 980 - How to secure your Apartment - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2016 from Robert SicilianoI love that show, “Forensic Files.” Every so often there’s the case of a person who was found murdered in their apartment due to some forced entry. Which brings me to the topic of apartment security. New Apartment Don’t delay in doing a walk-through of the entire ...
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