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Identity Theft Articles
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- Medical Identity Theft can be deadly - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2015 from Robert SicilianoEvery time you have a medical procedure done, including routine checkups and treatment for minor issues, paperwork is generated. You should have copies of every single paper. This is one line of defense against medical identity theft. Review your paperwork thoroughly for unauthorized or ...
Views: 979 - Using a knife for survival - by Submitted on Sep 24, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAn article at indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com informs on how to use a knife safely and efficiently for survival. Safety For outdoors, carry a fixed-blade knife, as this is less likely to break. The knife should always stay in its sheath. Otherwise, you could stumble and fall into it, slicing ...
Views: 978 - Beware of the CEO E-mail Scam - by Submitted on May 11, 2016 from Robert SicilianoBeware of the B.E.C. scam, says a report at fbi.gov. The hackers target businesses and are good at getting what they want. The hackers first learn the name of a company’s CEO or other key figure such as the company’s lawyer or a vendor. They then figure out a way to make an ...
Views: 977 - Celebrate World Password Day in 2016 With These Tips - by Submitted on May 04, 2016 from Robert SicilianoEach year, researchers in security take the time to rate some of the worst passwords found on the Internet. While popular pop culture events have caused waves with the list of the worst passwords of 2015 – think “solo,” “starwars,” and “princess” – ...
Views: 977 - How to recycle Old Devices - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2016 from Robert SicilianoWhen it comes to tossing into the rubbish your old computer device, out of sight means out of mind, right? Well yeah, maybe to the user. But let’s tack something onto that well-known mantra: Out of site, out of mind, into criminal’s hands. Your discarded smartphone, laptop or ...
Views: 977 - How to use two-factor authentication for critical accounts - by Submitted on Oct 12, 2015 from Robert SicilianoHave a small business? Great. Have two-factor authentication for your accounts? If you’re not sure of the answer to that question, you could be in trouble. October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the perfect time to learn more about cyber security. As a small business owner, ...
Views: 977 - ISPs invading Subscriber's Privacy - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIt’s hard to keep track of the news of politics these days, and even if you can, how do you know it’s even real? The political landscape has greatly changed since January, and there have been a lot of laws passed that will affect us all, including the repeal of a law that protected ...
Views: 977 - The Password Reset Isn't How to Remember a Password - by Submitted on Oct 17, 2015 from Robert SicilianoConsider a keychain for a moment. For most of us, a keychain holds all of our necessities such as home keys, car keys, work keys and even forgotten keys, that we aren’t quite sure what to do with. Now, think about this. What if your keychain had keys that look identical, but each key only ...
Views: 977 - 45 Home Security Tips That Help to Keep Burglars Away - by Submitted on Mar 20, 2018 from Robert SicilianoIf you have a home, you should be worried about burglars. Here are 44 home security tips that you can use to keep the burglars away: Keep your doors locked all of the time. Use a deadbolt on every door. Don’t leave ladders outside. Teach young kids NOT to answer the door. Make ...
Views: 976(1 vote) - Child Identity theft is becoming Solvable - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYou’ve seen TV commercials and print ads about identity theft, and the “victim” is always an adult. That’s not realistic. The actor-portrayal should be that of a child. Yes, a kid. Children are 51 times more likely than adults to have their identity stolen, says ...
Views: 976 - Why Hacking is a National Emergency - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2015 from Robert SicilianoForeign hackers, look out: Uncle Sam is out to get you. President Obama has issued an order that allows the State Department and Treasury Departments to immobilize the financial assets of anyone out-of country suspected of committing or otherwise being involved in cyber crimes against the ...
Views: 976 - Eight ways to secure your employees' mobile devices - by Submitted on Feb 15, 2016 from Robert SicilianoBetween half and three quarters of all employees have downloaded personal apps to company tablets and phones, according to surveys. At the same time, people are increasingly using use personal phones for work purposes like email, document-sharing and the list goes on. What does it all ...
Views: 975 - Gemaltos' "EMV For a Week Challenge," starts now! - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2016 from Robert SicilianoAs part of Gemalto’s #ChipAwayAtFraud campaign, I’m being tasked with numerous tasks, some tacky, some essential to living. Gemalto, one of the world’s leaders in digital security, wants a real-world take on the EMV card experience. Which includes the security benefits EMV ...
Views: 974 - How to prevent IRS scams - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2016 from Robert SicilianoOnce a thief knows your Social Security number…you’re at very high risk for having your identity stolen. A report on bankrate.com says that the IRS is warning of a cyber attack on its electronic filing PIN application. Thieves infiltrated it with malware in an attempt to claim ...
Views: 974 - How to Choose a Home Security Safe - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2015 from Robert SicilianoHome safes aren’t just for expensive jewels and wads of $100 bills. They can be for anything you’d be crushed about if it were stolen, lost or burnt in a fire. This could be a birthday card that your child made for you when they were five, or a photo of you and your ...
Views: 972 - Save Money with the Nighthawk 2-in-1 cable modem-router - by Submitted on Dec 03, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIf you are like most people, there are several devices in your home that fight for WiFi connections at any given time. This slows your network, and gives you a shoddy experience. Instead, look into upgrading your system immediately and save some cash too. The Nighthawk is a 2-in-1 cable ...
Views: 972 - Time to check your Facebook Privacy settings - by Submitted on May 14, 2015 from Robert SicilianoDid you know that, once again, Facebook has changed its privacy policies? At the top of the FB page is a lock icon. Click it for more privacy settings. What do visitors see? To view how visitors see your Facebook page, go to “Timeline and Tagging,” then hit “Review what ...
Views: 972 - Can the cloud be trusted? - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2016 from Robert SicilianoMost people have heard of storing information in “the cloud,” but do you know what this means, and if it is even safe? A cloud is basically a network of servers that offer different functions. Some of these servers allow you to store data while others provide various services. The ...
Views: 971 - Woman Chained Like a Dog, Man Killed - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2017 from Robert SicilianoBack in August, 2016, Kala Brown and Charles Carver arrived to a 100-acre property in South Carolina for a cleaning job. Charles Carver never made it off the property, and Kala Brown spent more than two months in a metal shipping container, allegedly held captive by Todd Christopher ...
Views: 971 - Keep Accountant happy and Thieves out - by Submitted on Dec 18, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAre you a shredder? I hope so. No identity thief on this planet is going to want to attempt to reconstruct cross-shredded documents. So what, then, should you make a habit of shredding? All financial documents and information, including financial information you’ve jotted on a ...
Views: 970 - Trusting too much brings Trouble - by Submitted on May 26, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThere will always be the person who lives on the Equator to whom you can sell an electric heater. As they say, there is a sucker born every minute. This is why cyber criminals will always have a field day, like the crook who posed as a tax man who got an elderly couple to send $100,000 to an ...
Views: 969 - Small Town investigates String of Burglaries - by Submitted on Feb 18, 2015 from Robert SicilianoHome burglaries don’t just happen in the big cities that everyone’s heard of. They can also occur in small towns—simply because the burglar lives in them or in neighboring areas. Such is the case with Kirksville, Missouri. A recent report from heartlandconnection.com tells of ...
Views: 968 - "Choking Game" Killing Kids, and Authorities Have to Step Up - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2019 from Robert SicilianoIt only took a minute for 12-year old Erik Robinson to die while playing a macabre game called the “Choking Game.” His mother desperately tried to save her son when she found him with a Boy Scout rope around his neck, but it was too late. Erik was brain dead due to lack of oxygen, ...
Views: 967 - How Water Leak Sensors protect your Home - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2016 from Robert SicilianoEver wonder how a water leak sensor actually works? Water comes into contact with the sensor. The sensor makes and electrical contact and send a signal. The sensor transmits a signal to a central station of sorts (kind of like how if extreme heat or a needle comes in contact with your ...
Views: 965 - The Switch to the Chip Card – One Year Later - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2016 from Robert SicilianoThe October anniversary of the liability shift has passed, and anniversaries are an excellent time to look back on progress…this is no exception. The U.S. EMV migration plan was set four years ago as a way to fight card fraud and to protect both consumers and merchants. Back in the ...
Views: 965 - Beware of ALL these Scams - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2016 from Robert SicilianoScams targeting older people are probably very under-reported, as seniors don’t want to appear senile. The most vulnerable group is educated men over 55, because, quite frankly, they think they know everything. Sweepstakes/Lottery This scam comes in many forms, but the common ...
Views: 964 - Self-Defense and Sexual Assault Prevention - by Submitted on Aug 15, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIf you reach your hand to a strange dog loose on the street to pet it on top of the head, and it mauls your hand, whose fault is this? One camp would put most of the blame on the dog owner. But most people would blame the victim. But everyone with half an ounce of sense would agree on one ...
Views: 964 - Ransomware Attacks Show that Healthcare Must Take Cybersecurity Seriously - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2017 from Michael PetersWhile healthcare providers and healthcare industry vendors cannot afford to ignore HIPAA compliance, a new threat emerged in 2016 and has only gotten bigger in the past year: ransomware attacks on hospitals and healthcare providers that are not seeking to breach patient information but instead ...
Views: 963 - Businesses struggling to keep up with latest wave of malware attacks - by Submitted on Feb 29, 2016 from Robert SicilianoCompanies have been struggling for years to keep cyber-attacks at bay. Cyberthieves are working faster than ever before to send out their malicious attacks, and it’s become increasingly difficult for companies to keep up. CNN reports that almost one million malware strains are ...
Views: 962 - How the FBI hacks You - by Submitted on Jun 10, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIn a recent Wired.com expose’, they expose how the FBI has been secretly hacking civilian computers for about 20 years, but thanks to Rule 41, their ability to hack has been expanded. Nevertheless, effective record keeping for these hacking incidents doesn’t exist. For instance, ...
Views: 961 - How long does Information stay on Credit Reports? - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIf you are concerned how long any negative information will remain on your credit report, it takes seven years from the Date of the Last Activity (DLA) before the item is deleted from your records (and seven to 10 years for bankruptcies). This is a very common question posed to credit ...
Views: 960 - Step by step how to reinforce Door Locks - by Submitted on Oct 01, 2016 from Robert SicilianoDon’t let the idea of reinforcing your house’s doors intimidate you. Here is step by step instruction on installing new stronger locks. Your House’s Door Parts Inventory Any door without a deadbolt gets a deadbolt, which should be a grade 1 or 2. Are the screws of any ...
Views: 959 - Child Predator screws up, gets caught - by Submitted on Jun 07, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIf you’re a pedophile, you’d be wise not to keep any prescription containers in view of a webcam with your lewd pictures. The information on such a bottle is what helped pedophile Stephen Keating get 110 years in the slammer says a CNN article. But the amazing thing is that the ...
Views: 958 - Mother Nature can ruin your business: Get ready for natural disasters now - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2015 from Robert SicilianoSeptember is almost over. This means National Preparedness Month is nearing its end. Nevertheless, you must be prepared all year long to stay safe. National Preparedness Month culminates September 30th with National PrepareAthon Day. In the boxing ring, if you focus on the knockout ...
Views: 958 - Fake Emails are Becoming a Major Issue for Businesses - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2019 from Robert SicilianoYou might be surprised to know that more than 3.4 billion fake emails are sent around the globe each day. What does this mean? It means that almost every company out there is vulnerable to cybercrimes in the form of “spoofing” and “phishing.” On top of this, most ...
Views: 957 - How to protect against Tax Identity Theft - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2016 from Robert SicilianoWhat are you doing to prevent tax identity theft? Do you even know what steps to take? You’d better, because this crime has tripled since 2010, says the FTC. A report on foxbusiness.com describes tax identity theft as the act of stealing someone’s personal information, ...
Views: 957 - Pokemon Go a Network Malware Nightmare - by Submitted on Nov 22, 2016 from Robert SicilianoPokémon Go has taken the world by storm, even though it is nothing more than a silly little game that people play on their mobile device. And it is not just child’s play, either. Plenty of adults are hooked on Pokémon Go—including college degreed professionals who ...
Views: 957 - Why you want a Copy of your Medical Records - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAfter receiving medical treatment, many people never look over the paperwork (save for bill total) and just shove it into some folder in a file cabinet. But medical identity theft is very much out there; know the signs: You’re denied coverage because you allegedly have a condition you ...
Views: 957 - GPS Locator for a Person or Vehicle - by Submitted on Apr 29, 2016 from Robert SicilianoWe live in a time where you can track a car, a driver and even speed by using GPS tracking. This is a technology that is in huge demand, and it is not just because of higher rates of theft; but also due to technological advances and frankly, people “just want to know”. FBI reports ...
Views: 956 - Inside the Business E-mail Compromise Scam - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2016 from Robert SicilianoTrick e-mail = fraudulent wire transfer = hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars stolen. That’s what’s happening with business executives in select industries (e.g., chemical operations, manufacturing), says a report at threatpost.com, citing a finding from Dell ...
Views: 956 - Two Common Government Employee Impersonation Scams: What to Watch For - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2019 from Robert SicilianoOne of the biggest threats that taxpayers are facing these days is an aggressive scam where criminals call victims and pretend to be IRS agents. The goal? To steal money. All year but especially during tax filing season, the IRS will see a big surge in the number of scam calls, which tell ...
Views: 956 - 9-Year-Old Kidnap Victim convinces Abductor to Release Her - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2016 from Robert SicilianoJeannette Tamayo was nine when she was abducted in June 2003, and exhibited a presence of mind that few adults would have in a similar circumstance. Home from school, Jeannette entered her house, unaware that a man had been following her; he entered too, and that’s when the nightmare ...
Views: 955 - Beware of the Jury Duty Scam - by Submitted on May 12, 2016 from Robert SicilianoImagine getting a call from someone identifying themselves as a federal court official or U.S. Marshal, informing you that your arrest is imminent unless you pay a cost—all because you failed to respond to a jury summons (which you don’t remember getting). I’d like to think ...
Views: 955 - 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: 955 - Do You Know How to Use a Knife for Survival? - by Submitted on Apr 04, 2018 from Robert SicilianoUsing a knife in a survival situation is a skill that can mean the difference between life and death. But, you have to know how to use the knife. Here is some information: Knife Safety: Carry a fixed-blade knife if you are going outdoors. It is less likely to get broken Always keep a ...
Views: 955 - Government risks Consumers' Identities - by Submitted on Jun 14, 2016 from Robert SicilianoGuess who may be compromising the security of your Social Security Number. The Social Security Administration! Yep, that’s right. Did you know that 66 percent of the mail the SSA sends out contains someone’s Social Security number? This is what the inspector general of the SSA, ...
Views: 955 - How to erase Yourself from your Job - by Submitted on Dec 20, 2016 from Robert SicilianoYou shouldn’t leave any digital trace of yourself after you leave a job. Hopefully, you’ll be leaving voluntarily and thus have the time to first make backups before you delete anything. This may seem easy, but you need to take inventory to make sure you get EVERYTHING. Note: make ...
Views: 955 - Mobile SIMs Hacks Cause Concern - by Submitted on Sep 20, 2016 from Robert SicilianoA crook can steal your identity by taking control of your wireless phone account—by pretending to be you in person at the mobile store. The villain can then buy pricey mobiles and sell them—and guess who gets the bill but not the profit. Symptoms of Hijacked Account Suddenly ...
Views: 955 - Nineways to shop safely on Cyber Monday - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWith Cyber Monday, you don’t have to camp outside in the cold overnight so you can be the first person busting through the doors like on Black Friday. But you still may get trampled to a pulpby cyber scammers waiting for their prey. How can you avoid these predators? You know that ...
Views: 954 - Weak Passwords Mean Data Breaches - by Submitted on Oct 15, 2015 from Robert SicilianoStudies across the board indicate that weak usernames and passwords are one of the top causes of data breaches, and I find that information to be unfortunate, because it is preventable. According to a recently concluded survey conducted by uSamp and sponsored by Siber Systems, creators of ...
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