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3 Snipers Targeting Your Private Data

The U.S. is being targeted at the highest levels of our nation’s critical infrastructure. You’re a target too.

Sadly, there are at least three privacy snipers out there, who have our valuable data in their sights. You can choose to ignore them, deny them or avoid them; however they are relentless and they aren’t  planning on going away any time soon. Informed security experts clearly acknowledge this reality. We should too.

I recently watched two compelling TED.com talks given by security gurus Bruce Schneier and Mikko Hypponen. Their distinct messages and points of view shared a very common theme. Digital crime has emerged as one of our nation’s greatest security threats. These rogue attacks are neither diminishing, nor are they under control.

Bruce Schneier believes that our preconceived notions of security have lulled us to sleep. We believe that the hotels we trust, the food we eat, and the planes we board are safe. According to Schneier, that feeling of security bears little resemblance to actual security, we have just talked ourselves into believing that those activities are what he refers to as “models of safety”. Those models, Schneier says, are hard to dislodge. This thinking makes us more vulnerable to the tactics of relentless identity thieves and hackers.

Hypponen on the other hand, sees value in identifying the three types of online attackers who rule the digital underworld. They are: Continue Reading…

February 14, 2012 in Cyberwar, Data security, Federal Government, Financial Crime, Privacy

3 Ways Your Debit Card Can Hurt You

I have three quick questions for you to consider.

1.) Is a debit card your payment tool of choice?

2.) Is it financially irresponsible to use a credit card and incur fees and interest rates?

3.) Ask yourself: “How much am I responsible for if my card number is stolen and used, but I don’t report it promptly?”

In my book Identity Theft Secrets: Exposing The Tricks Of The Trade, I plead with readers to re-consider the dangers lurking in the shadows of the debit card jungle.

This week, an article at Bankrate.com convinced me that we need to re-examine the dangers of debit card dependency:

“Debit cards may look identical to credit cards, but there’s one key difference. With credit cards, users who spot fraudulent charges on their bill can simply decline the charges and not pay the bill.

On the other hand, debit cards draw money directly from your checking account, rather than from an intermediary such as a credit card company.

Because of that, even clear-cut cases of fraud where victims are protected from liability by consumer protection laws can cause significant hardship…” Continue Reading…

February 2, 2012 in Financial Crime, Protect Your Credit

Ahoy Matey! Piracy In The Digital Age

Google’s eye-catching twenty four hour “blackout” last Wednesday, protesting PIPA and SOPA sure got my attention.  How did it make you feel?

Watching sites like Wikipedia and Google go dark, reminded me of the media censorship I witnessed as a tourist in Asia a few years ago. Downright creepy.

Imagine not having online access to the information you need (assuming it is legal for you to own it). That’s the question we must face.

Do you and I have a right to freely acquire copyrighted content such as books, movies and music without paying?

Digital pirates think the status-quo is swell because the more we feast, the richer they get.

Law enforcement officials in New Zealand , in cooperation with the FBI, arrested the 38 year-old founder of one of the web’s largest file-sharing sites, also known as “file-sharing lockers” Megaupload on Wednesday.

The suspect, who had his name legally changed from Continue Reading…

January 23, 2012 in Cyberwar, Data security, Federal Government, Financial Crime

Time To Deck The Halls….With Fraud Awareness!

Lets examine 5 strategies which can help guard against holiday fraud this season.

The so-called Super Committee (Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction) just announced that they are unable to agree on the terms of a mandatory $1.2 trillion-dollar deficit reduction  plan. Are you wondering how their failure could possibly affect your gift-giving this year?

The stalemate in Washington, DC may put a damper on our already fragile economy, so protecting your hard earned assets and reputation are worthy goals this holiday season. This is also the time of year when record numbers of consumers  prepare to snag Black Friday and other seasonal shopping deals in malls and online.

With much at stake and our resources stretched like never before, fraudsters are licking their chops as they await the hoards of often distracted and rarely cautious holiday deal-snatchers. The shopping, shipping and selection alone are enough to entice even the most frugal and inexperienced buyers this time of year.

So with shopping in sight and awareness in mind, lets examine 5 strategies that can help you Deter, Detect and Defend against fraudsters lurking behind the holiday tree. Continue Reading…

November 22, 2011 in Data security, Financial Crime, Fraud, Identity Theft, Protect Your Credit, Scams & Phishing

8 Lessons From An Epic Identity Theft Bust

What is being called one of the largest identity theft busts of its type in U.S. history was announced today by police in New York.

The investigation code named “Operation Swiper”  unfolded like an international spy novel and involved thieves fluent in Russian, Mandarin and Arabic. The thieves had ties to organized crime syndicates in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Authorities indicted 111 people from five criminal enterprises in Queens, New York. At the time of this writing, 86 of the 111 people indicted are in custody, with the remaining 25 suspects still at large.

This massive operation is believed to have netted the criminals $13 million over a 16-month period of time. Continue Reading…

October 7, 2011 in Data security, Financial Crime, Identity Theft

Why You Didn’t Get That Job

 Labor Day was a somber holiday this year, considering the fact that according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 13.9 million Americans are currently unemployed.

The first Labor Day celebration was held back in 1882, and was designed to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers. Sadly, today’s American workforce force no longer reflects the optimism of a higher standard of living and productivity in our great nation.

So why did the hiring committee “pass” on your job application recently? Despite your best efforts to polish your resume’, there may be an economic culprit at work, who is undermining your own job search or that of a loved one.

Our uncertain economic environment encourages many fraudsters to “borrow” your good name to obtain goods and services at your expense. These criminal deeds are often committed with little or no chance of being detected or caught. There may be other inaccuracies in a variety of areas of your life that you are unaware of until they surface. These annoyances seem to always appear at the wrong time. Continue Reading…

September 6, 2011 in Data security, Federal Government, Financial Crime

Trolls Attack Rahm Emanuel’s iPad

Internet trolls are lurking in our midst.

Think your iPad is safe from hackers? Think again.

Charges have been filed against a pair of self-described Internet “trolls” who claim responsibility for hacking into AT&T’s servers last summer.

New Jersey District Attorney Paul Fishmanhas filed charges against two computer hackers who are charged with exposing  over 120,000 names and email addresses.

“The hallmark of this criminal hacker subculture is malicious one-upmanship,” Fishman added. “The more their victims have to scramble to fix the holes and the bigger the humiliation in reputational and actual damage to the corporate victim, the more bragging rights these individuals have in their own community.”

Many of the victims in this case are well known  politicians,  entertainers, and business leaders. Some of the more prominent victims include former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer.

The “trolls”  bragged about their exploits in order to gain notoriety and street cred, prompting officials to charge them with fraud and conspiracy.

Because consumers have no direct control over the network security of their vendors, remember these tips: Continue Reading…

January 20, 2011 in Data Breaches, Data security, Financial Crime

Tis’ The Season For Ruthless Online Fraud

The most troubling aspect about the newest WikiLeaks breach is the grim realization that our nation’s most sensitive information can be so vulnerable, easily accessed and leaked to the world.

You can’t help but wonder, if the U.S. Defense Department can be hacked and attacked from the inside-out,  just how safe is the personal data belonging to the average U.S. citizen?

Here are 10 tips from the Better Business Bureau to help keep you safe online not just during the holidays, but all year long.

The BBB offers this advice:

1. Protect your computer – A computer should always have the most recent updates installed for spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a secure firewall.

2. Shop on trustworthy websites – Shoppers should start with BBB to check on the seller’s reputation and record for customer satisfaction. Always look for the BBB seal and other widely-recognized “trustmarks” on retailer websites and click on the seals to confirm that they are valid.

3. Protect your personal information – BBB recommends taking the time to read the site’s privacy policy and understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used. If there isn’t one posted, it should be taken as a red flag that personal information may be sold to others without permission.

4. Beware of deals that sound too good to be true – Offers on websites and in unsolicited e-mails can often sound too good to be true, especially extremely low prices on hard-to-get items. Consumers should always go with their instincts and not be afraid to pass up a “deal” that might cost them dearly in the end.

5. Beware of phishing – Legitimate businesses do not send e-mails claiming problems with an order or an account to lure the “buyer” into revealing financial information. If a consumer receives such an e-mail, BBB recommends picking up the phone and calling the contact number on the website where the purchase was made to confirm that there really is a problem with the transaction.  Continue Reading…

December 7, 2010 in Cyberwar, Data security, Financial Crime

Fire Insurance For Your Wallet

A recent Forbes magazine article suggested that the impact and ferocity of consumer and commercial identity theft have both quieted down along with the current economic downturn.

Predictably, early  responses to the Forbes article were swift and scathing. The reality is that despite the fact that fewer people  are exposed as a result of any given breach, the actual number of adult victims of financial fraud has not gone down over the past 5 years, it has gone up. Way up.

A 2010 Javelin Strategy & Research report reveals that the number of U.S. adult victims of identity fraud has grown from 8.9 million in 2005 to 11.1 million in 2009.

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the number of breaches is difficult if not impossible to nail down with certainty because of  loose reporting requirements in many states. There are many states which legally do not allow public access to reported breaches.

The ITRC reports: Continue Reading…

November 5, 2010 in Data Breaches, Financial Crime

A High Value ID Theft Target

During a recent celebration,  I opened a gift that made me smile.  It was the new Robin Hood film starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.

We all know the premise.  Robin Hood takes from the rich and gives to the poor. Unfortunately, not all thieves are so noble. Please read on.

The Orange County Business Journal and Forbes Magazine blogger Mark Lacter recently reported on a modern story based on the classic tale of a wealthy land owner who falls prey to a dastardly thief.  In this case, the alleged crook  Moundir Kamil, decided to keep $1.4 million in loot for himself after commandeering  a large IRS tax refund check. The wealthy land owner in our modern tale is billionaire California real estate mogul Donald Bren.

According to the Orange County Business Journal:

“News of the bizarre theft went on to get national exposure as questions arose about how a 40-something suspect—who listed his occupation merely as “smoke shop” operator and looks nothing like the 78-year-old Bren—could make off with the identity and money of OC’s most prominent businessman. The refund check Kamil allegedly stole was the result of overpayment of estimated quarterly taxes by Bren. When and how the suspect managed to get the check wasn’t stated in the initial complaint, nor is it mentioned in the government’s updated charges for Kamil.”

Although authorities have not disclosed how Kamil came into posession of the check, it is clear that he was somehow able to pass himself off as the victim. Not only did he deposit the loot into a newly opened bank account, he withdrew most of it before being captured.

Thanks to an eagle-eyed prison guard who recognized surveillance photos of the culprit, the fraudster’s identity was uncovered. It seems that Kamil had previously been caught stealing from the rich.  He is not just a disappointment to Robin Hood fans, worldwide.  The parole board has to be a little embarrased and disappointed to have released a 9 time bank robber back into the general population in Sherwood Forest.


October 1, 2010 in Financial Crime, Fraud

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