Is your computer sick?

Sure it’s not crashing and it’s not giving you those dreaded error messages, but that doesn’t mean your computer’s not infected with a virus. It could be operating behind the scenes while you go about your business with you being none the wiser. So what does this have to do with identity theft? Plenty. Truth is, a lot of these viruses do more than just see what sites you visit to send you targeted advertising. Many do much more, such as taking screen shots as you type in passwords or recording your online banking activity. Then, you guessed it; this information is picked up by identity thieves.

So how do these viruses and other types of malware end up on your machine? It’s often via a plug-in people download voluntary. It can come in an email that claims to have a video or other media file that requires said plug-in to view it. Often the plug-in will contain a media player but carry the virus right along with it. Once the virus meets the hard drive, it is ready to go without any formal announcement of its presence.

This type of identity theft happens fairly often although it is not heavily covered in the media as of yet. A representative of Panda Security recently told IDG News Service that it could be on 10 million PCs right now, judging by a sampling of Americans. What is even more sobering is its report that 35 percent of the “carrier computers” had current antivirus programs installed.

So what does this mean to you? First of all, you can’t be sure your machine is safe just because you have security software. Sure, it does help prevent most common viruses from getting their fingers on your C drive. However, since new malware is created every day, thieves often are able to stay ahead of the curve, even with frequent updates to the software. The second thing to take away is don’t install random programs. If you don’t know what it is and you don’t trust where it’s from, just don’t do it. If you don’t get to see that video of a dancing hamster, trust me; you’ll live.

Lastly, this should give you a hint that you may want to look into an identity theft protection plan. Even being diligent about your downloads won’t necessarily save you, especially if you share your computer, or network, with others. It’s better to have a multi-tiered plan that is sure to keep you safe. A protection plan can keep an eye on your credit so you know right away if thieves have somehow gotten a hold of your data and are ready to start a new life, as you. It’s a lot better than finding out a year later and then realizing there’s a virus on your machine that has been feeding them names, numbers and addresses that whole time, not just for you but for everyone in your address book.

Panda found that their detection of identity-theft related malware went up 800 percent in the second half of 2008. This shows that these type of viruses are definitely a growing trend and not something you should approach empty handed.

Chase Identity Protection Review

Chase Identity Protection is a service for Chase cardholders only that monitors all three credit bureaus daily and includes monthly credit scores and reports from all three credit bureaus. You can see your credit score from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion and track changes to it monthly. The score provided is not your FICO score but this is the only negative of the service.

What we really like about Chase’s credit monitoring service, besides the fact that they aren’t a credit bureau, is that they give you instant online access to your credit reports and scores. No need to wait for snail mail here unless of course you want to. They also notify you automatically of any account changes in your credit file.

We also like their pricing, $11.99 a month. Chase does not use gimmicks, like “Free Credit Report”, then start charging you large sums after you free 7 day trial – a practice the credit bureaus used to do. Chase is upfront and provides you with easy cancellation by toll free phone and even if you cancel months in to the service they refund your last billed month. Now that’s treating the customer right.

Chase also includes identity theft insurance underwritten by Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America in the amount of $100,000 which is a bit lower then most credit monitoring services. The insurance covers lost wages of up to $1000 per week, legal fees that have been pre-approved by Chase and other routine expenses, such as long distance calling fees, postage and other items related to recovering your identity.

Chase also offers assistance if an incident occurs and includes reviewing credit reports and access to well trained representatives who can help you correct inaccuracies in your credit report or fix incorrect account changes in your credit file discovered through daily monitoring. In the event of identity theft they also give you a case manager to work with who helps create a strategy on the best and most efficient ways to resolve the incident.

Chase is a well priced credit monitoring service that can be a good choice for Chase cardholders as you must be one to avail yourself of their service. Are there better credit monitoring services out there? Yes, there are. Identity Guard and TrustedID come quickly to mind and certainly offer better identity theft protection but sometimes it is better to deal with a company you are already dealing with and for Chase customers that may be there reason to fore go a few other benefits and stick with the company they are used to.

Help Protect your identity with Chase today. ***CardHolders Only

Security Breach Leaves School District Responsible For Loss of Personally Identifiable Information

In Eugene, Oregon, the Eugene School District is under speculation after a hacker attacked their computer servers. These servers contained personal information regarding previous and current employees of the school district, including Social Security numbers, direct-deposit bank account information, and other sensitive data that can be used to commit identity theft. It is believed that approximately 13,000 current and previous employees’ information is at risk.

A letter was sent to all previous and current employees by the Eugene School District, and the district is ensuring that at this time, they have no proof that the sensitive data was accessed, but they would rather be safe than sorry.

These computers were also connected to other servers that included student information, but there is no reason to believe that this data was accessed as well by the hackers.

In their letter, they encourage those who may be affected to sign up for credit monitoring services, just to be safe.

Triple Alert Review

Triple Alert credit monitoring is an Experian service that gets its name from the fact that it monitors your credit report at all three credit bureaus – Experian, of course, plus TransUnion and Equifax — for one low price, just $4.95 a month.

Get Daily Monitoring …
This service is unique because, unlike with some other cheap credit monitoring services and indeed some expensive ones too, your reports will be checked for changes and potential fraud each and every day. If requests to open new accounts, address modifications, unauthorized credit checks or other such activities are found, you will be notified either by email or text message daily. You are then free to take extra precautions, such as putting fraud alerts on your credit accounts, immediately.

In this case, daily monitoring could be the difference between losing hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars and stopping identity thieves before they have a chance to do serious damage. If you have to wait seven days to find out that new accounts have been opened in your name, the thieves may have all the time they need to start running up dozens of fraudulent charges.

Get Monthly All Clear Alerts …
When you use the Triple Alert service you don’t have to worry if you don’t hear anything in the form of an email or text message for a couple of weeks. You can trust that the service is still doing its job and that your credit files are safe. That’s because, instead of just having you assume that no news is good news, Triple Alert will send you an All Clear Alert at the end of each month that there is nothing to report simply for your peace of mind.

Get Guaranteed Protection …
Triple Alert offers a $10,000 guarantee in coordination with the service. If your identity is compromised while you are using Triple Alert credit monitoring, the company will pay you up to $10,000 to help cover the cost of legal fees, investigators, lost wages and actual funds that are stolen by the identity thieves. Triple Alert can even help you obtain an investigator to assist you with recovery.

This protection begins as soon as you become actively enrolled. (Please note that the guarantee is not available in the state of New York.)

Get Affordable Pricing …
Triple Alert is very affordably priced. It costs just $4.95 per month for each person you wish to protect. This amounts to about 17 cents per day. There is no contract or commitment you have to assume in order to become a member either. You can simply cancel the service if you no longer wish to use it and you will only be billed until you finish up the current month.

Get Convenient Customer Service …
If you would like more information on the Triple Alert service, you can visit the frequently asked questions section of their website. They also have representatives available at any time between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT, weekdays, or 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

Sign Up Today
It’s easy to sign up for Triple Alert credit monitoring, just go to triplealert.com and click on the “sign up” link on the homepage. You can also order your credit report and score from this page at the same time if you wish.

With identity theft so rampant in recent months, some will do almost anything to protect themselves and their accounts. It hardly makes sense not to sign up for a service that will cost you just pennies a day and could end up saving you so much more.

Palisades Mall Responsible For Careless Dumping of Personal Documents?

Palisades Mall in Rockland County in West Nyack, NY is under speculation after personal documents were found blowing around in the wind in the parking lot outside of the local mall.

The documents, which were job applications for the clothing store Metropark, a Los Angeles-based clothing chain located inside the mall, were obviously carelessly disposed of. These applications included applicants’ Social Security numbers, person addresses, and on some, even their driver’s license numbers.

If in the wrong hands, these documents could be used to open up credit cards and obtain loans fraudulently which can seriously affect the person’s financial future. Identity theft is hard to fight, and hard to fix.

If you or anyone else you know has recently applied at the Metropark store for a job, your information may be at risk. It is strongly encouraged that you obtain credit monitoring services or identity theft protection to ensure that your information is safe and protected.

Military and Civilians At Risk for Identity Theft After Security Breach Occurs

A laptop computer storing information regarding the personal records of the military, some 42,000, was stolen over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, resulting in a security breach involving Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth, credit card information, and other personally identifiable information on those enrolled (or those who had been enrolled) in the army.

The theft occurred over the Thanksgiving holiday from an employee’s house in Clermont, Florida. The laptop was in the employee’s hands for a remote training course, and it has not yet been considered that any protocol was breached by having the laptop in his possession.

A letter was sent to those who may have been affected, which included information on how to protect themselves from the possibility of identity theft with credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. It is suggested that those who have been contacted via letter from the Army take measures to protect and guard against any detrimental actions that may be taken on their financial and personal records.

Identity Theft at The Gym – A 2-inch Lock Can’t Protect Your Life

When you’re walking down a busy street, you keep your wallet close in either your pocket or a handbag. But what happens when you’re somewhere where it has to go out of your sight: like a ski lodge, a spa or a gym? Most people stick their personal items in a locker secured with a combination or key lock. However, a recent identity theft case proves that this may not be enough.

A while ago, a husband and wife team were arrested in Sacramento County, California, for allegedly stealing over 40 people’s personal information from their gym lockers at 24 Hour Fitness. The couple took not only drivers’ licenses, but credit cards, keys and even gym membership cards.

Of course, it is easy to tell you’ve been victimized if you walk into the locker room and your purse is missing and your lock is on the floor. But some thieves are smarter than that. Instead of physically taking your cards, they make rubbings to transfer the names and numbers to other sheets of paper or simply write them down. Another problem is that even if you cancel a photo ID, the old one is still out there and able to be used. The only way to tell it isn’t valid is by scanning it electronically.

What’s the best way to handle this? Don’t depend on a 2” lock to protect your sensitive belongings. Sure, it’s fine for clothes, unless it’s a $2,000 pair of tennis shoes or a pair of Seven jeans, which really have no place at the gym. But leave the credit cards, driver’s license, car keys and other likely targets behind the counter where employees can keep an eye on them. People are much less inclined to take something that is under a watched eye than to simply swipe it from a locker.

If you want to be even more secure, leave these items at home or at least lock them up in your car before you enter the establishment. (Well, with the exception of your keys, of course.) Hide them under the seat or in the trunk so they are not in full view. That way there is no temptation, or expectation for that matter.

If you don’t want to deal with all this hassle and think you’ll just stuff your wallet in the gym locker anyway, an identity theft protection plan may be the way you want to go. With such a plan, you can be alerted right away if a thief starts using your ID or account numbers to assume your identity for personal or financial gain.

Also, if you notice your locker has been broken into, cancel all the cards and get new ones, even if they don’t appear to have been tampered with. Think about it: why would a thief break your lock or jimmy the door if his or her intent was not to take anything? On a final note, whatever you do, don’t leave anything with your Social Security number on it in a locker, ever. Not your Social Security card, not your passport. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

Library Hacker Steals Drivers License and Social Security Numbers of Over 50,000 Users

The North Carolina state community college has recently released information regarding a security breach due to a hacker’s intrusion into a library’s central server located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The files were accessed, but after an investigation it was revealed that not all the information was accessed by the hacker, but the library is taking precautions as if they did. They recommend looking into identity theft services to protect your information.

The campuses affected are Alamance, Beaufort, Bladen, Blue Ridge, Brunswick, Central Carolina, College of the Albemarle, Gaston, Halifax, Haywood, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Pamlico, Piedmont, Richmond, Roanoke-Chowan, Rowan-Cabarrus, Sandhills, Southwestern, Tri-County, Vance Granville and Wilson.

Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Victim to Security Breach

Late in October of 2009, a flash drive with sensitive personal data was stolen from the car of an employee of the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Center in Detroit, Michigan. This flash drive, a portable storage device used for storing data for the department, contained birth certificate information for residents within the 48202 and 48205 zip codes in 2008 and 2009.

The same department fell victim to a break in at the Herman Kiefer Health Complex during Thanksgiving break, and a computer, storing Medicare and Medicaid flu billing information from 2008, was stolen from the office.

Both incidences have residents concerned about the safety of their information and the act of identity theft taken with their information. Although investigators are on the case, the department would appreciate the safe return of the information from those responsible for the theft.

Some 10,000 individuals’ information may have been compromised, and the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness is contacting those who may have been affected via letter. It is stated that if you have any questions regarding this breach to call 877-737-4780. In the meantime, it may be a good idea for those affected to invest in credit report monitoring services to protect their financial accounts from identity theft.