Dog forces woman to become identity thief

There are enough problems with identity theft in the United States, with nearly nine million Americans victimized in 2008, without our four-legged friends getting in on the action. However, this appears to be happening, at least according to one woman in Arlington, Washington. According to this woman’s statement to local authorities, her dog ate all of her checks making it imperative that she steal her ex-husband’s bank account information and use it to pay her bills.

Oh, what a sad world it is when even the faithful family dog tries to lead us to a life of identity theft, or when a person uses this rather unoriginal take on the “my dog ate my homework” excuse you may have tried back in grammar school.

While this case is rather laughable at best, it does bring to light a sobering fact. Just like with many other crimes, if you become a victim of identity theft, it is likely that the perpetrator will be someone you know. It could be an ex-spouse, a coworker, a person you have contracted to do a service or even your child or parent. It’s not always going to be that sinister individual hiding behind a keyboard somewhere in Nigeria.

The reason for this is pretty simple. People that know you don’t have to try too hard to get access to your personal information. In the Arlington, Washington, case, it sounds like the woman already knew her ex-husband’s account information, possibly because the account used to be shared. So all she had to do was take it upon herself to use it to finance a few things. The same thing can happen when someone you know has ready access to your driver’s license and Social Security number, for example; not to mention your home address.

While most of the high profile cases of late where this type of identity theft took place were committed by exes or estranged family members, the dynamics of many of today’s families tell us that you never know when a rift can happen. It’s best to share information on a need to know basis even in your own circle. Just think of it as an extra safeguard, even if it’s doubtful that you need it.

If the unfortunate happens and a person does end up getting divorced or falling out of favor with a family member with whom he or she shares an account, the best thing to do is to close that account and open two separate ones to avoid any suspicion of impropriety — real or imagined. A lawyer or mediator can help facilitate the process if needed.

Of course you would rather just trust people. Seriously, who wouldn’t? The next best thing you can hope for is an identity theft protection plan. At least with a protection plan you can remove some of the burden from your shoulders and place it on the plan’s watch instead. Then it is up to the company to keep your accounts guarded against unauthorized use, especially the opening of new accounts in your name.

One thing a plan can’t do? Keep Rover or Fido from munching on your checkbook – which could apparently lead you to a life of crime. So please keep it out of his reach to avoid the temptation.

Breach of Almost 2,500 San Francisco Medicaid Recipients Caused by Disgruntled Employee

An employee at the Human Services Agency of San Francisco was fired due to performance issues, which caused the disgruntled ex-employee to email Medi-Cal (California Medicaid) recipient records to her home computer in order to prepare for an argument that she was fired unfairly because of a large caseload. This act, however, caused authorities to step in to investigate the situation further, as these files included sensitive recipient information such as Social Security numbers, names and addresses. It did not, however, include medical records.

As of the current investigation, there is no proof or documentation that shows that this information went any further than the disgruntled employee’s computer. However, Medi-Cal is taking the appropriate steps to ensure the safety and protection of the recipient’s information, as the risk of identity theft is always a possibility. Letters are being sent to those who were affected, and it is highly encouraged that they participate in identity theft protection services to ensure their information is not used for inappropriate financial or medical activities.

Access to Military and Government Sites being Marketed Online

Imperva Security Services recently discovered posts on underground forums in which hackers were selling website administration access and personal information records. The hacker was offering access to military, government and university websites for under $500, and was also selling lists of personal records for $20 per one thousand records.

While the hacker that posted such information is currently being investigated, it is unknown how they received this information and if the posts were actually viable and if the hacker has the ability to follow through on such a purchase.

Identity theft protection services offer solutions to avoid being a victim of such a scheme. Depending on how the information is obtained about you, anyone can use your name, address, Social Security number and credit card information to participate in identity theft and reek havoc on your personal and financial accounts.

A Quick Virus Story

You would think that someone who writes about identity theft on a regular basis would be able to avoid being put at risk for this crime. Well, unfortunately, you would be wrong. A couple days ago, I was doing some research on the Internet and I came across a message board I thought I could glean some information from. I had been on the site all of two minutes when all of a sudden a virus alert popped up on my screen; then another; then another.

Soon my monitor was filled with gray pop-up windows with bright red text. Then a green shield appeared in the bottom right corner. I clicked on the shield and up came the homepage for AV Security Suite. A virus scan window from AV Security also popped up telling me I had a number of Trojans and other types of malware. It was only when the opportunity to buy the Security Suite appeared that I realized something was up. I immediately closed the window and called tech support. The process of removing the program was arduous, but it was better than what could have happened if I had typed in my credit card number.

AV Security Suite, and other programs like it, are types of rogue or fake antivirus software. Just like in a phishing email, the person who creates the program attempts to scare the consumer into doing something that causes them to give away his or her personal information. If I had taken the bait and “bought” the antivirus program, my credit card number, and probably my name and address too, could be on its way around the globe right now via a black market message board. I can certainly understand how people fall for this scam.

A few things I’ve learned from this experience:
1. Be familiar with the antivirus software on your machine. I wasn’t sure which antivirus program I was using, so, if only for a second, I thought maybe AV Security was my antivirus software.
2. Keep your antivirus software up to date. Don’t forget to download the latest version.
3. Be careful which sites you visit. It’s best to stick with ones that you know are legitimate. There are literally thousands that can harm your computer.
4. If something looks suspicious, even if you’re not sure why, you’re having doubts for a reason. Don’t ignore your gut.
5. Think about an identity theft protection plan. It can help you out if you end up in a sticky situation. If I can get targeted, you may too at some point.

Online Cosmetic Site Investigating Computer Hack

The identity of a number of Lush Cosmetics shoppers may have affected hundreds of thousands of consumers that have shopped their online store. Around Christmas of 2010, Lush Cosmetics became aware of a potential hack, in which they initiated an investigation to confirm.

In the meantime, customer’s credit cards were being used for fraudulent activities after their identity had been stolen by using the data that was pulled from Lush Cosmetic’s website and database. Credit card information, names and addresses were apparently hacked from the site during a four month period, and the incident is just now being addressed after complaints from customers having thousands of dollars of items charged on their credit cards from unknown sources.

Credit monitoring services and identity theft protection services are both online services that can assist you in monitoring your credit reports for unusual or suspicious activities on your credit cards or bank accounts. Such incidences can be caught ahead of time and keep you from having to spend weeks or months repairing the damage on your credit reports.

Two Men Arrested for Identity Theft from AT&T Communications

Andrew Auernheimer of Arkansas and Daniel Spitler of California are under arrest after being linked to hacking AT&T computer servers and stealing personal information of over 100,000 iPad users. This includes the exploiting of email addresses that they intended to use to market iPad accessories.

Both faced a count of “conspiracy to access a computer without authorization” and a count of “fraud in connection with personal information.” Evidence that was brought in the courts include chat messages between the two on their computers regarding the AT&T hack. Those affected included news journalist Diane Sawyer and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanual, along with some 120,000 customers of AT&T that utilize the 3G abilities on their iPad.

AT&T has already spent over $70,000 making the incident right on their company’s behalf, and Apple and AT&T are working on fixing the issues that caused such a hack to occur.

Although no personal information such as Social Security numbers or names and birth dates were exposed, it is highly recommended that everyone consider identity theft protection services to ensure the protection of their personal and financial accounts. Such hacks and data breaches occur every day, and no one is void of being a victim of such malicious behaviors.

Over 5,000 Insured Individuals Affected by Computer Virus

A computer virus was found on a South Carolina computer that held information regarding the State Employee Insurance Program’s recipients, including the Social Security numbers, birth dates, names and addresses of some 5,600 individuals.

This virus was found on one of the division’s computers, which may have allowed an outside hacker access to the information that was stored on the hard drive. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was notified back in November when the issue was discovered and reported.

Those whose records may have been affected are being contacted by the state to direct them to credit monitoring services at the expense of the state. Such program enrollment would protect those registered from having their identity stolen and their financial history affected by fraudulent purchases or activities.

Two Involved in Complex Identity Theft Scam, Merchants and Individuals Affected

Two exchange students from Vietnam were recently arrested for an identity theft ring that has affected both individuals as well as large merchants such as software companies, PayPal and eBay.

Tram Vo and Khoi Van of Minnesota’s Winona State University were involved in a money scheme in which they utilized companies such as eBay to sell software or gift cards, then used stolen credit card numbers to fulfill the orders. The incoming funds were then moved to offshore accounts, and by the time the credit card companies or the manufacturers realized the fraudulent activity, the money was already gone.

The situation is being investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security as part of a possible international crime ring based in Vietnam. Victims from around the world are receiving letters regarding new accounts and customer sign-ups that they had not activated. This is why identity theft protection services such as Debix or Lifelock can come in handy for unsuspecting online shoppers. Such services will protect your identity from being stolen, and can detect unusual and suspicious activities to ensure you are protected from such illegal activities.

International Credit Card Scam

Yet another large scale credit card scam has been found and stopped by the Federal Trade Commission. This latest one involved over $10 million in unauthorized credit and debit card charges and affected over a million Americans. An interesting thing about it is that it’s possible thousands of the victims didn’t even notice they were part of this scam since the thieves made charges of only about $10 on each stolen credit or debit card.

Another reason victims may not have figured out they were scammed is because the thieves used fake company names that were close to the names of real companies to filter the charges through. For example, a person could receive a charge on his or her statement from Amazen.com instead of Amazon.com and be none the wiser.

The people that did notice the bogus charges on their bank statements weren’t much luckier either. If they called a number that was associated with the charge in order to try and dispute it, they got either an answering machine or found out that the number was disconnected altogether.

So how did the scammers get the numbers in the first place? It’s likely a lot of them came from phishing emails, where the scammers pose as legitimate companies and encourage people to make purchases or log in to fake accounts. It’s also possible that they got them through hacking or through low tech methods like simply stealing people’s wallets.

Possibly the worst thing to come out of this case is the fact that the vast majority of victims didn’t even know they were victims. How horrible would it be to know that a thief has had your personal information, in some instances for five years, without your realizing it? You never know where it could end up next.

This is a great advertisement for an identity theft protection service. If these people had one in place, they probably wouldn’t be in the dark. The point of a plan is to allow individuals to be notified right away if someone that shouldn’t have has access to their credit. It’s not out of the question for someone to not notice a charge that is relatively small, but a plan should be able to catch it.

It’s also important to continue to check your statements each month even if you have an identity theft protection plan. Looking for unauthorized charges is a good habit to get into, and it can also help you get a good idea of how you are spending your money.

Getting Rid of Cookies is not Just Dieting Advice

When you think of cookies, you may think of those round bastions of sugary goodness or of a shaggy blue monster on Sesame Street. However, there is another type of cookie that could affect your security on the Web. These cookies are pieces of code that website owners use to give them a better idea of who is visiting the site and help to cater the site to these visitors. For example, a commerce site may use cookies to keep track of items you put in the virtual shopping cart.

These cookies are not malicious in theory. However, they can become a problem when they are used to store sensitive information, such as usernames and session IDs. If someone else sits down at your machine and cookies such as these are still in use, it won’t be too hard for that person to access your accounts. Not such a big deal on your personal computer but a lost laptop can prove dangerous.

A lot of people don’t know this, and some may not even know that any type of cookies exist besides the sugary variety. It’s important to not only be aware of cookies, but to be aware of how to remove them. While it is possible to set your virus protection software to not accept cookies from any sites, it’s not a very practical solution since there are a whole lot of them that simply will not function without this feature.

The easiest thing to do is delete all of the cookies on your machine after each online session. To do so, go to the tools menu and look for an option that says either “delete cookies” or “clear private data.” On some older browsers, you may need to go into a specific security menu.

If you have never deleted the cookies from your computer, the process could take a while. It’s important that you don’t shut your computer down until it is completely finished. As long as you clear them after every session, it will only take a couple minutes tops for every subsequent time.

Another option is to set your browser so that it deletes cookies automatically. To do so, look for a privacy option, which is usually under the options or tools menu. For example, the newest version of Firefox gives you an option to have your browser delete them every time you close it. This is a great choice for people who can be a bit absentminded; say those who forget to turn their computers off period, let alone to delete the cookies.

It’s just as important to keep up on your antivirus software, since deleting cookies will not do anything to keep malware off of your machine; malware meaning any program that is designed to plainly do bad things to your computer, such as grab your personal information, crash your operating system or take screenshots and send them to a third party.

An identity theft protection plan is a good idea for when the best laid plans fail. All three of these things together can make you one of the safest Web navigators out there.

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