LifeLock (3)

Be smart when using your smartphone

March 5, 2012 – 8:54 am

Everyone is on Facebook. Everyone has a Twitter account. And everyone is on Pinterest. At least, that’s the way it seems.

An annual study took a look at social media and identity theft, and found that those who use social media are making it much easier for identity thieves to steal their personal information. In other words, these folks are posting too much of their “business.”

People who use LinkedIn, Google, Facebook and Twitter have been found to have the highest number of identity theft incidents. Sixty-eight percent of those using social media share their birth dates, 63 percent share the names of their high schools, 18 percent share their phone numbers, and 12 percent share the name of their pets.

On top of this, many of us are carrying smartphones, which house some of our most personal and financial information. Seven percent of smartphone users fall victim to identity theft. Why? Because most people don’t update to a new operating system when it becomes available, and most don’t use a password on their phones. This means that if the phone is lost or stolen, anyone can access the information it contains.

Make sure you protect yourself. Don’t make your passwords easy, and don’t use the same one for every site you use. Make sure you keep your phone protected, using a password. Many phones come with a remote data swipe feature, which allows you to use a computer to get rid of the data on your phone. If you’ve got this feature, make sure you’re prepared to use it – and fast – if your phone goes missing.

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By admin | Posted in identity theft risks | Tagged Identity theft, LifeLock, mobile phone safety, online safety, smartphones | Comments (0)

Scammers are targeting children for ID theft

March 2, 2012 – 9:18 am





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					By admin
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					Posted in child identity theft protection
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					Tagged child identity theft, Identity theft, identity theft protection, LifeLock
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				Protect your business from identity theft
				February 29, 2012 – 11:12 am
				
Although identity theft is a growing crime, business identity theft is something that not a lot of people are familiar with. Identity thieves dig through trash to get the information they need, or they can do something as complicated as hacking into databases. 
If you are a business owner, and you’re not taking precautions to protect your business and your customers, you have a giant target on your back. To prevent this type of theft, you need to follow some basic security practices to protect your customers’ personal and financial information, and you need to make sure that your computer networks are well protected.
Here are some things you can do to prevent business identity theft.
• Install locks and alarms at your place of business, if you haven’t already.

• Store your business and customer records under lock and key. This goes for your database and system backups as well.

• Shred documents you don’t need that contain your business and financial information, as well as the personal and financial information of your customers.

• If someone calls you seeking information about your business, or specific personal or financial information about one of your customers, use extra caution. It’s very likely the caller is a thief.

• Make sure you limit access to your computers. All computers should be password protected, and only allow those employees who must have access to do their jobs to have those passwords.

• Set up firewalls on your computers, and keep your operating system updated.

• Restrict Internet access and use by employees. You don’t want someone downloading something that could harbor malware.

• If you don’t have a set policy on online security or the education of employees, you need to develop them. Put together a manual regarding the issues of security and threats, such as identity theft and what to do about them, including what to do when an employee leaves or is terminated.
Make sure your prevention efforts are ongoing – this isn’t a one-shot deal. Make sure your business is so well protected that thieves will think twice before even trying.



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					By admin
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					Posted in business identity theft
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					Tagged business identity theft, Identity theft, LifeLock
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				Number of identity theft victims rose last year
				February 27, 2012 – 8:53 am
				
The number of incidents of identity theft rose in 2011 by 13 percent, with 11.6 million people falling victim last year. According to a recent survey, the culprits are smartphones and social media.
The survey found that people are generally negligent when it comes to protecting their smartphones – most people don’t even protect their smartphones with passwords. The other area people fall short in is social media, with the bulk of those using sites like Twitter and Facebook posting too much personal information on the sites. These behaviors can lead to identity theft.
Certain social media behaviors have been shown to put users at risk, but people don’t heed the warnings. A recent study found that of those who have public profiles, 68 percent share their birthday information, 63 percent share their high school, and 12 percent share their pet’s name. Eighteen percent have even shared their telephone number. 
To protect yourself and your information, keep your personal data private. Use passwords to keep your data secure, and don’t store your passwords on any electronic device. Never pay your bills when using public Wi-Fi service, and keep your personal information on social networking sites private. 
When it comes to your smartphone, make sure you are careful about what apps you download and that they are from trusted sources. You should also be extra careful about the data you share on public Wi-Fi, and don’t just leave your phone laying around anywhere. 



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					By admin
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					Posted in Identity theft
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					Tagged Identity theft, identity theft protection, LifeLock, smartphones, Wi-Fi
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				Keep your signature safe
				February 24, 2012 – 9:16 am
				




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					By admin
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					Posted in identity theft risks
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					Tagged identity fraud, Identity theft, LifeLock, signature theft
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				‘New’ IRS scam in circulation
				February 22, 2012 – 9:37 am
				
A new scam is making the rounds, starting off the tax season on a sour note. The newest version of this old scam involves an e-mail that bears the IRS logo, and even shows  toll-free number and hours of operation. 
The text reads: “Dear Accountant Officer, Hereby you are notified that your Tax Appeal id#(random numbers) has been DECLINED. If you believe the IRS did not properly examine your case due to a misunderstanding of the situation, be ready to submit additional information. You can access the rejection report and re-submit your appeal using the folioing link Online Tax Appeal (appears as a link).” The verbiage is signed, “Internal Revenue Service.”
You should note immediately that this is a phony e-mail, because the IRS does not e-mail taxpayers. But there are a couple of other red flags as well. First, the sender is listed as “Buddy Shields at irs.com.” The official IRS website is www.irs.gov. 
Second, the e-mail shows multiple recipients. The IRS would not send out an e-mail regarding your taxes to you, much less a generic message to several people.  The e-mail also comes to the recipient several times, from several alleged IRS agents, and each e-mail is just a little different, but the overall message remains the same. 
Last of all, if you hover your cursor over the link contained in the e-mail, you’ll see it  doesn’t connect to the IRS; it takes you to another URL on a server located in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
If you receive such an e-mail or anything similar, do not click on any associated links, and delete the message. 



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					By admin
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					Posted in tax scams
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					Tagged Identity theft, IRS, LifeLock, tax fraud, tax scams, tax season
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				IRS names identity theft as its No. 1 threat
				February 20, 2012 – 9:48 am
				
The IRS has released its Dirty Dozen list, an annual ranking of tax scams. Topping the list once again is identity theft. 
Because of the growing issue of identity theft as related to tax returns, the IRS has embarked on a comprehensive strategy focused on preventing, detecting and resolving identity theft as soon as possible. In recent days, the IRS worked with federal law enforcement officials to crack a nationwide identity theft ring. The IRS has also stepped up internal efforts, in order to spot false tax returns before the refunds are issued. 
One of the most common scams thieves use to get a taxpayer’s Social Security number is by sending an official-looking IRS notice via e-mail or calling the victim. The notice or caller asks the victim to verify Social Security information in order to prevent the holdup of the victim’s tax refund, or to provide the victim with a refund that was unexpected.
In many cases, a thief will steal the victim’s SSN and the victim has no idea until he or she receives a notice from the IRS via mail – the only legitimate way the IRS contacts taxpayers – rejecting the victim’s tax return because one has already been filed using that SSN or because the victim received wages from an unknown employer. 
If you believe your personal information has been used to file a fraudulent tax return, contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit. For more information, go online at www.IRS.gov/identitytheft. 



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					By admin
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					Posted in Tax Refund Fraud
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					Tagged Dirty Dozen, Identity theft, IRS, LifeLock, tax scams
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				Protect your children against identity theft
				February 17, 2012 – 8:42 am
				




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					By admin
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					Posted in child identity theft
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					Tagged child identity theft, Identity theft, LifeLock, Social Security number theft
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				Survey finds people ‘ignorant’ and careless
				February 15, 2012 – 8:38 am
				
A recent survey of 500 people found that those surveyed were aware of the possible risks of sharing personal information during a transaction – 88 percent said they worried that the information shared during the transaction could become part of a data breach.
The same survey showed that people trusted retailers the least when it comes to prevention of data breaches, followed by credit card companies. 
But the same group of concerned people proved to be somewhat careless when it comes to online safety. Only 31 percent reported having a unique password for each online site they use. Not doing so increases your risk of identity theft. 
Tax preparers also made those surveyed itchy. Fifty-three percent said they are concerned about identity theft when it comes to filing their taxes using a tax preparer. More than 50 percent of those surveyed said they just assume there is risk and file their taxes online. 
Respondents also indicated they are fairly ignorant of the methods the IRS uses to initiate contact with taxpayers. Forty percent felt the IRS would legitimately contact them using e-mail, mail or phone. The IRS does not contact taxpayers via e-mail. 
If you use a tax preparer, make sure you are working with a credible firm. If you file online, use a secured computer, and make sure that your firewalls and anti-spyware protection is put to date. If you mail in your taxes, make sure you do so at the post office. Don’t leave your return in an unsecured mailbox to be picked up.



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					By admin
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					Posted in identity theft risks
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					Tagged IRS, LifeLock, tax fraud, tax preparation, taxes
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				What if your doctor loses his smartphone containing your info?
				February 13, 2012 – 9:21 am
				
What if your doctor accesses your health information over his cell phone, and then loses the cell phone? It could slip into the wrong hands, and then your information would be at risk for identity theft. 
The scenario is a very real threat. Data breaches grew 32 percent last year, mainly because of employee negligence and lack of oversight. Nearly four out of five doctors use smartphones, and more than half of those surveyed said they do not take precautions to encrypt information, despite using their phones to access patient information. 
With hackers and identity thieves getting more sophisticated in their methods each day, it’s not far-fetched to say that today’s identity theft security measures are just not enough tomorrow. But there are things you an do to protect yourself and minimize your exposure.
Don’t store your passwords, and never use your name, your child’s name or an obvious sequence of numbers. Set up a different password for each online account. Use upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters in your passwords. 
Don’t respond to online and unsolicited requests for personal or financial information. And if you are asked by a doctor’s office or other business to provide personal or financial information, find out how it will used and stored first. 
You can’t control some aspects of how your information is put “out there” – the example of a doctor losing his smartphone is the perfect example of this. But you can protect yourself. Go online at www.lifelock.com to find out more. 



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					By admin
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					Posted in data breach protection
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					Tagged data breaches, Identity theft, LifeLock, medical identity theft, online security, smartphone security
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