Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security: Studies into Low-Tech and High-Tech Versions of the Crime Reveal that Data Online and Off-line Both at Risk

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(BOSTON, Mass. – Oct. 31, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Earlier this month, data from members of a U.K.-based fraud-prevention association showed that the incidence of financial fraud rose there in the third quarter of 2007. Much of the reported crime was of the low-tech variety. But elsewhere, research into heretofore-closed United States Secret Service cases suggested that identity theft stemming from low-tech crime is on the wane. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, said consumers worldwide must consider all their personal data, online and off-line, to be potential contraband for identity thieves.

“Any kind of data, in any form, must be handled properly by its owner,” said Siciliano. “Anything less invites the activity of identity thieves, who always seek the path of least resistance, whether that is in the physical world or the virtual one. Consumers and industry alike must consider all of their data to be susceptible.”

CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients in workshops that explore consumer education solutions for security issues. An experienced identity theft speaker and author of “The Safety Minute: 01,” he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, on NBC’s “Today Show,” FOX News, and elsewhere.

According to an Oct. 26th news release, members of the industry association CIFAS, which bills itself as the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service, reported a rise in most types of financial fraud over earlier quarters of this year, as well as compared to the same time period in 2006. CIFAS is a 270-member organization comprising those in banking, the credit card industry, asset finance, retail credit, mail order, insurance, investment management, telecommunications, factoring, and share dealing.

While member organizations saw a modest 1 percent decline in identity fraud, the incidence of a kind of identity fraud known as current address fraud rose by more than 50 percent. With current address fraud, the fraudster lives at the “current address” given on the fraudulent application, but only shares the property with the victim. The top-five false or stolen documents used for identity fraud during the period were, in descending order, non-U.K. passports, utility bills, bank statements, U.K. passports, photo card driving licenses.

In tandem, an Oct. 22nd news release from the Center for Identity Management and Information Protection (CIMIP) announced the organization’s research into the nature of 517 previously sealed U.S. Secret Service cases on identity theft, all of which took place between 2000 and 2006. This first-ever study of such records yielded findings such as:

  • Organized criminal activity accounted for more than 40 percent of the crimes
  • Criminals in nearly half of the cases utilized the Internet or other technology
  • Only one-fifth of the other approximately 50 percent of cases resulted from low-tech techniques such as change of address or dumpster diving

“Here we see differences,” said Siciliano. “Whereas one study reveals that low-tech fraud is alive and well, another suggests that it’s a relatively small contributor to the incidence of identity theft and fraud. But, extrapolated to the millions of data records reported stolen in the past few years, even one-fifth of one-half of cases is a great deal. The fact f the matter is that this crime is both low-tech and high-tech. These criminals are hitting victims from all angles.”

Readers may view YouTube video of Siciliano on “FOX News,” explaining how the ubiquity of Social Security numbers as universal identifiers helps thieves who obtain information following data breaches. Those wishing to learn how to further protect themselves against identity theft, may view video of Siciliano at VideoJug.

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About IDTheftSecurity.com
Identity theft affects us all. Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients.

A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on “The Today Show,” CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, “FOX News,” “The Suze Orman Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” “Sally Jesse Raphael,” “The Howard Stern Show,” and “Inside Edition.” The Privacy Learning Institute features him on its Website. Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters, and others.

Visit Siciliano’s Web site, http://www.IDTheftSecurity.com; blog, http://robertsiciliano.com/blog; and YouTube page, http://youtube.com/stungundotcom.

The media are encouraged to get in touch with Siciliano directly:

Robert Siciliano
Personal Security Expert
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com

Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security Says Affordable and Simple Security Measures Make Consequences of Laptop Theft Unnecessary

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(BOSTON, Mass. – Oct. 26, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Reports from just one day this month indicated that high-profile mobile computer thefts led to the loss of personal data on nearly 175,000 individuals. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, said the frenetic pace of data loss at the hands of laptop computer thieves is inexcusable and unnecessary. He urged organizations of all kinds to use technology such as Internet-based GPS to track their fleets of laptop computers.

“Some of the information lost this month may represent a national security risk,” said Siciliano. “Yet we wouldn’t have to face these types of consequences of laptop computer theft if only organizations would adopt and implement simple, affordable technology designed to track, retrieve, and protect the data stored on lost mobile computers.”

CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients in workshops that explore consumer education solutions for security issues. A longtime identity theft speaker and author of “The Safety Minute: 01,” he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, on NBC’s “Today Show,” FOX News, and elsewhere.

One day, Oct. 16, 2007, saw reports on laptop thefts that potentially exposed nearly 175,000 unique personal data records to thieves:

  • SC Magazine reported the theft of three laptop computers belonging to the Transportation Security Administration. Among those whose personal information was stored on the machines were commercial truck drivers who transport hazardous materials. Data included names, addresses, birthdays, commercial driver’s license numbers, and some Social Security numbers.
  • The Orlando-Sentinel reported the theft of a laptop computer from Administaff Inc., a temporary employment agency serving the Central Florida business community. According to the article, the company alerted 159,000 past and current workers that the loss might have compromised their personal data, which the machine had housed unencrypted.
  • TheBostonChannel.com reported that the theft in Massachusetts of a laptop computer belonging to Home Depot placed the personal data on 10,000 employees at risk.

But the day was no exception; laptop theft continues unabated. A Sept. 28th news release reported that the personal data for approximately 800,000 people who applied online or by phone for store positions at one of Gap Inc.’s brands between July 2006 and June 2007 had gone missing. Their data, according to the release, had been stored on a laptop stolen from the offices of a third-party vendor tasked with managing the job applications.

Organizations that need an affordable, simple solution for laptop security may turn to MyLaptopGPS™. The product combines Internet-based GPS tracking — which, for tracking and retrieving stolen laptops, is more effective than other forms of GPS — with other functionalities to secure mobile computing devices. Users launch MyLaptopGPS’ features remotely, protecting data even while the machine is in a criminal’s hands. Once connected to the Internet, the software silently retrieves, and then deletes, files from machines as it tracks the stolen or missing hardware — at once returning the data to its rightful owner and removing it from the lost computer.

MyLaptopGPS also offers SafeRegistry™, a comprehensive system for inventorying entire fleets of mobile computers. A downloadable demo of MyLaptopGPS is available.

“The loss of a laptop computer to theft doesn’t have to spell doom for those whose personal data are stored on the lost device’s hard drive,” said Dan Yost, chief technology officer at MyLaptopGPS. “If only industry would use technology like MyLaptopGPS’s, such events would indeed be nonevents; from a remote location, officials would be able to safely retrieve and delete any sensitive information unbeknownst to the thief, and eventually recover the stolen machine.”

The October 2007 issue of Bank Fraud & IT Security Report, a newsletter published only in hard copy, ran “The Seven Layers of Laptop Security,” an article by Siciliano and Yost. A white paper adaptation of that article is available from MyLaptopGPS.

Readers may view YouTube video of “NBC 7 Chicago” footage featuring Yost delivering comments for a televised news report that covered the April 2007 theft of two laptops that stored 40,000 Chicago Public School teachers’ Social Security numbers. To learn more about identity theft, a major concern for anyone who has been affected by the theft of a laptop computer, readers may go to video of Siciliano at VideoJug.

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About MyLaptopGPS

  Since 1984, Tri-8, Inc. (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) has specialized in complete system integration. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been serving leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems that simply work. With MyLaptopGPS™, Tri-8, Inc. brings a level of expertise, dedication, knowledge and service that is unmatched. MyLaptopGPS™’s rock-solid performance, security, and reliability flow directly from the company’s commitment to top-notch software products and services for almost 25 years.

About IDTheftSecurity.com

  Identity theft affects us all, and Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on “The Today Show,” CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, “FOX News,” “The Suze Orman Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” “Sally Jesse Raphael,” “The Howard Stern Show,” and “Inside Edition.” The Privacy Learning Institute features him on its Website. Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters, and others.

For more information, visit Siciliano’s Web site, blog, and YouTube page.

The media are encouraged to get in touch with any of the following individuals:

John Dunivan
  MyLaptopGPS Media Relations
  PHONE: (405) 747-6654 (direct line)
  jd@MyLaptopGPS.com
  http://www.MyLaptopGPS.com

Robert Siciliano, Personal Security Expert
  CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
  PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
  FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
  Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
  http://www.idtheftsecurity.com

Brent W. Skinner
  President & CEO of STETrevisions
  PHONE: 617-875-4859
  FAX: 866-663-6557
  BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.biz
  http://www.STETrevisions.biz

Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security Cites Research in Call for Organizations of All Kinds to Improve Their Mobile Computing Security Measures

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(BOSTON, Mass. – Oct. 10, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) According to reports, researchers in the U.K. have found that security there is not a priority for those in charge of the many devices and business networks that enable computer users to be mobile. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, said the research, combined with news of recent thefts of laptop computers belonging to major U.S. universities’ professors, underscored the fact that organizations of kinds must take mobile computing security seriously.

“Whether in the U.S. or the U.K.,” said Siciliano, “the security surrounding laptop computers and the tools that enable their users to be mobile and connected is evidently still lacking. And yet technologies such as Internet-based GPS and electronic inventorying are easy to use and cost pennies to the thousands, even millions, of dollars that typify data security snafus.”

CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report’s editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients in workshops that explore consumer education solutions for security issues. A longtime identity theft speaker and author of “The Safety Minute: 01,” he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, on NBC’s “Today Show,” FOX News, and elsewhere.

So far this fall, laptop computers at two major U.S. universities have been stolen. Both computers were under professors’ custody when they went missing. One of the incidents occurred at the University of Iowa and, according to the report in the Oct. 8th DesMoines Register, placed 100 students’ Social Security numbers at risk. Students at Carnegie Mellon University faced similar concerns when two laptop computers containing Social Security numbers were stolen from a computer science professor’s office, according to an Oct. 8th report in the school’s paper, The Tartan.

Last month, vnunet.com reported on the Benchmark of IT Strategy 2007, a report produced by the Manchester, U.K.-based National Computing Centre. According to the Sept. 6th article in vnunet.com, although data from the report suggested that attention to laptop security is on the rise, findings from the report also revealed that “40 percent of respondents have either not secured, or only partially secured, their wireless networks” and that “only 11 percent have any kind of security system in place to govern” the use of portable storage devices.

“Wireless networks, portable storage devices, and the like are often used in conjunction with, and facilitate, mobile computing,” said Siciliano. “Any lack of attention to the security of these elements eventually affects the security of laptop computers themselves.”

Organizations that need an affordable, simple solution for laptop security may turn to MyLaptopGPS™. The product combines Internet-based GPS tracking — which, for tracking and retrieving stolen laptops, is more effective than other forms of GPS — with other functionalities to secure mobile computing devices. Users launch MyLaptopGPS’ features remotely, protecting data even while the machine is in a criminal’s hands. Once connected to the Internet, the software silently retrieves, and then deletes, files from machines as it tracks the stolen or missing hardware — at once returning the data to its rightful owner and removing it from the lost computer.

MyLaptopGPS also offers SafeRegistry™, a comprehensive system for inventorying entire fleets of mobile computers. A downloadable demo of MyLaptopGPS is available.

“Laptop computers, along with the ancillary devices and networks that make them truly mobile in functionality, are ripe targets for thieves,” said Dan Yost, chief technology officer at MyLaptopGPS. “Smart organizations acknowledge this and take actions to counter the threat, and MyLaptopGPS’s products give their actions teeth by providing intuitive, robust, and affordable mobile computing security, a major cornerstone of the effort to thwart high-tech criminals.”

The October 2007 issue of Bank Fraud & IT Security Report, a newsletter published only in hard copy, ran an article by Siciliano and Yost on the seven layers of laptop computer security. Readers may view YouTube video below of “NBC 7 Chicago” footage featuring Yost delivering comments for a televised news report that covered the April 2007 theft of two laptops that stored 40,000 Chicago Public School teachers’ Social Security numbers. To learn more about identity theft, a major concern for anyone who has been affected by the theft of a laptop computer, readers may go to video of Siciliano at VideoJug.

###

About MyLaptopGPS

Since 1984, Tri-8, Inc. (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) has specialized in complete system integration. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been serving leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems that simply work. With MyLaptopGPS™, Tri-8, Inc. brings a level of expertise, dedication, knowledge and service that is unmatched. MyLaptopGPS™’s rock-solid performance, security, and reliability flow directly from the company’s commitment to top-notch software products and services for almost 25 years.

About IDTheftSecurity.com

Identity theft affects us all, and Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report’s editorial board, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on “The Today Show,” CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, “FOX News,” “The Suze Orman Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” “Sally Jesse Raphael,” “The Howard Stern Show,” and “Inside Edition.” The Privacy Learning Institute features him on its Website. Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters, and others.

For more information, visit Siciliano’s Web site, blog, and YouTube page.

The media are encouraged to get in touch with any of the following individuals:

John Dunivan
MyLaptopGPS Media Relations
PHONE: (405) 747-6654 (direct line)
jd@MyLaptopGPS.com
www.MyLaptopGPS.com

Robert Siciliano, Personal Security Expert
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com

Brent W. Skinner
President & CEO of STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.biz
www.STETrevisions.biz