Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security: Phone Scams a Concern for Consumers, Voters, and Even Businesses Themselves

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(BOSTON, Mass. – Nov. 19, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Last week reports indicated that John McCain’s campaign asked the New Hampshire attorney general to explore an alleged phone call scam related to the presidential primary there. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, said phone scammers target many demographics. According to Siciliano, consumers, banks, and others must beware of phone scams designed to extract sensitive financial information from those called or in other ways to take advantage of unsuspecting victims.

“The phone is a form of communication fraught with susceptibilities to fraud and other less-than-scrupulous activities,” said Siciliano. “Consumers, voters, and even entire institutions and organizations must take steps to minimize their risk of getting duped by phone scammers.”

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.

On Nov. 16, the Associated Press reported that campaign officials for John McCain, the Republican Senator from Arizona running for president, had asked the New Hampshire attorney general to investigate what the article described as phone calls to voters from those who “[were pretending] to be polls but raise[d] questions about rival candidate Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith — and [were making] favorable statements about McCain.” The report went on to attribute these alleged calls (known as “push polling”) to a professional phone bank based in Utah.

“Never assume a supposedly official phone call indeed is,” said Siciliano. “No matter whom or what the caller professes to represent, the whole thing could be illegitimate.”

Siciliano said misleading phone calls can be a tool for fraudsters. Following are two of many phone scams that have taken place in November alone:

• On Nov 8, the Joliet, Ill.-based Herald News reported that residents in an area the publication covers had contacted police about phone calls that, evidently, were made by inmates of a nearby prison. The perpetrators allegedly encouraged those they called to dial a phone number that began with star (*) 72, the code that engages most phones’ call-forwarding feature. This gained the scammers access to the victims’ phones to make calls by proxy, incurring no charges themselves.

• “KTVZ News Channel 21” reported on Nov. 9 that phone scammers operating out of Iowa with an 888-number and purporting to be representatives of, alternately, Bank of the Cascades or U.S. Bank had called “hundreds if not thousands of Central Oregonians” in attempts to obtain the targets’ sensitive financial information. The scam, according to the report, prompted many to alert law enforcement authorities and the banks involved.

“Anyone who suspects that he or she has been the target of a phone scammer must watch for the possible consequences,” said Siciliano. “These include identity theft and fraud, not to mention the potential of being stalked. Report any strange phone activity to the authorities.”

Readers may view YouTube video below of Siciliano on “FOX News,” explaining how the ubiquity of Social Security numbers as universal identifiers helps thieves. Those wishing to learn how to 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, blog, and YouTube page.

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

The media may also contact:

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

Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security Offers Nine Tips to Help Holiday Travelers Reduce Their Risk of Falling Prey to Crime

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(BOSTON, Mass. – Nov. 16, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) A number of reports have, as in years’ past, cited the sharp spike in travel expected over the holiday season, which is set to begin next week. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, offered advice for all travelers to follow, helping them to avoid falling prey to predators and other criminals while away from home.

“Criminals love it when we’re distracted,” said Robert Siciliano. “They’re best able to steal from us, or assault us, when we’re off guard, and travelers are often most likely to be so. Luckily, we can implement simple measures to reduce our risks.”

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, consumer protection, and personal security issues such as self-defense on numerous television outlets, including CNBC, on NBC’s “Today Show,” and FOX News.

On Nov. 14, CarJunky.com published an article on safe driving tips, and on the same day, the Monticello Herald Journal quoted law enforcement officials saying the day for Thanksgiving sees the most travel of the season. Siciliano shared nine tips designed to help holiday travelers stay safe during this time of year:

1. Securing your mobile computing equipment: Reports of laptop thefts have dominate the news. Those planning to bring work with them on their holiday travels should secure their mobile computing equipment with technology that guards and retrieves the data on these machines once in the hands of thieves. Once such product, MyLaptopGPS™, allows users, from a remote location, not only to retrieve and delete data from the lost machine, but also to track the device’s whereabouts with Internet-based GPS tracking.

2. Protecting your identity: It may seem old-fashioned, but consider paying with cash whenever possible; even better, try travelers’ checks. Plastic is susceptible to fraud. For instance, unscrupulous wait staff might use a wedge-type device to illegally swipe and capture patrons’ credit card information. A traveler should remember to be careful with credit cards and, also, to exercise caution when divulging a Social Security number. To learn more about identity theft, readers may watch video of Siciliano at VideoJug.

3. Understanding the fundamentals: Body language is 55 percent of communication. Strive to appear in control of yourself and your plans. Be alert to your surroundings. At all times, know what is going on 50 feet to 100 feet around the perimeter of your body. Voice tone and pitch equal 35 percent of communication. The way you communicate physically and verbally can determine whether a predator deems you a good target, so be confident and succinct.

4. Airport awareness: Airports are havens for criminals. Pay full attention to your belongings when airport security screens you. Fully cooperate with security personnel and be patient. Beware of strangers who are distracting or watching you.

5. Preventing abductions: Returning to a parked car, scan the area around it and watch for suspicious activity. Vans are telltale signs of foul play waiting to happen. Abductors and rapist will open the side door and pull their victims inside.

6. Pickpockets and thieves: Do not fight over material items. Carry currency in small amounts and denominations. Keep it in an easily accessible pocket. If someone tries to rob you, throw the “chump change” several feet away. This will distract the robber and give you time to escape.

7. Telephone basics: Protect your calling card number. Be wary of everyone around you as you enter this number. In airports, thieves could be videotaping a “going away” couple right behind you as you punch in your digits. The person standing at the phone next to you could be relaying your number to an accomplice.

8. Rental cars and transportation: Hide rental agreements, dead giveaways that you are traveling. Keep these off the dash. Don’t store valuables in the trunk, as many rental cars use a universal key to unlock everything. If you lose the ignition key, you may very well lose everything. Should you find yourself in a minor accident, stop only in a well-lit area. Carjackers provoke such “accidents” just to get travelers to stop. Do not stop on a deserted, dark street.

9. Staying at the hotel: Be suspicious of a call from the hotel desk just after check-in. The person on the other end of the phone may request verification of your credit card number “because the imprint was unreadable.” In reality, a thief may have watched you enter the hotel room and called from the guest phone in the lobby.

“On your way to visit family, make regular calls to loved ones and let them know where you are,” Siciliano concluded. “This ensures that they’ll have the most accurate idea possible of your whereabouts should a predator get the best of you.”

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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, blog, and YouTube page.

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

The media may also contact:

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

Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security Points to Increasingly Brazen Laptop Thefts as Reason for Firms to Rethink Mobile Computer Security

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(BOSTON, Mass. – Nov. 12, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Reports over just the past two weeks underscored the ease and brazenness with which thieves can steal laptop computers. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, said the unrelenting pace of laptop computer theft is a symptom of poor security choices. According to Siciliano, smart organizations have yet more reason to rethink the measures they take to secure mobile computing devices. He pointed to MyLaptopGPS™.

“At least seventy thousand personal data files have possibly fallen into the hands of criminals as the result of laptop computers reported stolen in just the past two-week timeframe,” said Siciliano. “But laptop computer security is in fact an affordable, feasible proposition. Those who store their customers’, employees, and other constituents’ sensitive data on mobile computing devices owe it to these people to avail themselves of security technologies from companies such as MyLaptopGPS, which tracks stolen laptops with Internet-based GPS and allows users from remote locations to delete files on stolen machines.”

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.

The St. Petersburg Times reported on Oct. 28 that one man stole 150 laptops from various corporations’ offices in five states during the time period of 2002 through the spring of this year. Arrested in April, the “Khaki Bandit,” according to reports, gained access to office buildings by closely shadowing security personnel’s entry. Once inside, he allegedly stole the machines in plain sight of nearby workers.

Reports continued to indicate that laptop theft is rampant. The following laptop thefts, all reported during the past two weeks, put more than 70,000 people at risk of becoming victims of identity thieves and other financial fraudsters:

  • The Nov.8th edition of The Charlotte Observer reported the loss of a laptop computer belonging to the Cabarrus County Emergency Medical Services. Names, addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers for about 28,000 who had received are at the healthcare facility were stored on the lost device, according to the article, which reported that Cabarrus County spent $17,676 just to print and mail letters of warning to those whose data may now be in the hands of criminals.
  • A Nov. 5th story in The Ticker, City University of New York’s campus newspaper, reported the theft from that learning institution of a laptop containing more than 23,000 financial aid–receiving students’ names and Social Security numbers. The article noted that the security of password protection varies widely.
  • On Oct. 30th, “WZZM 13 News” reported that up to 18,000 current and potential students of Big Rapids, Mich.–based Ferris State University were at risk of identity theft; a laptop computer stolen from an admissions recruiter’s car contained their names, addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, email addresses, academic information, and student identification numbers.
  • According to an Oct. 29th report from “KGMB9 News,” a laptop belonging to the U.S. Postal Service and stolen in August contained confidential data on nearly 3,000 postal employees in Oahu, Hawaii. The report indicated that authorities who waited to inform the affected employees did so because they hadn’t known of the file’s existence on the lost machine.

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.

“Robust security for laptop computers makes good business sense,” said Dan Yost, chief technology officer at MyLaptopGPS. “Financial and other contingencies that arise from the theft of even just one laptop computer can be prohibitive. The cost alone of informing those possibly affected can reach into the thousands of dollars. MyLaptopGPS is the logical alternative.”

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