Family Starts Rebuilding After Home Invasion

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

Imagine you’ve lived at your home for a number of years, but it doesn’t feel like home anymore. It used to be a place that was comforting and soothing; a place of security where you didn’t have to “worry.”

But then your home is burglarized. Your home is ransacked; your home life has been violated. The sense of home security is gone. This is what happened to the Bastyr family.

“I hear every little noise,” Colleen Bastyr said. “I’m always looking through the windows to see if someone is there. When someone knocks at the door – or we hear a sound – my daughter hides.”

Imagine. It makes me want to break something when I read that. People who have worked their whole lives, raising a family and doing the right thing are made to feel fear in their own home because someone needed to get a fix, or for fun or some other stupid reason. It’s just not fair.

The family had left the home, locked, but apparently no alarm, to take the husband to the hospital for a surgery. When they came home the lights were on and a ladder was leaning up against the home with a window open.

The house was in shambles. Tables, chairs, dresser draws, everything turned upside down.

“The burglar(s) had scribbled all over the walls, cabinets, floors, chairs and couches in red fingernail polish, Colleen recalls. The curtains were all torn up and the couches had been cut apart with a knife.

The burglar(s) then took ketchup, mustard and salsa out of the refrigerator and poured it all over the Bastyr’s bedroom mattress. Colleen also found that her cabinets, refrigerator and oven range had been smashed, holes were kicked in the doors, and dresser drawers had been dumped on the floor, along with all the shelves and clothes in the family’s closets.”

All told there was $30,000 in damage done. The only stolen item was a laptop computer. Seems the family came home and scared the burglars/vandals away.

From now on the home is a reminder of that terrible day. Some say, it could have been worse, fortunately nobody was hurt, they have their health. Yes, and that is all true. While gaining perspective certainly helps cope, it doesn’t change what happened.  When a person’s sense of home security is violated in that way, their sense of life is no longer the same.

“At this point we have each other and that’s what matters,” she added. “We won’t let them bring us down. We won’t let them win.” And life goes on.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert, to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Montel Williams Show (Disclosures)

Targeted Injection Attacks on the Rise

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

In the latter half of 2009, criminal hackers went from mass SQL injection campaigns to targeted attacks. SQL is abbreviation of Structured Query Language. Pronounced  ”Ess Que El” or ”Sequel”. The attackers shift in strategy focused on targeting high-profile websites, concluded Websense’s State of Internet Security report for the third and fourth quarter of 2009.

SQL injections have evolved in their purpose and sophistication. Originally meant as a tool to attack a merchant’s database and steal data. The attack was reconfigured last summer to install viruses on users’ computers that contain a remote control component.

Matt Chambers with Corporate IT Solutions says, “Web applications are one of the most outward facing components a corporation contains in its network design, and one of the least protected. Applications typically take input information and send it to a database for storage and processing. We interact with these kinds of applications every day, whether it’s a signup form or a login page for a favorite networking site.”

Patrik Runald, senior manager of security research at Websense, told SCMagazineUS.com “The bad guys are going after high-profile, high-volume websites, instead of going after the smaller websites, which are easier to inject code into.”

The report says attackers increasingly launched targeted attacks, which often start with an email containing a malicious link. During the second half of 2009, 81 per cent of email contained a malicious link, the report states.

When an employee receives a spear phish, based on information gathered from the companie’s website, and that employee clicks that link, the link may download a program that disables the companies anti-virus and defeats all security measures. This is why one must never click links in the body of an email. There are hardly ever links in emails that can’t be worked around either in the favorite menus or via manually typing in the browser.

1.      NEVER click links in email. It’s shear laziness, naiveté or stupidity when someone clicks links in the body of an email today.

2.      Get yourself and ethical hacker to test your network and see what damage he can do before the bad guy does.

3.      Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated and check out my spyware killer IDTheftSecurty HERE

4.      Go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.

5.      Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing credit card and debit card fraud on CNBC

3 Nabbed in Massachusetts ATM Skimming Ring

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

Police believe they may have uncovered an international ATM “skimming” ring responsible for stealing money from hundreds of local accounts. Izaylo Hristov, 28, of Ontario, Canada, a Bulgarian citizen, was arrested at an ATM in the Boston area along with Viadiclav Vladevo and Anton Venkov. Venkov had $99,100 in $20 bills in his car when he was arrested. One of them had Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards and American Express cards with post-it notes that had “PIN’’ and various numbers written on them. These cards were used to write the stolen data on, and then used to make withdrawals.

It was not too long ago that I bought an ATM north of Boston from a dude named Bob at a bar and rolled it through the streets of Boston nabbing unsuspecting users who entered their debit cards and PINS. I performed this crazy stunt to demonstrate how easy it is and how vulnerable we are. As a writer/blogger/speaker my primary motivation is to educate and inform, so the public and industry doesn’t get scammed.

Apparently a few more than a few people in the Boston area didn’t watch this on Fox Boston, or this on NBC Boston or read this in the Boston Globe. Because many of them got scammed over the course of the past few weeks. I’m trying here people. All you have to do is pay attention.

You can protect yourself from these types of scams first by covering your pin!! Scammers have a difficult time turning your 16 digit account numbers into cash without the PIN. Consider never using a debit card again, since credit cards are safer. When using an ATM, pay close attention to details, and look for anything that seems out of place. If your card gets stuck in the machine or you notice anything odd about the appearance of the machine, such as wires, double sided tape, error messages or the machine seems unusually old and run down, don’t use it. Don’t use just any ATM. Instead, look for ATMs in more secure locations. Ultimately you must pay close attention to your statements. Refute unauthorized transactions within 60 days. Check with your bank to determine what their timeframe is to refute unauthorized withdrawals. In some cases an can be as early as a week.

1. Get a credit freeze. Click on the preceding link and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated and check out my spyware killer IDTheftSecurty HERE

3. Go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.

4. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing the Bulgarian ATM scammer getting busted on Fox Boston

10 Ways to Manage Your Online Social Media Reputation

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

The Internet has made our personal and professional lives very transparent. We now live in the fishbowl. Despite what many will argue, your privacy is no longer fully in your control. Your online identity is also something that others can control, and you need to do your best to manage it. Managing your online reputation and protecting it is equivalent to marketing your personal brand, YOU.


A colleague of mine is an adjunct professor of writing and communications at Boston University. He’s very intelligent and excellent at what he does. However if you were to look up his name on the web you would find some pretty horrible commentary on a professor ratings site from some of his former students, many of which flunked out of his class.


He of course, was devastated. I would be too. When awful things about you show up on the first page of search, that’s nothing to take lightly. Especially if you are submitting applications for jobs, schools, running for office or going out on date for that matter. Anyone who Googles you then sees the negativity.


Recently I was contacted by a consultant who specializes in marketing of consultants. OK, I’m listening. So I get the pitch and it sounded like a great deal. We hashed out all the terms and conditions, I checked her references and was ready to write a check. Then my security instinct kicked in. As soon as money is to leave my bank account and head towards another, I begin to think differently, its how I’m wired.  I did a search online of this consultant and the company she works for before I sent the check.


Immediately on the first page of search, reports from the Better Business Bureau, Complaints Board and the dreaded RipoffReport show up. There was also a blog set up by one very upset customer who felt slighted by this company. The blog was started over a year ago and he still contributes to it.  This company had 16 registered complaints with the BBB and only 10 were solved. Based on my research and what I had originally thought was a to good to be true offer in the first place, I chose not to do business with this company.


I know that companies with high volume and lots of customers are bound to upset someone. So there is certainly room for error. If you have a million clients and 1500 complaints, you’re doing pretty well.  Frankly, as a professional speaker I know that in most presentations I give that 5 percent of the room will absolutely loath me. They may not like my Boston accent, or I look like an ex-husband, or the bully who tortured them in school or simply because I’m breathing. But 95% want me to come back and teach them more. So you can’t please everyone.


Left unattended, the wild wild web and “search” is a relatively uncontrollable aspect of your reputation, unless of course you make and attempt to control it.


  1. Register your full name and those of your spouse and kids on the most trafficked social media sites, blogs, domains or web based email accounts. If your name is already gone, include your middle initial, a period or a hyphen. It’s up to you to decide whether or not to plug in your picture and basic bio, but consider leaving out your age or birthday.
  2. Set up a free Google Alerts for your name and get an email every time your name pops up online. If you encounter a site that disparages you, Google has advice. Get a Google Profile. It’s free and it shows up on page one.
  3. Set up a free StepRep account for your name. StepRep is an online reputation manager that does a better job than Google Alerts does of fetching your name on the web.
  4. Go to Knowem.com. This is an online portal that goes out and registers your name at what they consider the top 150 social media sites.
  5. Start doing things online to boost your online reputation. Blogging is best. You want Google to bring your given name to the top of search in its best light, so when anyone is searching for you they see good things. Bury bad stuff 20 deep. This is a combination of online reputation management and search engine optimization for your brand: YOU.
  6. Get a WordPress blog with your name in the address bar. Set up a Ping.fm account and blast your blog/Tweets to all your social media.
  7. Buy a domain name that is or is close to your real name and plaster your name in the HTML header so it comes up in search.
  8. Get a credit freeze. Click on the preceding link and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.
  9. Go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.
  10. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Intelius helps to protect your identity. They monitor your credit and they scan the net looking for your data. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker with ID Analytics discussing Social Media Identity Theft on Fox Boston

Woman Captures Alleged Theft on Video

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

If I’ve said this a bazillion times I’ll say it again, video rules! Being able to access video footage of the day’s or evening’s “goings on” provides a tremendous amount of security. The UK has always been the leader in introducing video surveillance in public.

“Public video surveillance in the UK began very unassumingly in 1986, on a single square mile industrial estate outside the English town of King’s Lynn. Three CCTV video surveillance cameras were used and their impact was immediate. In the years before the cameras were installed, there had been 58 crimes (mostly vandalism) recorded on the estate. In the two years following the installation, there were no crimes reported”

Since then, millions of video cameras have been installed all over Europe, Asia and the United States.  Residential adoption of home security cameras is growing here in the states too. People everywhere now understand the benefits of being able to record activity that goes on at your residence while you are home or away. There is a tremendous piece of mind that goes along with being able to securely and remotely monitor over the Internet, what goes on at your home.


“A Chicago woman says someone stole her boyfriend’s brand new computer that had just been delivered to her apartment building lobby. She caught the theft on videotape and police tell her there have been dozens of similar cases in the past two weeks. A security camera set up in the lobby of the building clearly shows a delivery person entering the front door of the building. The videotape shows a man walking up to the front door, apparently referring to a message on his phone and then punching in an access code to open the front door. Less than a minute later, the video shows the man leaving the building with the package under his arm, then running down the street.”


Scenes like this are playing out all over the country. In many cases, home video surveillance is a great deterrent. With posted signage to add another layer of security, a criminal will generally think twice about stealing from “that” home and move onto one that doesn’t have video. Criminals don’t want to get caught for their bad deeds, and if a camera is on them they are less likely to strike.


The benefits of installing a home security system go way beyond deterrence or catching the bad guy. When you are at work, you can check in on your family at home. If you have a babysitter or nanny at the house, you can check in from the road. Some home security surveillance systems applications allow you to check in from a mobile phone too. If you have a vacation home, having a surveillance system installed there is fantastic.  And if you have an elderly parent who is home alone, having a security camera checking on them is a wonderful piece of mind.


Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home security on Fox Boston Show. Disclosures

Attorney General Leads Senior Anti-Crime University

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” was written in a poem as part of a declaration that we, in the United States, protect those who need protecting. It’s an unfortunate statement about society that the weakest are often the most vulnerable, as opposed to the most protected. Even today, the elderly are often targeted by ruthless and heartless criminals who have no remorse.


“Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard leads a team of experts in consumer scams, investment fraud, personal safety, elder abuse, financial exploitation and other issues affecting seniors. The Senior Anti-Crime Universities are designed to teach attendees to detect fraud and other consumer abuse commonly perpetrated against seniors. Each university offers a half day of classes in consumer fraud and scams, identity theft, life care planning/health care directives, Medicare/Medicaid fraud, financial exploitation, elder abuse and neglect, Internet safety and charitable giving. Learn more about the anti-crime universities from Goddard in his video message available at http://www.azag.gov/seniors/sleuths/sacu.html.”


20 years ago I was walking on the side of the highway because my vehicle broke down. A man in a car pulled over near me and asked if I needed a ride. I quickly accepted and got in. I don’t think I’d recommend doing that today, but that’s not the point of the story. After a minute in the car, I could see the man was handicapped, and only had one leg. I was moved by this man’s generosity and going out of his way to help me. I asked “why did you pull over and pick me up?” he then responded, “sometimes people just need help.” A simple act of kindness like this had a profound effect on my life. I don’t think any other words have ever impacted me so much.


Protecting the elderly from various abuses and crimes begins with getting involved. Everyone knows someone who needs help in some way. Reach out. Get involved in your local senior community center. Look in your own neighborhoods and determine if there is someone that could use an extra pair of eyes to watch out for and over them. Get familiar with all the scams, crimes, and potential issues they may face. If there are people who need a home security system, call on your local dealer and do a charitable event where the community donates to help out those in need. Work with local law enforcement and become a local expert in crime prevention. Put on your own events and give your time to those who need help.


Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing becoming a home security on NBC Boston. Disclosures

419 Scams Double, Over $9 Billion in Profits

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert


A recent study by Dutch investigation firm Ultrascan shows we are half as smart (or twice as dumb) as we were in 2008 as advanced fee scams doubled in losses to over $9 billion. 419 Advance Fee Fraud Statistics 2009 (PDF)


It is believed that while the scams are known to be Nigerian in nature, coined after the 419 Nigerian code making them illegal, scams were launched from 69 other countries in 2009.  The reason for the jump in the amount of victims is due to a broader reach of the scammer. Scammers aren’t just targeting English speaking nations anymore. As people in developing countries get computers and a connection to the Internet, they become susceptible to the same old scam other countries got snagged by a decade ago.


Big targets have become China, India, South Korea, Vietnam, and others. Many of the scams of the past had an “insurance fee” pitch that required a percentage of money sent in order to insure so many millions made their way to another bank somewhere. This “investment” by the victim was supposed to get them a percentage of the big pot. Once the scammer got a hold of the victims, they would build a relationship with them, in many cases romantically, to get them emotionally involved in the ruse.


However in China, the Chinese get hooked by lottery scams. And in India, a culture of hard workers, people fall for student visa and job placement scams. The hook in all these scams is the victim believes an inbound communication to be legitimate. From there, the scammers will say and do anything to get the victims to wire money. But it usually doesn’t end there. Once they get a rube on the hook, they will come up with as many reasons as possible to completely drain the victim of all their money.


Criminals aren’t any smarter than we are, but they know how to capitalize on our stupidity. They pull on emotional strings, they use greed, lust and many other human impulses to trigger us. Come on people; please just don’t be stupid, OK? And tell those in your life who are less than cognizant, just hit delete.

Protect your identity:


1. Get a credit freeze. Click on the preceding link and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated and check out my spyware killer IDTheftSecurty HERE

3. Go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.

4. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)


Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses various scams on TBS’s Movie and a Makeover.

Police Initiative Targets Home Invasions

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

Detroit Police Department cracks down on home invasions across Detroit. There are few crimes as horrific as a home invasion. When a bad guy forces their way into your home and uses violence on your and your family to get what they want, all sense of security is gone. Apparently this is a significant issue in Detroit, but it is happening all over the country, and the world for that matter.

“More than 20 people have been arrested in the Detroit Police Department’s targeting of home invaders. The initiative, called “Home Sweet Home,” is aimed at cracking down on home invaders. DPD said 25 people have been arrested in the first four days of the five-day initiative. “These guys have made a number of arrests, not only for perps caught committing the crimes themselves but also people who we’ve targeted that had warrants for home invasions,” said Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans. But, DPD said, there are some who have been arrested on warrants for failing to appear in court, probation violations and even one suspect who had a murder warrant.”

In a recent post, “Home Safety: Operation Storm Targets Burglars” discussed that Police in the UK have launched a very proactive new blitz on burglars to bring down crime. I boasted how great the UK’s strategy is and asked, “Why don’t we do that here?” Well…we do!! Nice job Detroit PD!

The last thing you ever want happening to you or your family is a home invasion. This is a crime that can be combated with common sense and a home security plan. First things first, often the home invaders have some type of knowledge of, or relationship with, the victims. Your first line of defense is to only socialize with good, healthy people. Sounds like common sense, but unfortunately too many people associate with bad people and don’t recognize this in their own lives, as I discussed on the Sally Jesse Show.

1. Never talk to strangers via an open or screen door. Always talk to them through a locked door.

2. NEVER let children open the doors. Always require and adult to do it.

3. Install a home burglar alarm and keep it on 24/7/365. With a home alarm system on, when someone knocks on the door, a conscious decision has to be made to turn off the alarm. Most people will keep it on.

4. Not all home invaders knock, some break in without warning.  Just another reason to have that alarm on.

5. Install a 24-hour camera surveillance system. Cameras are a great deterrent.  Have them pointed to every door and access point.


Robert Siciliano personal security expert, to Home Security Source discussing personal security on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures

Criminal Hackers Buying and Selling Hacked Accounts

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

Malicious software designed to gather usernames and passwords has been a boon for the criminal hacking community. Spyware as it’s commonly known records almost everything a user does on their PC. The most damaging spyware records all electronic communications via a web browser. That’s where the most damage can be done and the money is made.

Recent study shows there are as many as 70,000 variations of these keystroke sniffing programs which is double what was discovered in 2008.  Criminals have become proficient at hacking databases containing millions of credit card numbers but now have such a glut of data, they have to work hard to turn it into actual cash.

IT security professional have also become better at discovering a breach and those same credit card numbers become invalid soon after.

When fully accessing a persons, or a businesses bank account, this allows the criminal hacker more time to transfer funds and write checks to themselves.  Scraping user names and passwords for Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites also allows the hacker to spread more spyware to those in the trusted circle and gives the attacker an opportunity reach out to the friends or followers of the victims to scam money in many other ways.

These same hackers are enjoying access to a persons email account which may have a trove of data leading to even more usernames and passwords either contained in attached or cloud based documents. Having access to hacked email allows the resetting of many of the victims “password resets’ on various accounts too.


Protect your identity:

1. Get a credit freeze. Click on the preceding link and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated and check out my spyware killer IDTheftSecurty HERE

3. Go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.

4. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)


Robert Siciliano identity theft speaker discussing hacked Hotmail accounts on Fox News

Top 8 Worst Twitter Social Media Hacks

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

In the past year our use of Twitter has increased dramatically. And so has the criminal hacker’s attention to the opportunity to use it for illicit gain.

  1. Jacked Twitter Accounts:  Numerous Twitter (and Facebook) accounts including those of President Obama, Britney Spears, Fox News and others were taken over and used to make fun of, ridicule, harass or commit fraud.
  2. Social Media Identity Theft: Hundreds of imposter accounts are set up every day. Sarah Palin, St Louis Cardinals Coach Tony LaRussa, Kanye West, Huffington Post and many others have had Twitter accounts opened in their names or names likened to them.
  3. Twitter Worms: Worms infiltrating Twitter requesting to click on links would infect user’s accounts and begin to multiply the message. Then your followers and their follower would get it, causing more grief than anything else.
  4. Twitter DOS Attack: Victimized by a denial-of-service attack that left the site dark for more than three hours. Reports of a Russian politically motivated attack seemed to be the origin.
  5. Twitter as a Botnet Controller: A Twitter account produced links that led to commands to download code to run a botnet.
  6. Twitter Phishing: Sending tweets to update accounts or visit spoofed sites where the user needs to enter credentials that allows a financial transaction is rising.
  7. Twitter Porn: Please, “Misty Buttons” stop sending me another invite to chat or see your pics.
  8. Twitter Spam: The use of short URLs has made Twitters 140 character limit the perfect launch pad for spam leading to diet pills, Viagra and whatever else you don’t need.

    With Twitter now a part of millions of peoples daily routines, who login from home or work, Twitter will undoubtedly play a big role in the criminal hacking community in 2010.

    Protect your identity:


    1. Get a credit freeze. Click on the preceding link and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.
    2. Invest in social media protection @ Knowem.com
    3. Go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.
    4. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)


    Robert Siciliano identity theft speaker discussing social media identity theft on CNN