Don’t Let a Pedophile Larry Nassar Happen to Your Kid

/0 Comments/in /by

A very recent blog I published titled “15 Year Old’s Naked Photos Spread Like Wild Fire” is now of on the most clicked blogs on my site. It has significantly increased my websites traffic. But, scarily, for all the wrong reasons. The “15 year old naked pictures” part of the title is attracting skeevy pedophiles to my blog. Hi there pedophiles! Go jump off a bridge, your sucking up too much air!

You know Larry Nassar; the sick creep who worked as the doctor for USA Gymnastics. With up to or more than 156 victims, he was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and he was ultimately sentenced to 40 to 150 years in prison. 150 years isn’t enough. I hope prison is as horrible as him.

One study says as many as 1 in 35 men could be pedophiles. Some studies suggest that the prevalence of pedophilia may be between 3% and 5% in the general population. That’s the WORLDS population. What this means is pedophilia, while horrible and not right, is “normal” in the sense that it’s an inherent human behavior that people are born with. It always has been, is, and always will be a human trait.

Nassar began working with gymnasts more than 40 years ago when he was an athletic trainer as a student. He graduation from the University of Michigan with a kinesiology degree, and in 1986, he joined USA Gymnastics. He went on and received a degree in osteopathic medicine from Michigan State, and by 1997, he was the team physician for USA Gymnastics and became an assistant professor. He kept both jobs until his evil crimes were revealed.

How can you keep your kids safe from the Larry Nassar’s of the world? Here’s some tips:

Believe them When They Try to Tell You About Abuse

Many parents were told that Nassar was being abusive to their children, but they didn’t believe them at first. Some people still don’t believe that Nassar is guilty, too. People like Nassar are often charming and manipulative and are great at making people believe they are innocent.

Anyone Can Abuse

To most people, Nassar was always caring and kind, and this is what he showed the community and the parents of his victims. Don’t believe it.

Abusers Do Their Best to Win the Trust of Their Victims

Nassar did all that he could to make his victims and their parents trust him. He saw them socially, and even went to their homes.

Reach Out to Police Immediately

If something does happen to your child, reach out to your local police department as soon as you find out. Don’t let this continue happening. The police, unfortunately, don’t always take children seriously, so make sure that you don’t let them push your accusations aside.

Reach Out to Journalists

Consider reaching out to journalists about the case. The first reports of any abuse done by Nassar was actually posted in the Indianapolis Star in 2016. Not only does this help other abused kids from speaking up, it also helps to have the skills of an investigative journalist on your side. If the media hadn’t heard whispers of Nassar’s crimes, he might still be out there abusing kids.

Teach Your Kids to Speak Up

Most kids are taught that they need to treat adults with respect and not to question them. However, when an adult does something bad, it’s important that you also teach your kids to speak up and tell you when something seems weird.

Good and Bad Touches

Finally, but most importantly, teach your kids good and bad touches. I know most parents don’t even begin to know how to start this conversation. But the fact is, there are people in all our lives who seek opportunities with kids. Have uncomfortable conversations that tread lightly on the topic and gradually increase the frequency of this dialog so you know your kids understand. A quick search on Youtube for “Good and Bad Touches will provide you with excellent examples you can use to inform both you and your kids. The nonprofit Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center Foundation in conjunction with Wonder Media has developed a national campaign on a child abuse awareness and prevention. Check them out.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

Do Not take that Stupid Facebook Quiz

/0 Comments/in /by

Where should you live in the world? What Game of Thrones family are you in? What is the food that best describes your personality? All of these answers are given and found by doing quizzes on Facebook. You have surely seen them if you use Facebook, and have may have taken these quizzes, but you definitely might want to consider stopping. If you have ever used one of these quizzes, you have probably given these third-party apps permission to access some of your personal data. Not only does this affect you, it might also affect the people on your friends list. How does it affect you? These answers can sometimes crack password reset questions,

Here are some tips that you can use to protect yourself:

Use Two-Factor Authentication – Almost all social media sites offer two-factor authentication. This allows you to further lockdown your accounts, as you won’t be able to sign in with only a password. Instead, you need a password and a code, which is often sent to you via text message. So, no one can log into your account even if they have your password, unless they also have access to your phone and texts.

Stop Taking Quizzes – The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to stop taking those quizzes. Though they look innocent enough, every click gives the company information on you. It’s true that not all companies collect your personal info, but you really have to do some digging in the terms of service to see if they do or not.

Check Your Privacy Settings – When is the last time you reviewed your privacy settings on Facebook? If you are like most of us, it’s probably been awhile. So, take some time to log in and do this. If you need a tip, choose to only share with yourself by clicking “Only Me” on all of the settings. That’s the safest, but after all, this is SOCIAL media, so you might want to pick and choose.

Look at What You Share – You should also look in your app security to find out what you are sharing with third-parties. You might be surprised at what you see.

Delete Old Accounts – Finally, make sure that you take a look at, and delete, any old social media accounts. If you don’t want to delete it, at a minimum, change your password. Also, Google yourself and see what accounts come up. If you can find it, you can bet that a hacker can.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

Industry Leader & Best-Selling Author Releasing Highly Anticipated Book for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2018

/0 Comments/in /by

Press Release | New Book | Identity Theft Privacy By Robert Siciliano, CSP

Basil Ghafoor
Tempe, AZ
Basil@trossconsulting.com
www.Safr.me

Tempe, Arizona, 10/10/2018 – In 2018, Under Armour disclosed that 150 million of their customer records had been stolen. Equifax filed a similar claim for 143 million customer records breached in 2017. Uber, the popular ride-sharing app, admitted to 20 million customer records being compromised in 2016.

If multi-billion dollar corporations are susceptible to data theft, what is stopping a criminal from targeting you? Your business? Your kids?

Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention will be released this October. This is the latest of five books written by personal security expert Robert Siciliano, CSP. Robert is certified in professional speaking, identity theft risk management, and public investigation. He is also the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller, 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before…Your Identity Was Stolen.

“Practical advice, and to the point with no fluff, just great information and advice. Really enjoyed the book and recommend it! ”

“Saw him on Anderson Cooper, and I knew I had to buy this book. Gives you sound advise on how to avoid ID problems and how to protect your kid’s ID”

“It is a fast and easy book to read and worth buying to protect yourself and family!”

– Amazon Customers

Robert believes that, when it comes to preventing cybercrime victimization, awareness and knowledge are king. Robert’s new book provides readers with content explaining how to protect your personal and professional privacy. Privacy protection applies to anyone who uses social media, telecommunication apps (e.g. Skype, Facetime, and Snapchat), online banking, and email among other technologies.

Even if you do not use technology, someone you care about does such as clients, family, or friends. Robert’s goal is to ensure that everyone has the proper tools to prevent cybercrime.

As you progress through different stages in life, there will be times when you are exposed to fraud and theft. How do you protect your identity today? How are people trying to steal your identity as you read this?

These two important questions are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to securing your personal identity.  Whether you are concerned about your individual identity, your small business, or a large corporation, this book provides ways to protect yourself online and out in the tangible world.

Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention does not promote anti-virus software or products based on scare tactics. Robert is not selling insurance; his philosophy is based on prevention.

Robert has helped over 50,000 readers by increasing their level of personal security through strategies you can apply immediately from home. Now, you can find everything you need to know about your identity privacy in one complete book! Get your copy today!

Identity Theft Privacy can be purchased here.

For a limited time only, Robert is offering 25% off all Safr.me educational courses.

A coupon code will be provided through email with the book purchase receipt.

Robert Siciliano is the CEO of Safr.me—an online resource created to help individuals who couldn’t see him speak. Safr.me’s mission is to help others by educating them on the reality of cybercrime as well as the most effective human-based practices to secure oneself in the digital and physical world. Safr.me empowers, supporting users to take charge of their own personal information and data before something bad happens.

[/av_textblock]

DNA Tech is Catching Bad Guys and its Great and Scary

/0 Comments/in , /by

In 1996, a 12-year-old Washington state girl was raped and murdered. However, it wasn’t until June 2018, that an arrest was made in the case. How did this happen? DNA technology.

The man arrested is Gary Hartman, and he is accused of killing and raping 12-year old Michella Welch. Donald Ramsdell, the Tacoma Police Chief, has said that computer modeling, police techniques, and advances in DNA identification has led his team to arresting Hartman on June 20th.

This case goes all the way back to March 26th, 1986. Welch and her sisters were in Tacoma’s Puget Park. She left her sisters there and went home to make lunch. About three hours later, Michella’s sisters noticed that her bike and lunch were at the park, but she was nowhere to be found. Just before 11pm that night, the body of Michella was found. DNA was recovered, but police were unable to solve the case…until now.

Before the arrest of Gary Hartman was made, police tried a number of methods to solve this case. For instance, in 2006, they were able to create a DNA profile of the person whose DNA was found at the crime scene. However, they were unable to match that DNA with what was in their database. It wasn’t until 12 years after that, in 2018, that detectives from the Tacoma Police department was able to work with genetic genealogists and track the DNA to family members of the, at the time, unknown suspect. The researchers then used that information, along with public records, to create a family tree. There were two members of the family, brothers, who lived in Tacoma in 1986. Both immediately became possible suspects.

On June 4, detectives began monitoring Gary Hartman. Nothing of note happened that day, but the next day, June 5, Hartman went to breakfast with a co-worker. Detectives took the napkin that Hartman used at the restaurant and sent it in for DNA testing. The DNA that was on the napkin was the same DNA found at the rape and murder scene of Michella Welch. He was arrested for the crime on June 20 after a traffic stop.

Michella’s mother is thrilled by the arrest, and Michella’s younger sister, Nicole, who was only 9-years old in 1986, described her sister like a “second mother,” and said that Hartman cut her sister’s “precious life” short.

This is all wonderful. And right out of a sci-fi movie. OK, so you have nothing to hide right? I have nothing to hide either. But I’m never throwing a napkin away again!

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

Check Your Free Credit Report Now

/0 Comments/in /by

When is the last time you checked your credit report? If it has been more than a year, you can get a free one. The issue is, however, is how to really understand it. Here’s some information about obtaining and reading your credit report.

Obtaining Your Free Credit Report

Based on US law, everyone is entitled to look at their credit report from all three major credit reporting agencies. If you want to look at more than that, you can pay a fee. This law dates back to 2003, and all three major bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian, must allow people to access their credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com. Keep in mind, you won’t see your credit score through the free reports. You’d have to pay to see your scores.

When you go to this site, you can fill out a form that requires a number of items. You have to supply your name and address, your date of birth, and your Social Security number. Once entering that information, you can submit it, and you will be taken to a new page.

The next page allows you to choose which credit reporting company you want a report from. There are checkboxes next to the name of these companies. You can select all three, only two, or a single credit reporting bureau. There are some cases where you might want to access all three reports at once, but there are also instances where you might only want to access one. This is further explained on the website.

Before you can access your credit report, you have to verify your identity. You should get a page of questions on the screen about a variety of things. It might include credit accounts, loan terms, or even what cars have been purchased by you. The only way to access your report is to answer these questions correctly.

Since this website is integrated with the sites of the credit bureaus, once you gain access, you will see how easy it is to switch from one report to the next. Now, you only get one free report each year, but it is possible to check reports again, if necessary. You just have to pay a fee of about $20 to view them.

Understanding Your Credit Report

Credit reports are not easy to understand. The top of your report contains information such as your name, address, employment information, and addresses. Next, you will see public records, such as collection accounts and judgements.

Next, you will see a list of all credit accounts you have in good standing. Revolving accounts are listed next, and then you will see all requests to view your credit report. Finally, you will see any personal statements that you have placed on your credit report. Generally, this is done if you have been a victim of identity theft.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

Bitcoin Scams Up the Ying Yang

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

If you are thinking of jumping onto the Bitcoin bandwagon, or any type of cryptocurrency, you have to make sure that you are watching out for scams. There are a ton of them out there, including the following:

Fake Bitcoin Exchanges

You have to use a Bitcoin exchange if you want to buy or sell Bitcoins, but not all of them are legitimate. Instead, many of them are created for the sole purpose of taking people’s money. Only use well-known exchanges.

Ponzi Schemes

Bitcoins are not exempt from Ponzi schemes, and you have to look out for these. These are like pyramid schemes, and you definitely don’t want to get caught up with this, as you will certainly lose your money.

Fake Currency

You have certainly heard of Bitcoin, but there are other cryptocurrencies on the market, too, as alternatives to Bitcoin. However, there are also fake ones. For instance, one of these, My Big Coin, was fake, yet the people behind it managed to take more than $6 million from customers.

Well-Known Scams

Bitcoin scammers also rely on old school, well-known scams to trick people. They might, for instance, send emails pretending to be the IRS or even having some type of Bitcoin sale. People fall for these scams every day. If it seems weird, like the IRS emailing about Bitcoin, it is most definitely a scam.

Malware

Malware is another associated scam with Bitcoin. Most, or all wallets are connected online, scammers can use malware to access the account and take your money. Malware can get on your computer in a number of ways, including from websites, social media sites, and even through email.

Fake News

We live in an era where online news is the most popular method to get news, but it’s also very easy to create news stories that seem totally legitimate, yet they are absolutely fake. Basically, scammers create these stories to bait victims, so always think before you start clicking.

Phishing

These Bitcoin scammers also use phishing scams to try to get money from people who are trying to buy and sell Bitcoin. These scams are often done by clicking malicious links.

It doesn’t matter if you join the Bitcoin craze or not, you can also use these tips to keep yourself safe from other scams. Here’s some final tips:

  • Always do a security scan on your laptops, computers, phones, and tablets on a regular basis.
  • Do your research before investing in any cryptocurrency website. Make sure it is trustworthy and secure.
  • Store all of your cryptocurrency in a wallet offline, which keeps it protected from scammers.
  • Always monitor all of your banking, credit card, and cryptocurrency accounts.
  • Always insist the crypto site has two step or two factor authentication.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

Beware of the Social Security Administration Employee Scam

/0 Comments/in /by

There is a new Social Security scam in the news, and you should definitely know about it. The Acting Inspector General of Social Security, released a statement that warns people of this new scheme. Basically, scammers are impersonating Social Security Administration employees.

The scam started out fairly small and localized, but now, people from across the country are reporting that they are getting calls from people stating that they are from the Social Security Administration. The caller attempts to get personal information from the person they call including address and banking information.

Here’s How the Scam Works

Almost all of these calls are coming from a 323 area code, but don’t think for a second they won’t change this up. The caller says that they are an SSA employee, and sometimes tells the victim that they are getting a cost of living adjustment, so their benefits will be higher. Many callers believe this, of course, so when the scammer asks them to verify things such as their name, their birthday, their Social Security number, and even the name of their parents, they gladly do it to get an increase in their benefits. Once the scammer gets the information, they then contact the SSA and change the victim’s account information so that the benefits now go into a different account. Then, they can collect the cash.

Currently, the Social Security administration does contact people by phone in certain cases. However, the person usually knows that they should be expecting a call. It is also possible that an SSA employee might ask a person to verify information. So, none of this really seems unusual to anyone who has dealt with the SSA.

What to Do if You Get a Call

Hang up. Plain and simple. If you get a call from the Social Security Administration, you should report it immediately to 1-800-269-0271. You can also report it online.

It is also very important to be cautious, and you should avoid giving any information, such as your bank account number or Social Security number, to anyone who calls you. To check if it is a legitimate call from the SSA, tell the person calling that you are worried about scams, and ask if you can call them back. A legitimate SSA employee should be perfectly fine with this. Then, look up the number yourself. Don’t call a number that they give, no matter what. Finally, you can also contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 if you have any question about any text, letter, email, or call that you get.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

2017 Was the Worst Year for Identity Theft EVER!

/0 Comments/in /by

Javelin Strategy & Research recently released its Identity Fraud Study, and it revealed that the number of identity theft victims rose by 8% in 2017 when compared to 2016. That’s almost 17 million people, which is a record high. Despite more information and industry efforts to make people aware of these practices, $16.8 billion was stolen due to ID theft in 2016.

The study also showed a shift in how ID theft fraud was being done. Credit card accounts were the most common targets for new account fraud, we also see that there is a big uptick in other accounts being targeted, including PayPal accounts and e-commerce merchant accounts. We can also see that more than 30% of consumers in the US were notified that their information was part of a data breach, which is 12% higher than the year before. Social Security numbers also seem to be a favorite of ID thieves, as are credit card numbers. We also see that due to these breaches, consumers are becoming less trusting when it comes to companies and financial institutions that are storing personal data.

The Trends

There were four noteworthy trends that were also found in this study:

  • There was a Record High Rate of Identity Fraud – The study shows that almost 7% of all consumers were victims of ID fraud. This was almost a million people from 2016. This was mostly due to more account takeovers and more instances of fraud.
  • Account Takeover Has Grown – One of the most shocking things found in this study is that account takeover has tripled when compared to 2016 and has reached a four-year high. This is a 120% increase. It was also noted that the average victim had to pay an average of $290 out of pocket to solve these issues, and consumers spent more than 62 million hours trying to work these issues out.
  • Scammers Target Online Shoppers – The study also shows that people who shop online are most at risk of becoming a victim of fraud.
  • Scammers are More Sophisticated – Finally, the study showed that fraudsters are more sophisticated than ever before, and they use more complex methods than ever before.

Finally, the Identity Fraud Study did something new this year, too. It looked at the way news of data breaches has affected consumers. About 63% of people who responded say that they were “very” or “extremely” concerned about becoming a victim of a data breach.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video

Background Checks Don’t Tell the Whole Story

/0 Comments/in /by

When it comes to background checks, the National Crime Information Center is the gold standard. It is only available to law enforcement agencies and is the most accurate and complete database tracking convictions and arrests in the US. That sounds pretty great, right? Unfortunately, it’s not all as it seems.

The Department of Justice

The Department of Justice recently released a report based on a two-year study of convictions and arrests from 2016. The report shows that a very low percentage of convictions and arrests actually make it to the National Crime Information Center. What does this mean? It means that even if a commercial background check company is using the best information, it’s only able to get information on about 13% of all crimes. On top of that, there is a pretty standard 30% error rate on background checks based on factors such as typos, misspellings, and data entry errors. Yikes.

The Reliance of Background Checks

It doesn’t matter if you are an employer, a landlord, or even a private citizen hiring a babysitter or contractor, odds are good that you think a criminal background check is a good idea. But, the fact that we not only rely on these checks, but also believe that they are fool-proof, is quite problematic.

Other Implications of Background Checks

The inaccuracy of background checks is only one of the issues associated with them. Another issue is that there is a big possibility that these commercial background checks could violate the Fair Housing Act because it might be seen as intentional discrimination. Additionally, though people with criminal records are not protected under the Fair Housing Act, statistically, this creates a disproportionate impact on minorities. According to the Fair Housing Act, minorities are protected.

Though it seems like a great idea to run a criminal background check, as you can see, it’s not always a black and white result. Criminal history databases are not complete, there are high rates of errors, and these background checks might be violations of the Fair Housing Act. At the very least, someone could have a good case against it if you use a criminal background check as a basis for a housing decision. When thinking about if a background check is worth it or not, it probably is, but you also have to be aware of the possibility that you are not going to get the entire story.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

A “Credit Profile Number” is a fake SSN, and it Works

/0 Comments/in , /by

Cyber criminals are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the good guys, and there is now another scam out there that you should know about: synthetic identity theft. Basically, the criminals take information from someone, and then make up the rest. They also often use fake Social Security numbers, called CPNs, or “credit profile numbers,” or names.

This type of identity theft shows us that our credit system is more vulnerable than we might think. Basically, it is easy to create a credit file on these identities, and once they have that, they can get a credit card or loan.

Of course, using a CPN like this on an application for credit card or loan is illegal, but lenders currently don’t have a conclusive way of distinguishing a real Social Security number from one of these fake ones. The Social Security Administration generates SSNs randomly. This makes it difficult for a lender to notice a fake one. Technically, a lender can contact the SSA and cross-check, but most of them don’t. Why? Because the SSA requires a handwritten signature from the person who has that SSN, and this is a pain in the neck for lenders.

So, of course, the best thing to do is to create a way for lenders to instantly check to see if a Social Security number is valid or not, and as of now, they do not have the capacity to do this. Lenders do, however, use their own fraud-detection tools, but these requests for credit still fall through the cracks.

This practice also has created more open windows for fraudsters, because they know that the system is vulnerable. It’s true that many lenders won’t accept a credit application from someone with no history of borrowing, which is the case with a CPN, but some still do, and the more activity the file sees, the more likely it is that credit will be given. Once credit is approved, a full credit report is created. Though it likely won’t be a high amount of credit, many lenders take a chance on new borrowers, and at a minimum, extend a couple of hundred dollars. Some people will even get a card that has, say a $300 limit, and use the card for a time. Once they establish a good payment history, they can get a credit increase, and that’s where the fun really begins.

This is just one more scam that you should be aware of, and one more reason to keep your private and personal information safe.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.