Identity theft can involve children. In fact, it’s a growing problem. The thief takes a child’s Social Security number and either uses their name or assigns it to a different name and always changes the date of birth. So 2 year old Sally is now 22 and has a Benz. The thief then uses this…
The holidays mean a surge in online purchases done with laptops, cell phones, tablets and desktops. One way to be scammed is via pop-ups (on legitimate sites, but that are not connected to the site) that ask for a survey. After you complete it, you’re offered what seems like a free product. You then unknowingly…
Credit card fraud, despite measures to stomp it out, still runs rampant in America. Forty-seven percent of credit card fraud consists of card-not-present (CNP) fraud. This includes payments via snail mail, phone and Internet. The U.S. is headed towards EMV (chip) card technology, notes Scott Zoldi in FICO’s Banking Analytics Blog. Though chip-based authentication technology…
Santa Claus is coming to town—and so are online thieves. How might they nab you, and what can you do to prevent it? 1. Stick with familiar retailers. Unbelievably low prices are a red flag, since competitors are always checking each other’s prices. 2. Customer reviews aren’t necessarily the gospel. An unscrupulous seller may hire…
If you feel paranoid about online surveillance, there are ways you can significantly shrink your cyber presence so that it’s more difficult and expensive for anyone and even big intelligent agencies to monitor your online activities. 1. End-to end Encryption This tactic encrypts your data from the beginning point of communication to the receiving end.…
Ahhh, it’s that time of the year again: the hustle and bustle of the holiday season—parties, gift giving, travels and get togethers with friends and family. But it also brings up the question of how and when are you going to have time to shop and get everything done in time?—let alone fight those crowds…
What is catphishing? This recently coined term refers to false online identities created by Internet scammers to deceive people into a long-term romantic or emotional relationship. How can you tell you’re being catphished? Out of the blue, some really attractive person begins communicating with you online. This individual finds excuses not to use their phone…
Your house can easily have a “secret room,” for its novelty, for children and for a safe hideout from intruders. Entrances to these rooms are concealed by normal looking household features such as bookcases. Purpose Designing begins with determining the secret room’s function: a hideout? fantasy playroom? a space for meditation or writing your novel?…
When protected, sensitive or confidential data is accessed or used by someone without authority, this is a data breach. This can involve any kind of data such as personal health, financial, or business related. Not all data breaches result from hacking into a computer. One can breach data simply by peering over someone’s shoulder at…
The vacant 5,000 square foot house next door to this kicking victim was on sale, and he had agreed with the realtor to keep an eye on it. Some kids got wind of this vacancy and put out a Facebook invitation to a Halloween rave party there. He called 9-1-1 and the police broke up…
