Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert B.J. Ostergren is a proud Virginian. She’s known as “The Virginia Watchdog,” but I like to call her “The Pit Bull of Personal Privacy.” She is relentless in her efforts to protect citizens’ privacy, and she is primarily concerned with the posting of personal information online. So in order to…
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert Credit card fraud comes in two different flavors: account takeover and new account fraud. Account takeover occurs when the identity thief gains access to your credit or debit card number through criminal hacking, dumpster diving, ATM skimming, or perhaps you simply hand it over when paying at a store or…
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert Most people are familiar with the TJX data breach, in which 45 million credit card numbers were stolen. TJX recently agreed to pay $9.75 million to 41 states to settle an investigation of the massive data breach. According to some reports, TJX has spent up to $256 million attempting to…
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert A Boston woman has been indicted for allegedly stealing at least 34 identities, which she was able to access from her workplace, a medical cost-management firm. “This was an extensive scheme in which the defendant used her access to the victims’ personal identifying information as a means to steal their…
Robert Siciliano identity theft expert Throughout the past week or so, scammers from Nigeria, Belgium and the UK have been coming after me in full force, via Craigslist. Unfortunately, the popular online classifieds website has become a launchpad for criminal activity. Everything from online affinity or advance fee scams to baby killers and the Craigslist…
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert As opening new lines of credit becomes more difficult, identity thieves are gravitating toward check fraud. Check fraud is a billion dollar problem. As predicted by the Identity Theft Resource Center, check fraud, which accounted for 12% of financial crimes in 2007, increased to 17% in 2008. According to the…
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert A patient at a Washington state medical clinic was asked for his Social Security number numerous times. Many of us have endured this familiar process. Considering the recent buzz about identity theft, this patient became concerned about releasing his own sensitive personal data, and requested that the facility remove his…
Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano If there were a “criminal hall of fame,” with an award bestowed on the “coolest” criminal, it would have to be a pickpocket. Pickpockets are sneaky, devilish creatures who function exactly one degree below the radar. Pickpockets whisper through society, undetected and undeterred. They are subtle and brazen at the…
Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano The scourge of identity theft knows no boundaries. It can happen to anyone: rich, poor, good credit, bad credit. Victims include children, the elderly, celebrities and politicians, even the dead. Identity theft may include new account fraud, account takeover, criminal identity theft, business identity theft and medical identity theft. Most…
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert History indicates that we are at the forefront of an era in which criminal hackers develop tools and techniques to steal your money using your own cell phone. Fifteen years ago, cell phones were so bulky and cumbersome, they had to be carried in bags or briefcases. Then they became chunky,…
