Beware of Job and eWork at Home Scams

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Pandemics can be quite stressful. There are millions of people out of work, and there we really don’t know when the economy will truly bounce back. Those who are out of work are seeking other jobs, at least temporarily, and many are looking for jobs that they can do from home…right from Google.

jobsSince people have been losing their jobs, searches for terms like “laid off,” “unemployment benefits,” and “unemployed” have skyrocketed. Though some people are finding legitimate search results, others are falling for sites that are scams, and Google is allowing these sites to stay.

We have often used Google search data to determine what type of economic anxiety people are feeling, and this is certainly true right now.

Google makes its money through advertising, so it’s not totally surprising that these sites are allowed to stay on. When people are searching for information on unemployment, advertisers are seeing this, and are able to determine where they should market. This includes those working for predatory companies, who are targeting people who are unemployed.

One such example is “unemploymentcom.com.” This is a site that seems, at first, like it might be a good resource for someone who is unemployed. While there are some legitimate links there, in general, the site is trying to get people to sign up for “site profiles” and other things. It also urges people to sign up for access to your credit score…for a fee, and it absolutely sells all of the data it gets to other organizations.

When you look at the privacy policy of this website, you can see that it is owned by OnPoint Global, a conglomerate, which claims it has around 11 million people filling out unemployment surveys each month. However, what people doing this don’t realize is that the information the site is collecting is likely being complied into a package for advertisers, which also includes any other public information they can find about the person filling out the survey.

Keep in mind that it is not just the pages for people looking for information on unemployment that we are talking about. It can really be anything similar, like “unemployment insurance.” Some of these searches can even lead you to sites that can hijack your browser. Other sites simply collect as much data as they can, and then sell the information to marketers.

Everyone who is out there scared and unemployed are still considered to be consumers to these companies, and they still are seen as people who have money to spend. So, Google is still pushing sites like these to the top of search results, and still making a pretty penny from clicks. So, do yourself a favor and start being aware of the ads you are clicking, and better yet…don’t click them at all.

ROBERT SICILIANO CSP, is a #1 Best Selling Amazon author, CEO of CreditParent.com, the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social and Identity and Personal Protection security awareness training program.

Your Amazon Alexa Is a Spy

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Digital assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa, from Amazon, have a secret: they are secretly learning everything about you. They can hear your conversations, they know the tone of your voice, and they are recording it all.

Confidential

Now, all of this is important, according to Google and Amazon, because once these devices learn these things about you, they will work even better. However, it’s causing issues with consumers. For instance, a family reported that their Echo began spontaneously laughing at them. Another family reported that their Alexa recorded and sent a conversation to a friend without them knowing about it. Amazon claims that it’s likely the devices misheard something in the conversations and thought they were commands.

Do you want to know what your Alexa device is hearing in your home? Here’s how:

First, open up the app for Alexa, and then open menu options. Click on “Settings,” and then “History.” You should see a list of all of the commands you have ever said to Alexa, and you can sort your results to see them more clearly. If you see a note that says “text not available,” and you click it, you can hear a recording of what it picked up.

If you don’t feel comfortable having a recording in your device’s history, it is possible to delete it. You can do this in one of two ways: you can delete it directly from the device’s app, or you can go to the Amazon.com website. There, you can choose the option called “Manage Your Content and Devices.” Here, you can totally delete the information. Amazon, of course, doesn’t actually want people do to this. They claim that it will “degrade” your experience when using Alexa.

Amazon does keep these recordings, and the company claims that they record and store them to help to personalize Alexa to better cater to your household. It then uses these recordings to create a model of your voice. The device keeps a voice profile for every use that it recognizes, but after three years, it deletes the model…it does not, however, automatically delete the conversations.

For people who use Alexa a lot, it could be a big job to go through these conversations and delete what they no longer want to keep. But, it might very well be worth your time to go through them, as you never know when Echo might send those conversations elsewhere due to a miscommunication.

ROBERT SICILIANO CSP, is a #1 Best Selling Amazon author, CEO of CreditParent.com, the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social and Identity Protection security awareness training program.

Quick and Dirty Disaster Prep Guide

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How prepared are you for a disaster? Most of us are not prepared, at all, yet two-thirds of us live in an area where we are at a moderate to very high risk of experiencing a natural disaster. Here are a few things you should do, today, to start preparing for a “just in case” situation:

Be Aware

Think about your home and where you live. What disasters are likely to occur? Fire, of course, could happen to any of us, and statistics show that there is a 25% chance that you will experience a major fire in your lifetime. Fires are not the only thing to consider, though. Flooding, winter storms, earthquakes, tornados, and volcanoes are all things that can affect us in the US.

Examine Your Home

In the event of a disaster, do you know where the gas, water, and electric shut-offs are? Are your CO2 and smoke detectors working correctly? Do they have fresh batteries? Do you have fire extinguishers available? Where can you get water? Do you have flashlights and batteries? A first aid kit? A battery-operated radio to get information? All of these things are essential in a disaster situation.

Prepare and Practice

Talk to your family about emergency preparedness. Consider practicing what to do, too, such as in the case of a fire. You might even want to talk to your neighbors about it. Do you have an elderly neighbor or someone who might have extra difficulties during a disaster? Talk to them, too, and help them make a plan.

Other Quick and Dirty Tips for Disaster

Here are some other quick tips for disaster preparedness:

  • Choose a trusted distant contact. It is often easier to make a long-distance call than a local one in a disaster.
  • Consider buying a landline phone if you don’t have one. This gives you two options for calls.
  • Get a waterproof container for documents. Consider laminating these documents or storing them in heavy duty sandwich bags.

Create an Emergency Supply Kit

Finally, create an emergency supply kit including the following:

  • Water – About a gallon per person, per day, and rotate it every six months
  • Food – Enough for each person for three days. Try to find food that doesn’t need to be
  • First Aid Kit – Basic first aid supplies, and any necessary prescription drugs.
  • Batteries – Have extra batteries available. Generic brands are usually okay, but alkaline batteries tend to be better than non-alkaline.
  • Knife – Having a multi-tool knife, like a Swiss Army Knife, can be indispensable.

ROBERT SICILIANO CSP, is a #1 Best Selling Amazon author, CEO of CreditParent.com, the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social and Identity Protection security awareness training program.

Reinforce Your Door with the Door Devil

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Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a totally burglar-proof home, but there is also no burglar who can get into any home. By taking a few steps and using some specific security measures, you can make your home ALMOST burglar-proof.

When most homeowners consider security, they usually only think of a few items. However, you might not realize that things like shatter proof glass is on the market. There are also surveillance cameras that are real and fake, which can be installed. That certainly will help deter a burglar.

And while deterrence is huge, the most important aspect of home security is “hardening” the home to prevent access. Doors are the most common method of burglar entry and most doors significantly lack reinforcement.

There are a few critical things that you can do with your front and back door. If you have a typical door, its frame made of pine and it can definitely get kicked in. It doesn’t even take a lot of strength to get through a door, and most adults would have the strength to do it if they know how.

A normal door closes with a latch that has two or four small screws that go through a weak strike plate. This is attached or a pine door frame, which might be only ½” to ¾” thick. Keep in mind that a child can kick through pine that is ½” thick, so it should be no surprise that it’s so easy to kick through a door.

Here’s how to Secure Your Doors!

As in the video above, this is where a device like the Door Devil Anti-Kick Door Jamb Kit comes in handy. This kit has a bar that is over a foot long and is 1/16th inch heavy steel. It is installed right on the door jamb over the strike plates that are already there.

The kit includes:

  • 13-inch strike plate with EZ mounting tabs
  • Door plate and hinge plate
  • Heavy duty mounting screws in two different sizes for extra strength
  • Installation drill bits

It only takes about 15 minutes to install the Door Devil, and once it is installed, you are done. The only other thing you have to do is lock your door.

Though door reinforcement is a great thing, just consider that it is only a single layer of security, and you should consider complimenting this with other types of home security including motion detection lights, surveillance cameras, and home security systems. Remember, most burglars aren’t extremely skilled, nor are they extremely smart. If they can’t get through a door with a couple of kicks, they will move on to the next house.

Robert Siciliano is a home and personal security expert to DoorDevil.com discussing Anti-Kick door reinforcement on YouTube. Disclosures.

Police Say Scammers Are Stealing Deposits from Homeowners

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The police in Port St. Lucie Florida have claimed that scammers are now posting homes as available for rent or purchase. You rent/purchase the home by putting a deposit down on the house, but you’re never given any keys.

The scammers are getting their victims to the property and even a tour of the house, but when it comes time to move in, the victim is left without any options. The tour aspect of the scam is important here. This legitimizes the fake agent as real.

Local realtors say that there are a few things you can look for to ensure that your money gets to the right person and you have a place to live.

If the price doesn’t feel right or the deal is too good to be true, you should be very wary. Of course, the seller or renter might also ask way too many questions or require too much information upfront, which is also indicative of a scam.

Scammers tend to post ads on Craigslist and actually use houses that are for sale. Then, they ask the victim to tour the house and the scammer provides the lockbox pin code to get inside. The question is, how do the scammers get that information?

The only way to get access to the system is if you are a real estate agent. If they aren’t stealing the agent’s information, there are seemingly endless hoops to jump through before gaining access to that piece of information.The victims are told by the Fake Agent the keycode for the lockbox which allows them entry;

  • The keycode is either told to the scammer by the real real estate agent via phone or email
  • The real estate agents email is hacked and the code lies in the hacked email somewhere.
  • The scammer poses as another real estate agent and scams the code via phone or email

Once the victim sees the place and has some trust in the scammer, the scammer can ask for a security deposit or down payment on the home. Police officers claim that scammers take your money but don’t give you the keys.

How can you make sure the listing is legitimate? If they ask you to call a number that isn’t local or send you to a website that looks off or isn’t recognizable, it’s best to double-check the information. You can call the real estate company, search the address of the property and seek other listings. Along with such, realtors do not give pin or lock-box codes to anyone for safety purposes.

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.

How to Protect Your identity When Buying or Selling a Home

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If you are in the process of buying or selling a home, at some point, you are going to have to disclose personal information when you go through the process. Because of this, a home buyer, especially, is much more likely to become a victim of identity theft.

Here are some ways to protect your identity when buying or selling a new home:

Ask if Communication is Secure

One thing to do is to make sure your mortgage and real estate professionals are using secure electronic communications. If they can’t articulate their security, such as they use two step verification, etc, then they aren’t generally secure. Otherwise, you should drop documents off in person.

Ask How Personal Info is Handled

Another thing to do is ask your lender how they will handle your personal info after the loan is complete. Are documents able to be stored securely? Will they be shredded when no longer needed?

Ask About Security Policies

You should also ask about the security policies of your lender and/or real estate professional. If they don’t have a security policy, they aren’t secure.

Get a Referral

Ask people you know for referrals for mortgage and real estate professionals. Verify that their licenses are current. Do business with those who others know, like and trust.

Choose a Real Estate Team That You Trust

Buying a new home takes a full team on both the sides of the buyer and the seller. So, you have to make sure that you trust them and that all of their credentials are up to date. You should also do your best to read reviews online.

Be Aware of Frauds

Fraudsters are always out there, and they take advantage of people looking to buy a home. For example, according to investigators, a California woman would offer to buy a home on behalf of the buyer because the buyer was under funded or an illegal immigrant. After the buyer provided the deposit, she would never be heard from again.So keep your eyes open as you go through the process.

Recognize Money Wire Scams

When looking at the home buying process, a report by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center said email fraud involving real estate transactions rose 1,110 percent in the years 2015 to 2017 and fraud dollars lost rose almost 2,200 percent.

Nearly 10,000 people reported being victims of this kind of fraud in When looking at the home buying process, a report by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center said email fraud involving real estate transactions rose 1,110 percent in the years 2015 to 2017 and fraud dollars lost rose almost 2,200 percent.

Nearly 10,000 people reported being victims of this kind of fraud in 2017 with losses over $56 million, the FBI report said. Real estate is only now tightening its belt and fighting back., the FBI report said. Real estate is only now tightening its belt and fighting back. The moment a wire transfer is requested via email, tell your agent or broker you want to meet them at the office to discuss. End of story.

Be Cautious on the Internet

During this process, you will be filling out a lot of forms and giving out a lot of your personal information. So, to help prevent any identity theft, you should only use a secure device on a secure network. You also have to make sure that you are using strong, varied passwords, and if you have to print out copies of documents, you should hide any account numbers or Social Security numbers.

Use Credit Monitoring or ID Theft Protection

When making a large purchase like a new home, you should make sure to have real time credit monitoring and identity theft protection.

Freeze or Lock Your Credit Until Making an Offer

You also might want to consider freezing or locking your credit until you are required to have your credit checked. Both options prevent a creditor from accessing your credit report, which stops a criminal from opening a new account.

Credit locks are available from consumer credit bureaus for a small fee, and you can lock or unlock your credit whenever you want. A credit freeze is free but slightly cumbersome. Go free and learn it.

Get a Copy of Your Credit Report

It’s also a good idea to get a credit report if you are going to finance a home. Checking this report will give you a good idea of what you can afford each month, and it will allow you to see if there are any mistakes or unusual behavior on the reports.

Stay Safe During the Closing Process Finally, remember that fraudsters are always out there, especially when people are using large sums of money. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that people lost about $1.48 billion to fraud last year, alone. So, it’s imperative that you keep yourself safe by avoiding things like phishing schemes, and if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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.

Your Real Estate Agent May Have a Gun

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If you are thinking of buying a house, and you start going to open houses, you might be surprised to learn an interesting fact: the real estate agent might be carrying a gun. Some of you reading this might have jumped to this article looking for a fight, because in M’erka guns are a controversial subject and why shouldn’t your real estate agent have a gun?

Real estate agents find themselves in precarious situations all of the time. They also might have to travel into neighborhoods that aren’t as safe as your typical bedroom communities. There are wayward dogs to contend with, random robberies, and the chance that a visitor to an open house has malicious thoughts. A real estate agent was killed in Maryland not too long ago and his killer stole his laptop and phone. He was killed for $2,000.00 in hardware by this shithead with the money on his face.

When you think about it this way, it’s no wonder that a real estate agents might feel the need to protect themselves.

The Statistics

Let’s look at some statistics: The National Association of Realtors released a report that states 25% of real estate agents who are male carry guns when on the job. Other real estate agents report that they carry other weapons, too, even if they don’t carry guns. Whether you are a fan of guns or not, you can certainly see why some Realtors feel the need to protect themselves.

The fact that 25% of male Realtors carry a gun is only the tip of the iceberg. The NAR report also says that more than half of all Realtors, both male and female, carry a weapon of some type to every showing. Here’s a brief synopsis:

  • Pepper Spray – 27% of female Realtors and 5% of male Realtors
  • Guns – 12% of female Realtors and 25% of male Realtors
  • Pocket Knife – 5% of female Realtors and 11% of male Realtors
  • Taser – 7% of female Realtors and 2% of male Realtors
  • Baton or Club – 3% of female Realtors and 3% of male Realtors
  • Noisemaker – 3% of female Realtors and 0% of male Realtors

Why are Realtors Afraid?

So, why are so many Realtors afraid enough to carry a weapon? First, there is the fact that approximately 3% of Realtors report being physically attacked when on the job in 2016. Though may that seem like a low number to some (too high for me), you have to understand that the overall rate in the country is about 2%, which means Realtors have a higher chance of being physically assaulted when compared with the average US citizen.

The reasons real estate agents feel the need to protect themselves is even more clear. In fact, many Realtors report that they are fearful of going to work each day. An astounding 44% of female Realtors told the NAR that they were worried about going to open houses in model homes and vacant lots.

Here’s some more stats:

  • 44% of female Realtors were afraid at some point in 2017 when on the job
  • 25% of male Realtors were afraid at some point in 2017 when on the job
  • 38% of all Realtors were afraid when in a small town
  • 35% of all Realtors were afraid when in a rural area
  • 39% of all Realtors were afraid when in an urban area
  • 40% of all Realtors were afraid when in a suburb

Knowing this, it’s certainly not surprising that a Realtor would carry a gun. HOWEVER, the problem with all this gun slinging is most people, regardless of their profession aren’t properly trained to “fight” with a gun. That means being trained to use a firearm under duress. I’m not talking about gun safety or target shooting, I’m talking about if you are being attacked, do you know how to respond with a gun if someone is coming after you? So to my Real Estate Agent friends and all others, seek out “Stress Response Training” and Firearm and get properly trained.

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.

10 Huge Home Security Mistakes

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Though it would be nice to think that you can fix something if you make a mistake, there are some where there is just no going back. And in some cases, these mistakes can be tragic. Here are some of the biggest mistakes that people make with their home security:

  1. Leaving Doors Unlocked – It only takes two seconds to lock your door. It should be a habit. It doesn’t matter if you are just gardening in the backyard or running to the store for 5 minutes in the middle of the afternoon, lock the door. Often, a burglar rings the doorbell. If there is no answer, they jiggle the knob. If the door opens, he lets himself in and starts ransacking the place. They can do the same thing with windows.
  2. Not Setting Alarms – You shouldn’t assume that a break in only occurs when you are gone. A guy high on crack won’t care if you are home or not. So, keep your alarm on when you are home, and only disable it when you have to go out momentarily.
  3. Being Too Cheap – Don’t settle for a cheap lock. Locks can be easily picked by using what’s called a “bump key”. Remember, you get what you pay for. So, spend the cash on a good lock. There is a dramatic difference between a lock that costs $20 and one that costs $60.
  4. Keeping a Ladder in the Yard – Keeping a ladder in your yard is almost the exact same thing as leaving your door right open with a “Welcome Burglar” sign on your home. A bad guy can easily use that ladder to get into your home. At least lock up the ladder.
  5. Hiding Keys – Even the dumbest criminals know that people hide house keys under fake rocks, flower pots, and welcome mats. Instead, make the small investment into a keyless lock. Or buy a lock box.
  6. Putting Your Valuables on Display – Use caution when you display expensive items. This is especially the case if you can see them from the window. If you can’t move these items, make sure to keep the shades down.
  7. Keeping Your Garage Unlocked – Don’t just leave your garage open or unlocked. There is a lot of valuable stuff in there, and a burglar might even gain access to your house via the garage.
  8. Not Using Lights at Night – A dark yard or home is a sign that no one is home. In other words, the perfect time for a thief to get into your house. So, set up timed and motion sensitive lighting on the exterior and interior of the home. Also, leave a radio or television on when you are gone.
  9. Leaving Deliveries Out or Not Cleaning the Yard – A sure sign that you are gone, and your home is open for burglars, is a pile of mail or newspapers. It’s also a sign if your lawn is overgrown. So, ask someone to grab your mail, park in your driveway and mow your lawn when you are on vacation.
  10. Displaying Their Good Trash – If you see a neighbor place a large Sony box with a television printed on it or a Dell cardboard box on the curb, you can easily deduce that they just got high end electronics. Robbers know this, and they know that something very valuable is in the home they can sell for drugs.

Bonus…#11…Putting their Life on Social Media – Do not post on social media when you are on a trip. Save it for when you are home. Why? Because burglars are looking for those posts, too.

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.

Tips for Keeping Your Home Safe This Summer When You are Away

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We all love our summer vacations, but while you are at the beach or the amusement park, burglars are planning an assault on your home. The fact is this: burglaries rise in the summer months because people are home less often than they are at other times of the year. Here are some tips to keep your home safe while you are enjoying the warmth and sunshine:

Put Thought into Your Home Security

Make sure you are being thoughtful about your home. Go outside, lock the door, and pretend that you are trying to break in. What do you see? Do you see any tools or items like ladders that would make it easy to get to the second floor? Could you use anything to pry open a window or door? If you see anything like this, put it away.

Take a look at your yard, too. Is there anywhere a burglar could hide, such as behind an overgrown shrub? Are there any trees that a burglar could climb to gain access to second floor windows? If ‘yes,’ make sure you trim these down.

Burglar-Proof Your Home

You also want to make sure that your home is as burglar-proof as you can get it. Think smart. For instance, on a warm spring or summer day, you might leave a window open to bring in some fresh air, and then go out for a bit. This is just an open invitation to a burglar to come right in. So, make it a habit to check all windows and doors before you leave.

Burglar-Proof Your Doors

Also, make sure that your doors are burglar-proof. The best doors are solid, not hollow. Hollow doors are easy to kick in. Then walk up to your front door and with all your might try to kick it in. I’M KIDDING! Seriously, do not kick in your door! But, I’ll bet you could if you tried. Know why? Because the door frame and molding is made of one half inch thin pine wood. Check out this video on how easy it is to kick in a door. The actual “kicking” starts right at the 10:00 minute mark where it shows the Door Devil door reinforcement kit doing its job then at 12:00 minutes without the kit and with a swift “donkey” kick, the door smashes right in.

Also, make sure you have a good lock on the doors…and always use them.

Don’t Let Burglars Know You are Away

Burglars can usually tell which homes have people in them and which don’t. Some of the signs that the owners are gone include empty driveways, mail or newspapers piling up, or grass that is in need of mowing. So, before going on vacation, put a hold on your mail and newspaper and talk to a neighbor, friend, or family member about mowing your lawn while you are gone.

Finally, try to resist posting about your vacation on social media until you get home. You don’t want to publically announce to everyone that you are gone and that your home is sitting empty. Save your photos and posts until you get home.

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.

15 Tips to Ensure the Safety and Security of Your Home

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When is the last time you thought about the safety and security of your home? How about thinking about it right now? Do you do the following? If not, start, today:

  1. Do you have propane tanks for a gas grill? Or gasoline cans with gas in them? They aren’t supposed to be stored inside. Put them is a safe secure place where kids can’t access them.
  2. Do you have both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? When is the last time you inspected them? Check the batteries and make sure they are not collecting lint and dust. If you can, integrate them, too. This way, if one goes off in the kitchen, the detectors throughout the house will also get triggered. Set a note in your calendar to replace the battery’s every 6 months.
  3. Does your mailbox lock? If not, consider upgrading to one that does. This way, mail that contains sensitive information won’t just sit out there for the taking.
  4. If you are using an extension cord outside, make sure that it is made for outdoor appliances. Others can cause fires or trip causing other issues.
  5. Don’t leave any notes on your door claiming that you will be home later. This is the case even if you are expecting a package.
  6. Understand that if there is a power outage, your food in the freezer should last for up to 48 hours. Use a generator or stock up on non-perishable food.
  7. When you use an oily rag, put it outside to dry. Then, store it in a metal can with a secure lid. Even if it looks dry, an oily rag is still flammable even if it isn’t in contact with flames.
  8. Don’t try to charge a non-rechargeable battery. This could make it explode.
  9. To dissuade burglars from getting into windows, plant thorny shrubs and bushes around them.
  10. If you have a home security system, make sure everyone knows. Place the company’s decals and signs around your home and yard. If you don’t have one, buy and place signs up anyway. It will still dissuade burglars.
  11. When it snows, shovel the driveway and create a path to your home. This shows the bad guys that someone is home. And various town and city ordinances require this or you’ll get fined.
  12. Before you leave on vacation, set your home phone’s ringer on mute. This way, if a burglar is staking out your home, your phone won’t be a dead giveaway.
  13. Before you leave town, put a hold on your mail and newspaper. Don’t let it pile up.
  14. Also, ask a friend or neighbor to park their car in your driveway if you are away. This way, a burglar will always think someone is home.

While away on vacation, don’t post about it on social media. Burglars often search social media sites to see who in the neighborhood is away.

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.