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Pickpockets, a Dying Breed

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If there were a criminal hall of fame with an award for the coolest criminal, it would have to go to the pickpocket. Pickpockets are sneaky creatures who manage to function exactly one degree below the radar.

Pickpockets whisper through society, undetected and undeterred. They are subtle and brazen at the same time. They are like bed bugs, crawling on you and injecting numbing venom that prevents you from detecting their bite until it’s much too late. They aren’t violent like a drug-crazed mugger, or confrontational like a stick-up robber. They have more gumption than criminal hackers, since they don’t hide behind the anonymity of the Internet.

NPR reports that nowadays, picking pockets has become a rare and increasingly difficult crime, thanks to “stepped-up surveillance in most public places,” the dismantling of systems of apprenticeship, heftier sentences, and the widespread use of debit cards.

One pickpocket is quoted as saying, “When people stopped carrying money, that was the beginning of the end of pickpocketing…Pickpockets have no respect for thugs or robbers. We consider them ancient. Prehistoric. We feel that anybody can stick a gun in a person’s face — that’s not hard to do. But to take a person’s money and them not knowing it’s gone — that’s the art of it. That’s the cleverness of it.”

Identity thieves serve as the modern incarnation of pickpockets. They slip into your mailbox or hack into your PC while you sleep. They are daring, cunning, and have ample choice of targets.

There was a time when pickpockets could make a couple thousand dollars in a day. Identity thieves can now make tens of thousands of dollars in a single day.

To ensure peace of mind, subscribe to an identity theft protection service, such as McAfee Identity Protection, which offers proactive identity surveillance and lost wallet protection. If your credit or debit cards are ever lost, stolen or misused without your authorization, McAfee will help you cancel them and order new ones. If their product fails, you’ll be reimbursed for any stolen funds not covered by your bank or credit card company. (See McAfee’s guarantee for details.)

For additional tips, visit CounterIdentityTheft.com.

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee consultant and identity theft expert. See him discuss identity theft on YouTube. (Disclosures)

Black Friday Launches Holiday Fraud Horrors

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The Christmas shopping season traditionally kicks off on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. This also begins a time when criminals swarm the shopping malls as well as the Internet, seeking to take advantage of holiday opportunities.

When shopping in stores, keep the following in mind:

Employees: Seasonal employees are more likely to steal, from their employer and from the customers. It has been said that only 10% of employees are honest, 10% of employees will always steal and 80% will steal based on circumstances. So always count your change.

Credit Card Skimming: When a salesperson or waiter takes your credit card, they can run it through a card reader device that will copy the information stored on the magnetic strip. So when you hand over your card, watch closely to see where it is taken and what is done with it. It’s normal for the card to be swiped through a point of sale terminal or keyboard card reader. But if you happen to see your card being swiped through an additional reader that doesn’t coincide with the transaction, your card number may have been stolen.

Debit Card Skimming: Without the associate PIN, a skimmed debit card number is difficult to turn into cash. With the help of a hidden camera or a “shoulder surfer,” though, your PIN could be recorded at an ATM or point of sale terminal. Cover the keypad while you’re entering your PIN.

Pickpockets: Pickpockets slink through society, undetected and undeterred. They are subtle and brazen at the same time. They are like bed bugs, crawling on you and injecting numbing venom that prevents you from detecting their bite until it’s much too late.

Be aware of your surroundings, especially in crowded places. Pickpockets use distractions like bumps, commotions, and aggressive people. Sometimes a person will fall down, drop something, or appear to be ill.

Consider subscribing to McAfee Identity Protection, a service that offers proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts. For additional tips, please visit www.counteridentitytheft.com.

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee consultant and identity theft expert. See him discuss Black Friday on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. (Disclosures)