Articles and Ideas February, 2009
Health care is supposed to help, not hurt.
That's why reports of fraud originating with medical records are, even in this age of increasing identity theft, all the more shocking.
Perhaps the worst aspect of medical identity theft is that the victims are often (up to 80% of the time, according to some reports) unaware of any misdeed until it's too late. Receiving a collections phone call or worse, approached by law enforcement officials, these individuals are alerted of crimes committed in their name...but by a total stranger.
The Heart of the Matter
One ...
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That e-mail is tempting: you have been chosen as a "final candidate" for a high-paying, lucrative position. All that's required of you now is to reply with some information, and you'll be "on the list."
You're already signed up with several employment seeking lists. In your excitement, you're not certain which of these the e-mail may have come from (or how the company got your private e-mail address).
But it can't hurt to click on the link they've provided just to find out a bit more about the job, can it?
Identity theft experts say it can. New programs from the hacker underworld ...
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Police scanners are a valuable resource to law enforcement officials, EMS (emergency medical service) personnel and others who work in helping and protection capacities.
They also have a subsegment following of non-officials who listen in to see what's going on in their town and county. Interestingly, it's a fairly common hobby, according to reports, and only seems to be growing as it becomes easier and easier to obtain high-quality scanners.
Unfortunately, this availability has a downside: criminals, too, invest in police scanners, but not to keep tabs on society or to offer to lend a hand. Rather, thieves are wise to the ...
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Forget “You may have already won!” Today's criminals are putting on a professional (and much more believable) face to nab personal information and dupe their victims.
Everyone knows to steer clear of e-mails titled “Urgent Message from Nigerian Account” or “You may have already won!”.
Nor are many people likely to fall for “Your credit card is ready” scams.
But what about when a defrauder poses as your very own bank? Perhaps the e-mail includes information that you would think only a legitimate source could have. Or the message is so serious—or even threatening—you just can't help but open it.
You think you can ...
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Earlier in the week we discussed data breaches, how they might happen and their growing occurrence during the past two to five years.
Now let's dig a little deeper into the common mechanisms criminals use to infiltrate databases,and just how much it costs businesses (and clients) each time this type of theft occurs.
Going Phishing...for Your Identity
As times change, so does technology. And unfortunately, identity thieves have moved right along with the newest updates in computer software.
Individuals or groups looking to commit a data breach typically utilize some form of malware (malicious + software). And it's not as hard to come ...
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You bank at a major financial institution—one that isn't hinting at bankruptcy or going up for sale. You check your credit card and checking statements carefully each month. And you use online passwords so indecipherable, even you can't always remember them.
You're safe. Right?
Not necessarily. By the time 2009 had completed its first month, a disheartening 45 data breaches had already been reported, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. As of Feb. 3 of this year, that was close to 70% more than last year at this time.
But what is an identity breach? Can it be prevented? And are you ...
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It goes without saying that identity theft is on the list of many people's financial concerns.
It’s also common knowledge that ID fraud is a crime that started out strong and just seems to be growing from there, with some predictions stating 2009 could be the heaviest ID crime year yet.
The obvious answer would seem to be that authorities should crack down, initiate more investigations and prosecute more ID theft and related crimes.
But could the movement toward government involvement in this across-the-nation crime be impinging on the privacy rights of some people, including those innocent of any wrongdoing?
Consumers Demand Greater Security ...
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When one enters a hospital, he or she expects to be cured.
But dozens of patients at St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, CO received insult in addition to injury when their records were stolen and stashed away at a local storage unit.
Channel 9 News reporters say Brandon Michael visited his rented storage unit on New Year’s Day, 2009 to sort through what should have been “tools, laptops and furniture,” which the Denver resident was planning to sell at auction on ebay.
But instead, he found hundreds of pieces of identification—including Social Security cards and birth certificates—stashed in cabinets and trash bags.
Hospital ...
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