Identity Theft Awareness

Click on this link for my November 11, 2009, newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/yaqevgz

Card Skimmer Found On Atlanta ATM Have you heard of a credit card skimmer? Know what one looks like? These devices are usually modifications to standard ATM machines that siphons off credit card information when a person inserts a credit card. You can find an article and pictures of one found on an Atlanta ATM recently at THIS website. Falsely accused, ID theft victim carted off to jail An Indiana man was arrested for beating his girlfriend's son. The only problem is, it was the wrong man! Read about it HERE . Louisville man is victim of unusual identity theft This is a nightmare that is real: Michael Anderson of Louisville, KY, is having a hard time keeping his personal records clean, but not because he is doing anything wrong. Another Michael Anderson with the same birthday has an extensive criminal record, including indecent behavior with a juvenile and assault. What happens whenever the Louisville Anderson tries to get a job or applies for credit? Read about it and wa

Several people have asked me to explain the differences in credit monitoring, fraud alerts, and credit freezes, and which is best. So I am spending some time in this blog entry going over these deterrents to financial identity theft. Remember, though, that financial identity theft is only one type of ID theft, representing about 25% of the reported crimes! The other types (driver's license, social security number, medical, and criminal/character) are growing in frequency and are much harder to detect and correct on your own. Beware: watching only your financial situation can give you a false sense of security. Credit Monitoring Credit monitoring in its strictest definition is simply monitoring your credit regularly at one or more of the three major credit bureaus Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. On your own, you are limited to requesting credit reports from these bureaus. You are entitled to one free report from each of the bureaus annually (which you can request t

Very clearly identity theft is out of our hands. In many ways, this is true. Professional thieves are using very sophisticated tools to penetrate major companies like Heartland. And the breaches like Heartland dwarf the myriad of other breaches going on at the same time. You cannot eliminate the chance that your identity will be stolen. So is there anything that you can do to minimize your exposure? Well, yes, but it may cut into your lifestyle a bit. Here are ten suggestions: Minimize the use of credit/debit cards. If your information is not out there, it can't be stolen. Of course, checks can be compromised, too, so use these carefully. Carry only the minimal amount of personally identifiable information in your purse or wallet. You don't need to carry your Social Security Number card with you! Remove any extra credit cards or ID cards. Keep these items in a safe place at home or in a safety deposit box. Take note of which cards you are carrying and how t

Banks and credit unions all across the country have been shutting off credit/debit cards and reissuing them. Heartland Payment Systems has been sued by several companies, banks, and individuals. Interestingly, Heartland was compliant with the PCI standards of the day. Heartland has now beefed up its security above and beyond the PCI specs. Whether it will be enough to keep it afloat as a company remains to be seen. In 2005, CardSystemsSolutions, a major payment processor, folded after its breach of 40 million credit card accounts were compromised; the Heartland breach is measured in the hundred million range. And the stolen card numbers are showing up. Already there have been arrests, where card numbers appeared in Visa and MasterCard gift cards. Those arrested, though, do not appear to be the masterminds behind the breach, just criminals who purchased the numbers. Authorities suspect an Eastern European group behind the break-in at Heartland. As the banking industr

On January 20 -- Inauguration Day -- Heartland Payment Systems, which handles over 100 million credit card transactions a month, quietly announced that their forensic auditing teams have uncovered a piece of malicious software buried in their processing system -- a security hole that allowed hackers to capture an unknown number of credit card transactions. At this point, they can't determine exactly when the hole was created, so therefore they can't determine who has been compromised. It was a very sophisticated attack, according to Robert Baldwin, the company's president and CFO. Heartland thinks that the hole has been plugged, but the forensic investigation is continuing. With this late-breaking story, I've read differing reports on the extent of exposure. One report acknowledges that card holder names and numbers were lifted but says that no merchant data or card holder Social Security numbers, or card PINs were involved. Another report felt that enough

When someone uses another person's personal identification (drivers license, medical card, social security card, etc.) to obtain unauthorized medical services or goods, this is medical identity theft. It could be a family member that doesn't have health insurance or it could be someone who has stolen the personal information or bought it (there are websites that sell this information to the highest bidder), using your identity to get drugs or perhaps have an operation. It could be a medical worker (nurse or office worker) who has access to your medical information. It could be a crooked doctor who bills for services not rendered, or a group that sets up a bogus clinic to obtain drugs or medical equipment in your name, to be sold on the black market later. What might be the impact of medical identity theft on you? Several things can happen, and all are bad: 1) Your lifetime medical benefits can be drained, and you may not know it. 2) You might find yourself