Identity Theft Blog

We've all heard the saying, "all good things must end." And so it is with the Weekend Scam Recap. I think that we're all aware that scams are everywhere and we need to have our guard up all the time. So, I think that the WSR is rehashing information that we don't necessarily need.

Instead, I'm going to use the Monday post to let you know about something important or interesting. Or even to answer a question that a reader might have. And of course, if you have suggestions for what you would like to see in the blog or on the site, please email me. I'm here to help you. So, let me know what you want to see.

I'm always talking to people about identity theft. And several times a week, I hear someone say they've given their information out to a bogus web site. It happens to nearly everyone, at least one time.

Today, I've been messaging with someone in the forum who had their identity compromised. And I've also shared emails with two different people who are facing the same issues. These are people just like you and I.

After an attack, however, these people feel ashamed or embarrassed that they've allowed their information to be compromised. You shouldn't be. Even experts sometimes fall for these scams. Really. One ex-FBI agent I know and work with once in a while has been compromised. I've been compromised, and scores of other experts have. It can happen to anyone. All the more reason to be on guard.

What age group do you think is most targeted for identity theft? Most people think that it's those who fall between the ages of 30 and 50 because they're actively working and building credit. But it's not.

The most targeted group for identity theft is actually students aged 18-29. Students. Because students often don't know enough about the threat of identity theft to know to protect themselves.

If you're a student, beware. There's an identity theft standing behind you just waiting for the chance to nab your personal information. Learn more about student identity theft and how to protect yourself.

It was a quiet weekend on the identity theft front. That doesn't mean there's nothing happening, just nothing new in the news. That's okay, though. A scam that was announced during the later part of last week was enough to create a pretty loud uproar over the weekend

The scam, which targeted Apple's MobileMe users was a typical phishing scam, only better presented than many that make the rounds on the net. This phishing scam hit MobileMe users, telling them that there was a billing error they needed to attend to. It was well written, and well executed, and it faked out hundreds of people.

Every new technology is a new opportunity for phishers to target unsuspecting users. And phishers are getting smarter, so you should, too. Learn how to spot a phishing scam.

By now, you've heard all about the damages done by the identity theft ring that was uncovered last week. Nine major retailers were involved in that identity theft case. But less than half of them reported the data breaches to their customers.

Only four of the nine felt the need to share the breaches with their customers! What's more is that according to reports, some customers of the companies that did not report the breaches to customers had their identities stolen.

As I see it, that means that many of the companies with which we do business aren't looking out for us, the customers. That means we have to look after ourselves. Of course, monitoring your credit report is the first, and most important step. But I'll tell you, I'm tempted to not shop with those companies that didn't notify their customers. But I guess that's a choice that each of us have to make on our own.

Sometimes it seems it's the simplest scams that work the best. That's reflected in this week's Weekend Scam Recap. Lots of scams that we've seen before seem to be making reappearances on the list. Check it out:

• Skimming Scams: Credit card skimming, especially at gas pumps, just keeps coming up. Be cautious of any public area where you need to swipe your credit card, especially when the card doesn't seem to go through when you swipe it. Inspect card readers for any suspicious parts or designs.
• Phishing: New phishing scams seem to pop up every day. Like the one at Murray State University that was reported over the weekend. Be suspicious of any email that requests you click through a link to provide personal or account information.
• Phishing By Text Message: Everyone's texting these days, so it's a natural progression for phishing to move to text formats. Some are calling it Smishing or SMS Phishing. But no matter what you call it, it's the same scam with the same results.

So, there's not much new from the weekend, but that doesn't mean there are no threats to your identity. Simply that the old threats still apply.

Health care identity theft is one of the greatest identity theft concerns, because the results of medical identity theft can be deadly. So, to find out that an organization like Georgia Blue Cross and Blue Shield, that has over 200,000 members has suffered a data breach due to poor system testing is disconcerting, to say the least. It opens the floor for the question: who is going to protect the patient?

That's a tough question to answer, too. Medical data breaches are occurring more and more often, which means more and more people are put at risk. So, is the medical facility responsible for protecting your data? Yes, right down to the personnel manager that hires and fires employees, but don't let that lull you into thinking that you don't have some responsibility, too.

You have to be prepared to respond to data breaches when they happen, even if it's your medical records that have been compromised. It's not all you, the agency that puts you at risk should definitely have the lion's share of responsibility, but don't sit back and leave it all up to them. If you do, you could find that the price is far more than you're prepared to pay.

It happened rather quietly, but the Senate has finally passed a bill that allows identity theft victims to pursue restitution for the damages done. The bill -- the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act -- allows identity theft victims to seek restitution in Federal court for the costs associated with restoring their identity after it has been stolen.

Additionally, the bill makes it felony to use spyware or keyloggers to damage more than 10 computers, opening the door for legislation that will protect the businesses that are affected by identity theft.

The bill still has to make it's way through House for approval, but it looks like it could pass just a quietly there as it did in the Senate.

Okay, so I found this a little ironic and more than a little like poetic justice. Turns out that phishers get phished, it just takes a little more work on the bigger criminal's part. Technically, I don't think that the phishers are getting phished, I think they're getting hacked, but it's still a case of the big phish eating the little phish.

It happens because it's far more cost effective for the hacker to allow the phisher to do all of the dirty work. Phishing and many of the other activities that lead to identity theft, can be time consuming. So, why not just jump on the coattails of a phisher that's willing to spend the time? Take advantage of their work, make some money on the side. Economically, it makes sens.

It's just fun to find out that criminals get taken, too,

Technically, it's not Monday, but I'm putting up the Weekend Scam Recap all the same. I didn't get it out yesterday because I was out of the office all day. Fortunately, there wasn't much going on this past weekend to keep us guessing. It's gearing up to be an interesting week, though, so keep your eyes open for the next scam.

Here's what happened over the weekend:

• US mortgage lender, Countrywide, experienced an insider data breach last week that put 2 million Countrywide Mortgage customers at risk. If your mortgage lender is Countrywide, you might want to follow this one closely.
• Identity theft for cars could be your next big problem. It's called VIN Cloning, and it turns out that some clever criminals have found a way use it to make it appear that your car is stolen, when in fact it is not. You can could run into theft problems for driving your own car if this happens to you.
• Another telephone scam strikes. This scam is a little more vicious than any I've seen in the past. Criminals call unsuspecting targets saying someone has been in an accident and they need to call the head police officer on the scene immediately. The victim is told to dial *72 plus a number. What really happens is the phone line is then released to whoever is on the other end of the line. Don't fall for this nasty ploy. Just hang up the phone.

That's it. In all, it was a quiet weekend. Thankfully.