idenity theft expert: Bold Signage Offers Intimidating Layer of Protection - 04/28/11 06:51 PM
ShareTweet <!-- tweetandlike-container -->GUNS GUNS GUNS. People love their GUNS.
Guns are deadly. And as far as the constitution insinuates, that’s the whole point.
Frankly, I like the feel of a gun’s craftsmanship and the occasional target or clay pigeon shooting. The idea of guns makes sense to me for purposes of protection, although, I’m always concerned with guns in the wrong hands, which, unfortunately is a lot of unstable people.
A gun of course is a layer of protection and has been proven to protect civilians, military, police officers, and others in high risk professions every day.
What scares me … (3 comments)

idenity theft expert: Operation Empty Promises Targets Job Scams - 04/08/11 05:05 PM
The recession may have waned, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. The unemployment rate is still a staggering 9.5%. That’s millions of people without a job. Many who were displaced eventually got lower paying jobs, and are barely able to get by.
Jobseekers’ desperation for employment makes them vulnerable to work-from-home scams and fake job listings.
The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that it has ”stepped up its ongoing campaign against scammers who falsely promise guaranteed jobs and opportunities to ‘be your own boss’ to consumers who are struggling with unemployment and diminished incomes as a consequence of the … (4 comments)

idenity theft expert: 10 Social Media Security Considerations - 03/20/11 06:46 PM
Social media security issues involve identity theft, brand hijacking, privacy issues, online reputation management, and users’ physical security.
Social media provides opportunities for criminals to “friend” their potential victims, creating a false sense of trust they can use against their victims through phishing or other scams.
Register your full name on the most trafficked social media sites, and do the same for your spouse and kids. If your name is already taken, include your middle initial, a period, or a hyphen. You can do this manually or speed up the process by using Knowem.com.
Get free alerts. Set up Google alerts … (2 comments)

idenity theft expert: 7 Types of Hacker Motivations - 03/20/11 06:23 PM
There are good and bad hackers. Here is a window into what they do and why:
White Hat Hackers: These are the good guys, computer security experts who specialize in penetration testing and other methodologies to ensure that a company’s information systems are secure. These IT security professionals rely on a constantly evolving arsenal of technology to battle hackers.
Black Hat Hackers: These are the bad guys, who are typically referred to as just plain hackers. The term is often used specifically for hackers who break into networks or computers, or create computer viruses. Black hat hackers continue to technologically outpace … (1 comments)

idenity theft expert: Social Security Numbers Easily Cracked - 03/01/11 05:11 AM
It is easier than ever to guess or predict an individual’s Social Security number, which puts us all at a greater risk for identity theft.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a reliable method for predicting Social Security numbers, using information from social networking sites, data brokers, voter registration lists, online white pages, and the publicly available Social Security Administration’s Death Master File.
Originally, the first three numbers on a Social Security card represented the state in which a person had initially applied for their card. Numbers started in the northeast and moved westward. This meant that people born on … (2 comments)

idenity theft expert: Dumb Criminal Leaves Behind Charging Phone - 03/01/11 05:03 AM
Fortunately not all burglars are Tom Cruise like in a scene from Mission Impossible. While some are violent, most of them are bumbling buffoons who need their next fix and just jiggle door knobs and make a quick hit and run to sell your stuff for a $10 vile.
One such dumb criminal took advantage of people’s homes after power outages brought on by a winter storm in Maryland. In the course of the storms about 40 homes had been broken into.
In one burglary, as reported in the Washington Post, “as the burglar was rifling through the rooms in that … (2 comments)

idenity theft expert: The Ever Present Credit Card Scam - 02/27/11 04:04 PM
When people ask me, “How do I protect myself from credit card fraud?” I tell them, “Cancel the card, or never use it.” Because that’s the only way. Otherwise, all you can do is hope the merchant has a sophisticated system in place to mitigate the fraud.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center’s Annual Report determined that the total dollar loss from all cases of fraud in 2009 that were referred to law enforcement by IC3 was $559.7 million; that loss was greater than 2008 when a total loss of $264.6 million was reported. Some estimate identity fraud in total at … (5 comments)

idenity theft expert: 7 Tips To Better Credit Card Security - 11/07/10 03:21 PM
Every time you use a credit card, you increase the chances of that card number being used fraudulently. Cards can be skimmed and hacked in a number of different ways.
#1 Watch your card. Whenever you hand your credit or debit card to a salesperson or waiter, watch to see where your card 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 swiped through an additional reader that doesn’t coincide with the transaction the card number … (2 comments)

idenity theft expert: How Much for a Fake I.D.? - 09/24/10 09:37 PM
If you want a Puerto Rican identity, it’s about $6000 for a “tripleta,” which can be used to hide illegal immigrants. Other forms of identification vary in price. A United States passport can range from $950 to $1650 to as much as$5500.
In the U.S., we have as many as 200 different forms of identification circulating, including passports from state to state, plus another 14,000 birth certificates and 49 versions of the Social Security card. These are paper and plastic documents that can be recreated with a PC, scanner, printer, and laminator.
McAfee Avert Labs researcher Francois Paget found and posted … (2 comments)

idenity theft expert: Online Dating Liar Liar is 5’4, not 5’10 - 06/14/10 08:12 PM
But who cares? Apparently the dude with the 6 inch height difference did. And he figured the lady he was about to meet via chatting in an online dating service cared as well. Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. Either way he started out in the relationship lying.
Many single people have been turning to the Internet for dating services. You can meet someone with the same interests, hobbies, and lifestyle. Dating services allow you to browse profile pages to shop for a potential mate while chatting it up with potential dates. In the process you are selling yourself as … (3 comments)

idenity theft expert: Phishers Ties Up Victims Phones, Killing Notification - 05/18/10 07:03 PM
Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano
Many of today’s automated processes are designed with security and/or convenience in mind. For example, if a credit card companies’ anomaly detection software detects irregular spending on your credit card the software may freeze your account or call you to make sure you are in-fact the one making the charge. While this may help to secure you, it also may inconvenience you if you are traveling overseas and are declined or just in a hurry and trying to catch a flight.
These same technologies may or may not involve a human at different touch points … (1 comments)

 
Robert Siciliano, Realty Security and Identity Theft Expert Speaker (IDTheftSecurity.com Inc)

Robert Siciliano

Realty Security and Identity Theft Expert Speaker

Boston, MA

More about me…

IDTheftSecurity.com Inc

Address: PO Box 15145, Boston, MA, 02215

Office: (617) 329-1182



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