credit card: Should You Worry About Contactless Credit Card NFC Skimming - 01/09/19 07:17 AM
If you have a contactless card, you might have worries about skimming. A contactless card or “frictionless” or “tap and go” is a card that has technology in it that allows payment over secure wireless like Apple Pay, Android Pay etc. Basically, this is where a criminal literally digitally pickpockets you by scanning things like your debit card or passport. What’s scary about this is that anyone can get an app for their phone that will allow them to skim. Is there protection for this? Maybe.
But before you freak out, you probably don’t even have a contactless card. Very few cards … (2 comments)

credit card: How to Protect You Frequent Flier Miles NOW - 11/27/18 06:46 AM
Social Security numbers and credit card numbers are not the only types of data that hackers are after. Now, they are looking at frequent flyer accounts, and they are stealing reward miles, and then selling them online.
How do Hackers Steal Frequent Flyer Miles?
As with other types of ID theft, hackers use info that they have illegally obtained to access frequent flyer accounts. With more data breaches happening than ever before, hundreds of millions of records are exposed, and thus, hackers have great access to the personal info they need to get into these accounts.
What do Hackers Do with Frequent Flyer Miles?
It … (2 comments)

credit card: Second Hand and Discarded Devices Lead to Identity Theft - 05/10/17 05:07 AM
A new study was just released by the National Association for Information Destruction. What did it find? Astonishingly, about 40% of all digital devices that are found on the second-hand market had personal information left on them. These include tablets, mobile phones, and hard drives.
The market for second hand items is large, and it’s a good way to find a decent mobile device or computer for a good price. However, many times, people don’t take the time to make sure all their personal information is gone. Some don’t even understand that the data is there. This might include passwords, usernames, company … (6 comments)

credit card: How long does Information stay on Credit Reports? - 03/03/16 09:52 PM
If you are concerned how long any negative information will remain on your credit report, it takes seven years from theDate of the Last Activity (DLA) before the item is deleted from your records (and seven to 10 years for bankruptcies). This is a very common question posed to credit reporting agencies.
Credit reporting agencies get your information (bad or good) from lenders and collection agencies. The reporting agencies simply compile the information that comes to them.
Consumer Statements
The credit report may contain not-so-appealing information about a dispute that you were involved in that did not see a resolution. For no fee, you can … (2 comments)

credit card: My EMV for a Week Challenge is DONE! - 02/19/16 10:02 PM
This week I worked with Gemalto, as part of Gemalto’s #ChipAwayAtFraud campaign. I was tasked with using my “chip” card when making a bunch of every day purchases like getting coffee and shopping. Gemalto, one of the world’s leaders in digital security, wanted a real-world take on the EMV card experience, which includes the security benefits EMV cards presents. You know EMV; it’s the “chip” credit card that, by now, you should have.
Here’s what I learned:
A significant portion of the retailers I frequented didn’t have the chip terminals in place. The ones that did afforded more security and a seamless transaction. … (1 comments)

credit card: How to build up or rebuild your Credit - 02/10/15 09:17 PM
After taking all the necessary steps to Fixing a Credit Report after being hacked, it is then tome to rebuild your credit. Bad credit is bad credit no matter how it happens. No matter how responsible you are with your money, you won’t get a loan if there’s no evidence of this. The evidence comes from having credit. You need to show lenders you can be trusted.
Every time you apply for a credit card, this puts a dent in your credit score. In other words, it can negatively affect your scores especially if there are lots of credit checks … (2 comments)

credit card: Should You Use Near-Field Communications? - 12/25/14 09:31 PM
Have you ever wondered what kind of superpower you’d have? I’ve always wanted to send messages and ideas with my mind to others. My dream can sort of come true with near-field communications (NFC).

You’ve might not have heard of NFC, but if you have a smartphone, there’s a good chance you’ve used it. If you have ever used Apple Pay or bumped your Galaxy smartphone with your buddy’s to send pictures, you have used NFC. By definition, NFC allows smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by bringing them close together, usually no more than … (0 comments)

credit card: Card Company's boosting Payment Security with Mobile - 12/17/14 09:02 PM
Whoever thought that one day, paying with green paper would be viewed as primitive as a horse and buggy? We seem to be getting closer to that time, especially since the security of making payments via smartphone is always being improved.

One way is with fingerprint scanning. Some smartphones already have this biometric feature. But what about credit cards and biometrics? Visa is currently experimenting with biometrics, but nothing yet has been deployed to the public. Nevertheless, a credit card company trying to develop something with biometrics will likely need to get involved in the smartphone arena.
There will always … (0 comments)

credit card: Chip and PIN, will It save Us - 12/16/14 08:45 PM
Many Americans, says a recent survey by Gallup, worry about a data breach connected to the use of their credit cards. Interestingly, many people use a credit card for everything under the sun: even just a soda and bag of chips from the convenience mart. The more you use a credit card, the more likely it will be compromised by cyber thieves.

The magnetic stripe technology for credit cards makes them so “hackable.” One way to help prevent credit card crimes is to implement a chip-and-PIN technology. It’s been touted as a sure way to keep crime at bay. But … (1 comments)

credit card: Chip and PIN vs. Chip and Signature Cards - 12/07/14 09:38 PM
The planet’s most powerful nation is sure backwards when it comes to the payment card industry: Why has America been using 1970s technology as of the posting date of this article? That magnetic strip on credit and debit cards has GOT to go already! And thank goodness, the transition to chip technology is more imminent than ever.

For those of you out of the loop, the stripe makes it ridiculously easy for cyber thieves to commit all sorts of crimes. (Remember Target?) The chip in most cases will trip them up on this.
Chip-and-PIN technology is better than chip-and-signature. However, … (1 comments)

credit card: 21 ways to Prepare your Credit Cards for Overseas Travel - 10/10/14 10:49 PM
Imagine being overseas, and in the process of using your credit card to make a purchase—and it’s declined—and you have no currency or checkbook. Nightmare.

The decline could be to prevent fraudulent use; perhaps it was recently reported lost, but then found or the country you are in is known for fraud. To clear this up, you must call the card company and tell them that the purchase you want to make is legitimate.
Realize that the card issuer cannot allow more transactions until they verify that the attempted charge is valid.
Prior to travel as well as during, there … (3 comments)

credit card: Credit Card Fraud booming - 09/02/14 10:41 PM
Online credit card fraud is flourishing, according to the U.S. Retail Fraud Survey 2014. One of the reasons is because online sales are ever on the increase, currently accounting for 6 percent of total sales, says the report, the most extensive of its kind. The projection is that within three years, retailers will be getting 15 percent of their sales online.

The survey was carried out between April and May of 2014, and dealt with primary research into the processes, systems and strategies that were used by 100 of the U.S.’s leading retailers, representing 126,000 stores in the U.S.
The … (3 comments)

credit card: Credit Card Fraud Security Bleak - 04/06/14 11:13 PM
The U.S. is no Superpower when it comes to card payments: the card hacking headquarters of the world.

Don’t count on credit card fraud going away too soon. After all, Americans practically sleep, eat and breathe credit card use. And it’s those doggone magnetic strips on the cards that keep getting consumers, retailers, banks and the card companies in a fix. The strips make it so easy for hackers—and they know it.
It’s high time that the U.S. switch to encrypted chips in the cards—ready to be launched soon, but security experts aren’t breathing easy yet. The squabbling among banks, … (1 comments)

credit card: Older technologies facilitate credit card fraud - 01/19/14 08:14 PM
America the Superpower is also the super choice for criminals wanting to steal credit card information. Security experts warn that this problem will get worse before it improves.

That ancient technology of the magnetic strip on the back of credit and debit cards is a godsend to criminals. The easy-to-copy band stores account information using a technology the same as that of cassette tapes. U.S. credit card technology has not kept up with fraudsters. One challenge facing the industry is that it is very expensive for companies to upgrade their credit card security.
When a card is swiped, the strip … (1 comments)

credit card: 8 tips to prevent post holiday credit card fraud - 12/17/13 08:28 PM
With your cards being used online, over the phone and in person it’s easy to lose track of purchases. The key is keep good records and be diligent about your security. Here are eight great tips that will go a super long way in preventing post holiday account takeover in the form of credit card fraud.

#1. To ensure your best chances of escaping fraudulent activity involving your credit card (which can occur even if the card isn’t stolen), follow these tips:
Go over every transaction online and account for it. Inquire about unfamiliar purchases with family members who are … (1 comments)

credit card: Card not present transaction fraud can be stopped - 12/13/13 08:55 PM
Credit card fraud, despite measures to stomp it out, still runs rampant in America. Forty-seven percent of credit card fraud consists of card-not-present (CNP) fraud. This includes payments via snail mail, phone and Internet.

The U.S. is headed towards EMV (chip) card technology, notes Scott Zoldi in FICO’s Banking Analytics Blog. Though chip-based authentication technology may cause non-CNP fraud to decline, don’t count on this same effect for CNP fraud, adds Zoldi.
There’s light at the end of this tunnel, however. Attempts at card fraud have risen, but the average loss per compromised account dropped by 10 percent. The ratio … (1 comments)

credit card: Who the Heck is This Credit Card Charge From? - 06/10/13 11:01 AM
If you travel as much as I do and use your credit card for every purchase from apples to zebras, you know it’s rare to recognize the name of a merchant listed on your credit card statement. For example, you may go to a restaurant by the name of Dave’s Bar and Grill and get a charge on your card a day later from Smith Enterprises—and you know you didn’t buy anything from a Mr. Smith.
So the way this works is, the bar was set up by Dave Smith’s parent company, Smith Enterprises, which owns a bunch of restaurants. When … (1 comments)

credit card: Beware of Credit Card Micro Charges - 04/26/13 02:10 PM
Micro charges are charges ranging from 20 cents to $10 and either are fraudulent, legitimate or fall into the category of “grey charges,” which describe sneaky recurring or unwanted charges.
These charges often go undetected because they are so small. Nine out of 10 credit card holders don’t scrutinize their statements carefully, allowing these scammers to get away with it.  In 2010, the Federal Trade Commissionfiled a lawsuit describing a criminal enterprise responsible for millions of dollars of micro charges.
In micro charges operations, scammers set up websites with toll-free numbers, which creates a “legitimate” web presence. With this facade, the websites are … (0 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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