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15 Famous Identity Theft Cases That Rocked The Nation
I have had my identity compromised. It sucks. And while I shudder to think about what the thief did with the stolen information, it has forced me to develop good online security practices.
Identity theft cases are rising globally, especially in the United States.
The US Federal Trade Commission received nearly 1.4 million identity theft fraud reports in 2021. Apparently, this was fuelled by uncertainty over COVID-19.
8 Dangers Of Posting Your Pictures And Information Online
I’m probably going to offend many people here, but posting your pictures and information online is dangerous.
Wait, I’ll explain.
It’s okay to share beautiful moments like Christmas trees, Thanksgiving, and other festive periods with your friends on Facebook and Instagram.
But many people tend to overshare, revealing sensitive details in pictures that shouldn’t be made public.
How To Report Identity Theft: A Step-By-Step Guide
Knowing how to report identity theft immediately will save you from more damage.
Don’t be deceived; identity theft happens more often than you think.
Roughly 1 in 3 Americans have become identity theft victims at some point.
I am one of those victims. And it sucks.
The crazy part is you might not know until much damage has been done.
How Easy Is It For Someone To Steal Your Identity?
How often have you clicked a link online, especially on social media? You’ve probably lost count.
Me too.
But clicking one URL cost me nearly $6,000 in 2013. It was supposed to be a YouTube link to watch the recap of the Super Bowl XLVII between the 49ers and the Ravens.
The 49ers lost, which hurt, but I had no idea another heartbreak would come from the URL I clicked.
Unfortunately, it was a phishing link that installed spyware on my device. It resulted in hackers accessing my personal and financial information.
How To Tell If Someone Is Using Your Identity
When I got scammed of $5,700 in late June 2013, I only found out after a store refused my personal check.
The damage had been done.
That’s the reality of identity theft. You usually don’t know until it’s too late.
And if I didn’t walk into that store, the financial losses could have been even more disastrous.
Millions of Americans suffer from identity theft yearly. Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information to steal money or commit crimes.
I lost six thousand dollars, which is a lot of money. But it could be worse for others.
How To Prevent Identity Theft
Identity theft is the fraudulent practice of using someone else’s name and personal information to steal, obtain loans, credit, etc.
It sounds like something straight out of a crime blockbuster movie until it happens to you.
Let me tell you a story about how my life changed a decade ago.
In late June 2013, a store refused my check after running it through a verification service.
Like everyone would, I called my bank immediately. What I heard was shocking.
TWELVE checks had been written on my account, and a total of $5,700 had been withdrawn.
I admit. I am an impulsive spender.
BUT NOT LIKE THAT.
How To Protect Your Identity Online
What if protecting your identity online was easier than you thought?
At first glance, figuring out how to protect your identity online feels like a monumental and complicated task. You know it’s important, but where do you even begin?
That’s where these 12 simple steps come in.
If you put all of these into practice, stealing your identity would be a near impossibility. And you can act on most of these in as little as a few hours.
So, if protecting your identity online is something you’ve been meaning to get around to, there’s no better time than now.
How To Protect Seniors From Getting Scammed
Seniors like our parents and grandparents aren’t tech-savvy, which already makes them vulnerable to being scammed.
Plus, they tend to have more money in the bank because they’re retired or close to and have a fixed income.
Put these variables together, and it’s no wonder they’re the likeliest demographic to be fraud victims after children.
For example, American seniors aged 60 and above lost over $1.6 billion to fraudsters in 2021 alone. And studies show this doesn’t tell the whole story.
How To Protect Your Child’s Identity Online
You need to protect your child’s identity online. If not, they’ll be part of the 1.3 million kids with their identities stolen yearly.
And there are dire consequences.
For example, you don’t want to realize your child’s identity has been stolen and used to commit financial fraud when it’s time for college.
But beyond financial risks, you should protect your child’s identity from creeps. Your child could also be used as a weak link to target the entire family.
Children are innocent. So, they’re more vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
How To Remove Hard Inquiries From Your Credit Report
It starts out innocently enough.
You hear about a great interest rate on a personal loan, or you apply for an apartment that offers a lower monthly rent than what you’re paying now.
But without realizing it, you may have lowered your credit score.
The credit reporting agencies classify two types of credit checks: hard and soft. With a soft inquiry, a creditor simply checks your score to make sure you qualify. These often happen with creditors that advertise they’ll “preapprove” or “preauthorize” you for an opportunity. Soft credit checks don’t show up on your credit report and don’t impact your score.
Zelle Scams – What They Are And How To Avoid Them
I remember the days before peer-to-peer payment services.
Most of the time, credit and debit worked fine. But there were times when you just needed to hand cash to a friend. Sometimes, we’d have someone come to the house to do work, and paper checks were the only option unless we happened to have hundreds of dollars in cash on hand.
We never do!
Now, thanks to apps like Zelle and Venmo, we can zap cash to anyone we need. I use these apps to send money to colleagues collecting flowers for a peer. Sometimes my stepdaughter needs a little extra cash.
Tax Fraud Scams: What They Are & How To Protect Yourself This Tax Season
Scams are serious business, with consumers losing about $8.8 billion to fraud in 2022. This is an increase of more than 30 percent since 2021, making it more important than ever that we protect ourselves.
Here’s the thing:
Identity fraud can happen to any of us. Other types of scams can get us, too. Even if you’re cautious, there’s no guarantee.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take measures to protect yourself!
This is especially important at tax time. We put a lot of information on our tax forms, including our full name, social security number, income, employer, and dependents.
The Dark Web: What Is It & How Hackers Sell Your Identity On It For Pennies
In 2015, my co-worker Mike told me about the dark web and the insane things that happened there.
I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around how there was a place where people could anonymously sell personal information or even hire hitmen online!
Right there, Mike asked for my wife’s name and, within seconds, found her Social Security Number for sale – for $2.50!
There’s more.
The website he found it on claimed to have over 160 million other SSNs and dates of birth for sale. That was half of the United States population at the time.
Venmo Scams – What They Are & How To Avoid Them
When a Detroit woman saw a post offering Morgan Wallen tickets on social media, she couldn’t resist the deal. The seller said she’d bought them for her daughter’s birthday, but that she couldn’t use them.
The buyer did exactly what we’ve all been advised to do. She clicked over and took a look at the seller’s profile. It looked legitimate.
She sent the money and waited. The seller claimed she was having trouble sending the tickets, then vanished. The tickets never came.
Worse, within days, the buyer’s bank account was emptied by the seller. Apparently, the scammer had hacked her Venmo account, accessed her debit card information, and found their way into her bank account from there.
Yikes!
So, what is this scam? And, how can you avoid it?
PayPal Scams – What They Are & How To Avoid Them
Like many of us, I’ve had a PayPal account for years.
I remember using it for the first time when I began shopping on eBay.
Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I prefer my PayPal account more than newer digital payment methods like Venmo and Apple Wallet.
I can still recall a few scam emails I got in the early 2000s. Since I worked in information systems at the time, I knew better than to click links. I’d cleaned up more than a few viruses caused by those clicks. I always went straight to PayPal, logged in, and checked to see if there were any issues with my account.
But it’s not as easy to avoid scams these days. PayPal scammers can be pretty creative in getting you to click. It can be hard to tell what’s real and what’s phony.
Luckily, we’re here to help.
7 Serious Consequences Of Being Victim Of Identity Theft
With the widespread use of the internet, smartphones, and social media, identity theft is a significant problem for consumers. Scammers and criminals continue to develop new ways to steal people’s personal information online, using their confidential details to commit fraud.
The consequences of identity theft are serious and affect people’s lives and health in various ways. In addition to lost time and money, identity theft causes anxiety and sleep problems because of financial and emotional stress. Depending on the type of crime, the damage can last days or years, and even after the issue is resolved, victims live with the fear of it happening again.
Lost Your Wallet? Here’s The 11 Things You Need To Do Right Away
I was at a business conference the last time I lost my wallet.
I’ll never forget the panic that set in. Your first thought is to find it. You look everywhere. Then you start backtracking. Did you leave it at the restaurant? In your hotel room? In your car?
Once the reality starts to set in, though, you do a quick inventory of all that you might have lost. In my case, it was…
How To Prevent Your Password From Being Stolen
Password security has never been more critical than it is today. From personal identification to account access and data storage, passwords are used in almost all digital transactions.
Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of apps, devices, websites, and services that require passwords, it is easy for cybercriminals to compromise passwords and confidential data.
To protect your digital information, it’s essential for anyone using passwords to make sure they’re as strong as possible.
While there’s a lot that goes into personal cybersecurity and password management, there are some best practices and tips to use if you want to avoid having your password stolen and to improve your overall web security.
5 Reasons Why You Should Be More Concerned Of Your Privacy These Days
In today’s economy, companies and governments use and store people’s personal information. It’s a practice that has become increasingly common in recent years for marketing and advertising purposes, and it is here to stay.
Most people are surprised when they learn about all the things companies know about them. There are important reasons why you should be concerned about the privacy of your data. Your data is worth a lot to businesses, and you have a right to know that it is correctly handled.
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