Archive for September 2010
IN THE HEADLINES: Skimmers See Goldmines in Gas Pumps
Posted by: Neal OFarrell in: ● September 30, 2010
A gang of skimmers managed to steal more than half a million dollars from customers at gas stations across the state of Nevada, in what’s becoming an all-too-easy scam. Skimming uses miniature card readers hidden in public places where consumers are most likely to use a credit or ATM card, and gas stations and ATM [...]
IN THE HEADLINES: Knowing Me, Knowing You…There Might Be Something You Can Do.
Posted by: Neal OFarrell in: ● September 29, 2010
If you haven’t been spooked by data trading firms like Spokeo, prepare to be. Spokeo is one of a growing number of legitimate businesses, operating in the open, whose only goal is to sell your personal information over and over and over. Sites like Spokeo gather information on millions of Americans. They get this information [...]
IN THE HEADLINES: Want to Steal a House? Start with an Email Address…
Posted by: Neal OFarrell in: ● September 28, 2010
In one of the most bizarre cases of fraud and identity theft, an Australian man got a very rude introduction to the world of identity theft when he discovered that a few email exchanges triggered the sale of his home from right under his nose. While the victim was traveling, he was surprised to receive [...]
IN THE HEADLINES: The Worm Is Back
Posted by: Neal OFarrell in: ● September 24, 2010
With all the focus on nasty malware like banking Trojans in the last year, it’s easy to forget that there are plenty of different types of malicious software lurking on the Internet and waiting to surprise you. This year, the Trojan is the talk of the town in large part because of the apparent ease [...]
IN THE HEADLINES: Russian Trojans Invade Jason’s Deli in Memphis
Posted by: Neal OFarrell in: ● September 23, 2010
It was such a new type of Trojan horse program, investigators who ran tests on it seemed to readily admit that it couldn’t be detected by any anti-virus program they tried. Seems like the ultimate weapon in the hands of the bad guys, and one that should leave security experts around the world scratching their [...]
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Welcome to the Wild West of Identity Theft
Posted by: Neal OFarrell in: ● September 20, 2010
A couple of months ago I started helping an eighty-year-old woman who lost nearly $200,000 to a couple of identity thieves who turned out to be her kids. She lives in one of California’s largest cities (1 million+ residents) and was worried that her case might simply fall through the cracks and leave her helpless. [...]