| GCSO warns residents of possible identity theft operation via phone
Gray County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a possible identity theft operation in which the person is asked for information concerning their bank account.At least one local resident has reported receiving a call from someone claiming to be a representative of the Internal Revenue Service, said Sheriff Don Copeland. The caller claimed that the IRS had a refund to send to the person, and asked for the person's bank routing number and bank account number in order to deposit the refund in their account.This information may be used by the caller to remove money from the account and may also lead to identity theft, Copeland said.
The IRS warns all citizens not to give personal information over the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless they have initialed the contact or they are sure they know who they are dealing with.
Aussies lose ID in trash
AUSTRALIANS should lock their mailboxes and shred their mail to avoid identity theft, federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has told a conference on identity fraud. Mr Ruddock told the Sydney meeting the problem of identity fraud had grown exponentially because of modern communications. But snail mail and hardcopy documents still presented a problem, he said, and Australians should think of investing in a shredder, and perhaps a lock on their letterbox. ''Identity theft occurred predominantly when crooks got access to an individual's financial records, making protection of hardcopy documents essential,'' Mr Ruddock said. "It's very important to look at how you handle your personal paperwork, what you put in your waste bins," he said.
Consumers apathetic about online security
Computer users are still demonstrating widespread indifference to measures designed to prevent malware infections. A survey by PC Tools found that 80 per cent of respondents had been hit by an online attack despite claiming a high level of awareness of online security and the requisite security products. Nearly all respondents were aware of the threats posed by social networking sites, spam emails, viruses and spyware, but half admitted that they continue to download and share files regardless. "PC Tools' website visitors are aware and, in most cases, well informed of the risks," said Simon Clausen, chief executive at PC Tools. "But the survey suggests that we can expect a significantly greater problem among the general public who continue to expose themselves to financial loss and identity theft." PC Tools believes that the industry must approach computer security and cyber-crime from an educational perspective, but warned that consumers need to want to be educated.
Beware of e-mail scams this holiday season
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Just in time for Cyber Monday and the online holiday shopping rush, high-tech Grinches are cranking up their fraud attacks with a new round of bogus e-mail, identity-theft experts say.Have you won $2 million in a Christmas sweepstakes held by Coca-Cola in the United Kingdom? Can you make big bucks just by cashing checks for an Irish researcher, Chinese exporter or rich oil consultant in Dubai? Is there a problem with your account at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, eBay or PayPal?No. But you might think so if you fall for some of the recent e-mail scams infesting the Internet.And they always peak this time of year, as millions of shoppers spend more time on the Web. Online shopping has grown at a double-digit pace in recent years. More than 70 million are expected to surf the Web this year for presents.“We do see e-mail and phone scams picking up during the holiday season," said Linda Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a watchdog group based in San Diego.
Watchdog warns of phone scam
Consumers are being conned over the phone by fraudsters claiming to be calling from Consumer Direct. The callers pretend they are carrying out a survey on behalf of the Government-funded consumer advice organisation and ask their victims for personal and financial information. However, Consumer Direct said the callers have no connection with it, and their intention may be to use the information for identity theft, to run up bills or commit crimes using stolen details. Consumer Direct said although it does carry out surveys in order to monitor its performance, it will always write first so that the call is expected. The consumer watchdog said it also would never ask people for financial or personal information and warned people that they should never pass on these kind of details to any cold callers either over the phone or via email.
Considering the amount private info that goes into a mailbox, keep it ...
| Stand-alone mailboxes are like treasure chests. They can hold missives from family, bills, junk mail, birthday cards -- but more importantly, correspondence with personal information.
Mailboxes need security measures, such as locks and keys, to keep prying people from seeing or stealing private letters. They also can help minimize vandalism.
''It's a big issue -- mail theft,'' says Bruce Franklin, who owns All Valley Masonry in Fresno, Calif., and has built custom mailboxes for the last 12 years. ''It's not about [stealing] a check anymore. It's about identity theft.''
.
Cyber-crime 'worse than burglary'
Identity theft has become one of the most feared crimes in the UK, according to a study of more than 1,400 regular internet users, outranking burglary, assault and robbery. Around one in three respondents to the survey indicated that they had been the victim of some form of cyber-theft, including phishing emails, credit card fraud and unauthorised bank transfers. The research, commissioned by internet security software maker AVG, revealed that individual financial loss ranged from a few pounds to several thousand pounds. Some 90 per cent of respondents had threat protection software installed on their PCs, but a third remained unconvinced that these were adequate measures to protect them from cyber-crime. Liverpool topped the list of UK cities most afraid of cyber-theft with 93 per cent highlighting their concern.
|
