LifeLock Blog

Charlie Sheen has been all over the place this week, his show ‘Two and a Half Men’ has had the rest of it’s 8 episodes canceled, he had a very interesting interview with Pierce Morgan, and he joined Twitter making a world record for shortest amount of time to reach 1 Million followers. All that to say he is getting a lot of attention on the internet and elsewhere. Cyber criminals and mischief-makers start to see dollar signs and are seeking to poison search results with Charlie Sheen keywords.

Every time someone or some situation gets popular criminals seek to take advantage of it. We see it with Facebook issues and we saw it with Obama’s inaugural speech among many others. According to the spokesperson over at Invincea, a software security firm, criminals are looking to

“poison the search results and the link would appear to be taking you to a Charlie Sheen video, when actuality it is directing the user to a malicious site. Most of the time these malicious sites are fake anti-virus attacks … where the user thinks they’re infected when in reality, running the (anti-virus) scan is what installs the malware.”

Of course these fake malware sites are completely bogus and you should never click to scan for malware virus on any website. People are getting smarter about this kind of thing, but it seems criminals are getting sneaker too by attacking popular topics and keywords. Amoung the most dangerous keywords, other than Charlie Sheen, right now are “Jenni J-Woww” — Jenni “Jwoww” Farley of “Jersey Shore.” Be careful as you Google these popular search terms and don’t fall for their trickery.

Stay Safe – The Credit Protector

According to a recent Washington Post article there is some good news and some bad news concerning identity theft in America. The good news is that identity theft actually dropped last year by 28% to 8.1 Million. Even though 8.1 million is still a large number it is 3 Million less than last year. Also identity fraud has gone down from 56 Billion in in 2009 to 37 Billion.

Javelin has been tracking identity theft for the last eight years, ever since 2003, and this is the largest decrease they have seen. The Washington Posts believes the decrease is due to “a significant drop in data breaches, or situations in which batches of personal information have become vulnerable to identity thieves.” I also believe that the successfulness and popularity of services like Lifelock also have had an effect on the decrease in the crime.

Now it’s time for the bad news. The price out-of-pocket per incident actually when up by 63% from $387 in 2009 to $631 in 2010. Also friendly fraud, referring to identity theft by someone you know, went up by 7% as well. Many people aren’t held liable for damages done by identity theft, but often times end up paying for things out of pocket to clear their name.

All in all identity theft isn’t something to take lightly and should be take seriously. Service like Lifelock go a long way to prevent and alerting you to potential  identity theft threats. It’s good news that identity theft it down for the moment, but we have a long way to go before it’s a thing of the past.

Ever since 1984 October has been known as National Crime Prevention Month. The purpose of which is to encourage awareness of crimes and how consumers can arm themselves to prevent these crimes from happening to them. When the general public is aware of a particular crime and understands how to prevent it you usually see a decline in that particular crime.

LifeLock, the leader in identity theft protection, is teaming up with the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association to hold special identity theft summits for local and statewide law enforcement. The Summits are scheduled between October 19 and 28 in the following cities: Montgomery, Alabama, St. Louis, Missouri, and New Orleans, Louisiana. The purpose of the special summits is to educate law enforcement about the latest in identity theft statistics, how to fight the crime better, and new techniques criminals are using.

In addition to the identity theft summits LifeLock will also be holding several free educational presentations around the country designed for the general public. The presentations will educate and help the general public understand the risk of identity theft, common ways identity theft can happen, and current identity theft trends. Here are four quick tips that can help protect you, and will give you a taste as to the information given in the LifeLock identity theft presentations.

• ID your caller ID – Thieves are implementing a new technology to trick a phone’s caller identification system by giving a false name and number. The safest way to avoid being fooled is to crosscheck the phone number. If the caller ID gives the name of a bank, check the number that bank has listed to be sure it’s legitimate.
• Don’t let thieves RENT your identity – Even if you’re a homeowner, it’s a smart idea to request your rental history in case someone is using your PII to secure an apartment or other rental property in your name.
• As if going to the doctor wasn’t bad enough – Believe it or not, thieves these days even go to the lengths of using your identity or health insurance information to get their hands on pills and other drugs. You can contact companies, such as Intelliscript, to request your full 5-year history of prescriptions.
• Debt that (seriously) isn’t yours – It’s simple, really. If a so-called “debt collector” is hounding you and you don’t believe you owe anything, tell them to stop contacting you. According to federal law, a debt collector cannot continue to contact you if you tell them to stop. After you confirm you don’t owe the debt the person says you do, you may then discontinue all contact from the debt collection company by sending a letter to the collector. Be sure to keep a copy of the letter and the return receipt for verification purposes. If the “debt collector” still contacts you, other than to let you know there will be no further contact or to inform you that the agency is filing legal action, it is a violation, most likely by an identity thief.

College is a great time for young adults as they break free from parental control and begin to learn their own way through life. Even though they may be ready to leave home they are not always ready to take on the world and the surprises and heartaches it can provide. Identity theft has got to be the last thing on the mind of a college student, perhaps the next test, party, or road trip to Panama City for spring break, but definitely not identity theft. This is why they are prime targets for identity theft and this is why with a couple precautions you can protect your college student from the heartache of identity theft.

1. Computer Protection
Every college student needs a computer for writing papers and doing research, but keeping it secure and free from viruses is important to preventing an identity theft. Viruses can steal important information from you so obtaining anti-virus software is paramount to preventing this type of breach.

2. Securing Documents
Many college students are not very organized and this can provide the opportunity for identity thieves to get their hands on their sensitive information. It’s important to secure your sensitive documents. This means locking up you Social Security card, Passport and other identifying information. A filing cabinet that locks is a good start but a safe is even better. Shredding documents is something college students should definitely do. Anything sensitive should be shredded before discarding it.

3. Mail Security
Mail at a college is usually less secure than you would have hoped. Many times it can be accessed by too many people or arrive to the wrong person due to students moving around a lot. This can cause sensitive mail to be compromised something you don’t want. Sensitive mail should always be sent to permanent address or PO Boxes to prevent your mail from falling into the wrong hands. When sending sensitive mail make sure to deliver it to the post office yourself to prevent it from being intercepted before reaching the post office.

4. Monitor Credit and Bank Statements
College students should always check their bank statements on a regular bases to prevent any fraudulent charges from clearing their accounts. Checking credit card statements, credit reports, and bank statements is critical to preventing a breach from effecting you long term.

These are just some of the things you can do to prevent an identity theft while at College. For even better protection try the leader in identity theft protection LifeLock. You can get a discount on a LifeLock membership with promo code “DEFENSE“.

Visa, one of the largest credit card companies, has been commended on a process called Tokenization. Tokenization is the process of replacing sensitive data with unique identification symbols that retain all the essential information without compromising its security. Visa has taken the steps to making their  Tokenization system very robust in conformance to best practices, and have been recognized for it.

Not every merchant uses such a robust system, which leaves their customers vulnerable to identity theft. When companies don’t follow best practices they leave it up to their customers to deal with the consequences for themselves. So I applaud Visa for taking the proactive steps to prevent a breach of their customers data in such a way.

Visa has had their fair share of theft attempts. Do you wonder why hackers don’t spend all their time trying to get access to main credit card companies servers? Because they have tried and have failed and companies like Visa keep their information encrypted using tokenization with the keys changing regularly. Visa has, in recent, fought off several attempts to gain access to their servers and were successful in doing so.

Unfortunately not all companies are so carful with your information. Every time you use your credit card it has to go through a credit card processing company who now also has your information. There are several companies that process credit cards, so your information is most likely stored in several of them. If those companies aren’t as secure it doesn’t matter how secure your information is on Visa’s servers. Your card information could still be stolen from those card processing companies, which has happened in recent.

The best way to discover and monitor your identity is to be proactive about it. The best company that allows you to do that is LifeLock. They by far offer the best tools and service that help you discover and remediate any identity theft. You could look after your own identity, but just looking at your credit report isn’t enough. You need the tools that LifeLock can provide to it’s members for a more complete analysis of your identity.

Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

No one is 100% safe from identity theft. Identity theft takes on so many forms that no one can avoid it, not even with a service like LifeLock or any other. There are however simple things you can do to help prevent an identity theft that everyone should follow. These things, by no stretch of the imagination, will prevent all kinds of identity theft, but it will make it harder for the common thief from getting your information and stealing your identity.

First of all, and this should go without saying, you should never carry your Social Security card with you in you wallet. This is a big “NO NO” and should be avoided if you can help it. Sometimes with new jobs and dealing with the government you might need the actual card. This can’t be avoided but make sure when you arrive home the card comes back out of your wallet and into its safe place. Also inquire if the actual card is needed or just a copy. If they only need a photocopy do it at home so you don’t risk transporting it around.

Be aware of card skimming, a very common way of gaining credit and debit card information. When you use an ATM inspect the opening where you put your card to make sure nothing has been placed over it and make sure it doesn’t wiggle or move. If you have any doubts about the machine simply don’t use it. When using your card at a store make sure to watch the person at the counter and what they do with your card. If they move it out of your site or look like they swiped it into a handheld device it might be time to cancel the card and perhaps even inform the authorities.

Keep your computer free of viruses and malware with anti-virus software. There are millions of malicious programs out there. Take precautions by using anti-virus software, and avoid using Peer-to-Peer networks like Limewire and Torrents. Virus and sharing networks are an easy way to get your identity stolen.

Many banks nowadays have SMS text alerts for your bank account. Go to your banks online website and turn them on.  Set up alerts that will inform you of large amounts of money leaving your checking account. If more than $200 leaves my account I get a notification of it right away. This will help you discover a breached debit card and help you recover and prevent further damage. Also check your credit card statements often. You have more time to recover lost money with a credit card, but you still want to catch it early.

Keep a list of contact number for all your credit cards and documents you keep in your wallet or purse. Numbers for your bank’s customer service line and numbers for each of your credit card companies and so on. In the event you have your wallet or purse stolen you will have a list of all the numbers to call so you can cancel your cards and also have them reissued. This will keep the time the thief has to use your card at a minimum and reduce the damage done by them. Remember that thieves know that you are going to try and cancel everything before they have a chance to cash in on it, so it’s a race you, literally, can’t afford to loose.

These simple things can help you catch and remediate an identity theft, but if you want to take your protection to a higher level you might want to think about getting a membership with LifeLock. They are the leader in Identity theft protection, giving their members unparalleled features and services. If you really want to protect your identity LifeLock is the way to go and for $10 a month you can’t beat it.

LifeLock, the leader in identity theft protection, has won a Stevie for Best New Product or Service of the Year at The 2010 American Business Awards, for their Identity Alert system. The awards were held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Cheryl Casone of Fox Business Network hosted the ceremonies, and the awards were broadcaster nationwide on the Business TalkRadio Network.

This is LifeLocks fourth Stevie award won in a row. Mike Prusinski, LifeLock Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications accepted the award and said, “On behalf of the 450 employees and the 1.7 million members we have, thank you for this.” Stevie awards are presented in 40 different categories which included Best Overall Company of the Year, Executive of the Year, and Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year. There were more than 2,700 different companies and organizations, from just about every industry, considered for an award.

Todd Davis, LifeLock Chairman and CEO had this to say about winning an award, “This award exemplifies how LifeLock has become a leader in the identity theft protection field and further proves to consumers that LifeLock always has the consumer’s best interest in mind.”

It’s good to see LifeLock’s new Identity Alert system get noticed for how ground breaking it really is. LifeLock has totally revamped their Alert system and it’s better than ever. There were over 200 executives across the country participating in the judging and it seems as if they have taken notice of the advancements LifeLock has made to their service.

LifeLock, the leader identity theft protection, has teamed up with the United States Census Bureau to educate the public about the Census and help protect people from identity theft. The Census is an important form consisting of 10 questions that helps give the government an accurate idea of the demographic and population of the US as a country.

Partners with the United States Census Bureau are government, non-profit, corporate or community organizations that have formally agreed to help share the message of the Census and will actively peruse the Census Bureau’s goal of achieving a complete count. In LifeLocks case they have agreed to inform people of the identity theft risks that could be related to the Census, because of fraud and scams that are sure to surface after the Census goes out.

As I was writing the other day there are a couple ways to spot a scam when it come to the Census. A real Census taker will have a badge and photo ID, which scammers could possible duplicate. A real Census taker will never ask for personal identifying information like a Social Security Number, or banking information. They will never ask for money or claim that you own them money. They will never harass you or try and intimidate you. They will never contact you by email, only by Phone, Mail, or in person. You can not fill out the Census online so don’t be fouled by fake Census websites.

Keep these things in mind as you deal with the Census in the next couple of months. Remember never give out sensitive information to a Census taker they don’t need it and should never ask for it. Keep your eye’s open for scams and know what to look for and how to spot a scam when you see one.

Perhaps the most common of identity thefts is the credit card identity theft. This is when someone steals your credit card, check card, or debit card numbers and places charges on them posing as you. It’s a little bit different from the kind of identity theft where people can actually apply for new credit cards. This type of Identity theft is where they are just using your existing card’s information to make charges.

This type of identity theft can be prevented or at least caught earlier with a couple precautions. The first precaution is to make sure you keep an eye on your cards. Oh course if someone steals your wallet or purse and can assume they are going to try and steal money from your accounts or charge stuff to your credit cards. However, most people don’t know that people can steal your credit card number without stealing your card. When you hand your card to someone for processing make sure they don’t swipe your card into a skimmer, a handheld card scanning device that could be held in your hand, attached to a belt or ankle or other parts of their body. This of course will only work if you can see them when they run your card. Employees that process the card away from the counter can’t watched for this type of scam.

The next tip is a simple one but so many people don’t do it. You should always shield your pin from view when typing it in. Shoulder surfing is a technique where people look over your shoulder to see your pin. Sometimes it’s a simple as someone peaking over your shoulder, but people have been known to record your pin using video cameras and fake keypads among other things. A skimmer attached to the ATM completes the scam and they have everything they need to steal from your account.

Just like a password you should change your card number every so often. You can request a new card number from your bank however often as you like. It is time consuming because you have to change all your online accounts to the new number but this will cut all ties to any exposed card numbers.

Something I have been enjoying is alerts from credit card and check card accounts. Some banks like Bank of America have alerts that will send text messages informing you of what is happening to your account. My accounts inform me of any large purchases, unusual purchases, and low account balances. These alerts are often in real time and will help you catch fraudulent charges. You have to report fraudulent charges within 30 days at most banks and 60 days for most credit cards. So knowing a charge is fraudulent sooner is better than knowing about much later.

Identity theft protection is always a good idea. My favorite identity theft protection company is LifeLock above all other services. They have proven themselves to the be leader in identity theft protection. There is no one I would trust more than LifeLock with my credit. Not all identity thefts can be prevented, but what can be prevented LifeLock will be there to protect you.

Every year there are more statistics released about the aftermath of identity theft, including the average expense ($951) and the time it takes to resolve (165 hours). But those figures oversimplify the experiences of many identity theft victims. The Identity Theft Resource Center’s annual survey of ID theft victims more fully reveals the complete impact of identity theft.

For instance, in more than half of all identity theft instances, arrest warrant were issued in the victims’ names for crimes committed by the thief (56%). Others (57%) ended up with criminal records after their impostor was arrested, booked or arraigned using the stolen identity. (Respondents were able to report more than one category, so total exceeds 100%; and, of course, it makes sense that in many cases a warrant would precede arrest, etc.)

More than two-thirds of ID theft victims were billed for medical services received by the impostor (67%), and 56% were contacted by a billing department or collection agency for the medical bills. Most frightening, 33% discovered another person’s information in their medical records.

And, in the aftermath of identity theft, many victims report lingering emotional effects that approach the clinical definition of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as defined by the DSMIV-TR, the bible of the American Psychiatric Association:

• 14% report physical safety fears
• 63% report feelings of helplessness
• 31% report denial or disbelief
• 27% report feelings of isolation
• 31% reveal inability to trust people
• 40% report sleep disturbances
• 65% report rage or anger
• 27% report inability to concentrate