Remember when fingerprint and facial recognition scanning was just cool spy tech seen in Mission Impossible movies? Until recently, only the CIA and top secret spy agencies had this cool technology at their disposal. Long gone are those days as everyone with a late model cell phone or mobile device can now take advantage of these cool biometric security features. However, there may be some downsides to unlocking your smartphone or tablet with a scan of your thumbprint or face. By the year 2019, it’s estimated that there will be nearly 500 million biometric scanners in use around the world. Amounting to a staggering $25 billion dollar industry. Biometric scanning is meant to take the place of alpha-numeric passwords that we’ve all used for years and is being touted as a more secure way to lock down your sensitive information. But just like normal passwords, that are stored on encrypted clouds and servers across the globe, won’t thumbprints and eye scans be susceptible to hacking and theft as well?
My question is, what happens when your biometrics are stolen and used for identity theft? You can’t change your thumbprint every 30 days. You certainly can’t change the composition of your retina if your eyeball biometrics are hacked. Nor is it likely you’ll get plastic surgery to change your face, should your facial scan information be stolen. Once your personal features are stolen, how to you ever get access to your secure websites, devices and information again. Biometric tech might seem like tricked out technology at the surface, but it’s possible that it may be less secure than the 10 digit passwords we’ve grown accustomed to.
The post The Hacking Threat For Biometric Scanning Security Devices appeared first on SIF.org. via SIF.org http://www.stopidentityfraud.org/2016/07/27/hacking-threat-biometric-scanning-security-devices/ Are there any services that offer family credit monitoring plans that cover an entire household of adults & children? This is a question that comes up quite often actually. Mainly, because most credit monitoring plans are aimed at covering individual social security numbers. And while there are several services out there that offer plans that monitor multiple SSN’s, they are not as widely publicized and can be difficult to find. If you have a household of 2 adults and 3 children, purchasing an individual credit monitoring plan for each will run you well over $100/month. This just isn’t feasible for most families who want some peace of mind with a good, comprehensive credit & identity monitoring service. Family PlansRight now, the most affordable family credit monitoring plan is offered by IdentityGuard. The price is $27.99/month and this covers 2 adults + up to 15 children.
Click here to learn more & sign up for the IdentityGuard family monitoring plan. Couples PlanIf you don’t necessarily need a plan that covers multiple children, but just yourself your significant other, IdentityGuard has a couples plan as well. This plan is $26.99/month and monitors the following list of items;
Click here to learn more & sign up for the IdentityGuard Couples monitoring service. I’ve reviewed all of the IdentityGuard services and compared them to other top monitoring plans from companies such as LifeLock, TransUnion, Experian and many more. IdentityGuard is hands down the most comprehensive credit monitoring service provider on the market. They offer the best value, highest customer satisfaction ratings, top BBB ratings and numerous awards for their protection & monitoring plans. If you need a solution for monitoring multiple social security numbers, you’re not going to go wrong with the 2 IdentityGuard plans.
The post Family Credit Monitoring Plans appeared first on SIF.org. via SIF.org http://www.stopidentityfraud.org/2016/07/25/family-credit-monitoring-plans/ IdentityMonitor is a service provided by Citibank. Citibank has been in business for the past 200 years thanks to its ability to do business through what they call Responsible Finance. What this means to Citibank is that they have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into small businesses, infrastructure, and other choice opportunities to help the average consumer be able to work for themselves, protect themselves, and achieve anything they wish to achieve. IdentityMonitor comes under the realm of protection for CitiBank customers, but is available for anyone who is wishing to have credit and identity theft protections. Daily Monitoring for Daily Results The key to being able to catch an identity thief in the act is to monitor your information on a daily basis. IdentityMonitor does this by monitoring your credit reports every day to determine if any changes have been made to critical components, such as your address, your delinquent accounts, or new lines of credit, whether secured or unsecured. IdentityMonitor also helps you have a hand in keeping your identity safe by providing you a complete credit report and credit score analysis upon signing up for their identity theft protection services. You then get access to this information for free on a monthly basis. This allows you to manually review your credit information to insure that all the information shown is authorized by you. IdentityMonitor Gives You Effective Alerts If IdentityMonitor detects information that may cause an identity theft to potentially occur or believes that a theft has already occurred, then you will be notified via the Notify Express system that Citibank has set up. This alert system lets you know when there is any change to your information that may be an indicator of fraud. You can also be notified in the way that works the best for you: through standard U.S. mail, e-mail, text messages, or by a phone call. Get the Support That You Need With an IdentityMonitor subscription, you get around the clock access to your credit information with a simple log-in. Some folks have questions about what it takes to adequately keep their identities and credit safe, If you believe that you have been the victim of identity theft, you also have immediate access to Citi’s Identity Theft Solutions department. Should you become the victim of identity theft, you have access to a $10,000 – $25,000 insurance policy in most states to help you be able to work to recover your identity. This can help you to be able to defend yourself effectively, cover the costs of restoring your identity, and even cover lost wages that may occur while you are working to restore your identity. It may not be as much as the insurance policies of other companies, but unlike other identity theft policies, there is no limit to the amount of claims that you can have. Each claim you make gives you access to another policy! Signing Up for IdentityMonitor is Easy! You can sign up today for IdentityMonitor without being a member of Citibank! All you have to do is fill out your personal information and once you’ve agreed to the terms and conditions, you’ll have instant access to your Experian credit information. A simple and free upgrade is all that is required to get all three of the major credit bureau’s information about you around the clock. Pricing & Value IdentityMonitor offers only one plan of service that covers daily monitoring of your credit information and assistance in restoring your identity. You can try IdentityMonitor for the first 30 days for just $1, and then afterwards is $12.95/month. It should be noted that Citibank, in their terms and conditions, state that they can modify or cancel the IdentityMonitor program, including a change in the price of the program, without notifying you about these changes. Protect Your Identity & Your Credit Today Thanks to the Federal bailout, Citibank is more stable than ever when it comes to being able to provide an essential service to its customers. Becoming a customer of Citibank to make sure your credit and identity are effectively covered puts a bank on your side when it comes to fighting for you. Try out IdentityMonitor today for just a buck and discover how good it feels knowing that your identity and your credit are in safe hands. The post Citi IdentityMonitor Review appeared first on SIF.org. via SIF.org http://www.stopidentityfraud.org/2016/07/11/citi-identitymonitor-review/ Types of Credit Card FraudCredit card fraud comes in several different forms and even if you don’t currently have any credit cards in your name, you can still become a victim. Criminals are becoming more crafty as they attempt to find ways to steal your credit and use it fraudulently. Here are some of the more common credit card fraud methods that you should familiarize yourself with. Application fraud: The most common type is the application fraud. Fake or stolen documents are used to open credit card accounts. This is of two types: The card obtained by assuming the identity of someone or by falsifying the financial position to obtain credit. Assuming the identity of another person is a form of traditional identity theft. The fraudster may create false names and addresses or even steal the identity of an existing person to obtain the card. Acquiring more credit than entitled, by exaggerating financial position is another common practice. Banks often protect their interests by demanding documents to support the financial claims or by confirming details with the employers. Stealing: Criminals get hold of your card either by stealing or when you lose it. Postal intercepts are a common form of stealing cards whereby the card is stolen before it reaches the rightful owner by post. Skimming: This is a type of fraud where the card is cloned or forged without the card owner’s knowledge. The data in the magnetic strip of the card is copied and used. This type of crime is difficult to spot since skimming is exposed only when the next statement is generated. The magnetic strip can be copied by a dishonest employee at the point of sale, with illegal recording devices or by skimming devices installed in cash machines. Online fraud: Most credit card frauds are committed over the internet. The card details are hacked at the merchant site when being used to make legitimate online purchases. Another common scam is thorough phishing. The phishing sites send out false e-mails or links to fraudulent sites to deceive the card owner to part with card details. These details are then used to make false purchases. CNP fraud: Purchasing goods on mail order or on telephone without involving a direct seller, where no PIN verification is required, can result in card not present (CNP) fraud. The card details are obtained even from old receipts and since the seller does not verify the PIN number or signature, it becomes difficult to detect such crimes. BIN attack: Credit cards companies often come under the BIN (Bank Identification Number) attack. Fraudsters generate the last four numbers by obtaining the first six numbers (BIN) of a legitimate card. The cards in the same BIN range have similar data like expiry dates etc. The key to avoiding such frauds is to be aware and follow safe practices. Always use strong passwords on your internet banking and credit card websites. Do not give secure information on telephone or e-mail. Report a lost card immediately to block any further transaction. Also, consider using a credit monitoring service to keep track of what’s going on with your credit reports. With such simple safe practices, you can ensure that your plastic money is safe. The post What You Need To Know About Credit Card Fraud appeared first on SIF.org. via SIF.org http://www.stopidentityfraud.org/2016/06/14/credit-card-fraud/ Computer Data Has a Long Shelf LifeConscientious people shred their bank statements and cut up their credit cards without a thought. But when it comes to disposing of their computer’s hard drive, they can be extremely careless. With computers constantly evolving and being made more powerful, people frequently upgrade to the newest models, casting aside millions of computers yearly. Many computer users leave sensitive information on their hard drives as they discard them at computer drop-off centers or in landfills, just waiting for an identity thief to come by. If you have a computer to dispose of, you don’t want to become a future statistic for identity theft. Some people do not realize the process involved in removing data from a hard drive. Many computer users think if they move all their files to the trash or reformat the hard drive that the files are gone for good. Actually, those trashed files remain fully intact, unless they are rewritten. Rewriting only takes place if space is needed and most computers have ample space. In the case of reformatting the drive, data can be still retrieved with the right tools. If you are among the unaware, the Department of Defense has advice on how to remove information from a hard drive. Wiping the Hard DriveYou can buy programs, also known as shredders, which are relatively inexpensive, or find freeware on the Internet that will do the job. These programs cover the data with zeros or random characters to make them unreadable by data-restoration software. The DOD recommends overwriting the drive sectors three times with different characters. Other experts recommend going over the data seven times to make it completely unrecoverable. Also, wiping just certain files may not fully protect your information, as copies of those files can be stored in other parts of your computer. It is probably best to use the wiping program on your entire hard drive. Removing the Hard DriveIf you don’t want to use a wiping program, you can remove your computer’s hard drive. It is relatively small and will store easily in a safe or other secure location. If you aren’t sure where the hard drive is located on your computer, refer to your manual or manufacturer’s website. Once removed, some people resort to pounding the hard drive with a hammer, or using a magnet, or soaking it in water or acid. All these methods are ineffectual. The only method to guarantee the removal of your information is to sand the platters or use an industrial shredder which obliterates it. Discard WiselyThe sheer amount of e-waste being generated each year is a threat to our environment. Federal regulations don’t cover e-waste, but some states have passed legislation dealing with the landfill problem. Yet, disposing of a computer is easier today than a few years ago as there are more options available. To help confront the landfill problem, some stores have unveiled take-back or buy-back programs. While online sites have also appeared to buy back old electronics, where they will revamp them to sell or recycle the components. You would be doing a great service if you consider other options rather than tossing your computer into a landfill. Stealing your sensitive information from an old hard drive is just one way criminals can commit identity theft. Learn other methods to protect yourself from identity theft and keep your data out of the wrong hands. Reference: 1. Department of Defense, Department of Defense Directive, October 24, 2002, http://www.acq.osd.mil/ie/bei/pm/ref-library/dodd/d85001p.pdf The post Preventing Identity Theft: Proper Disposal Of Old Computers appeared first on SIF.org. via SIF.org http://www.stopidentityfraud.org/2016/05/07/preventing-identity-theft-proper-disposal-old-computers/ |
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