Archive for the ‘Identity Fraud’ Category
March 29, 2018
The Facebook brouhaha reminded me that it has been awhile since we’ve posted about identity theft.
Obviously, the problem hasn’t gone away, so it’s time for a booster shot.
According to a Javelin Strategy Identity Fraud report, thieves stole $16 billion from 12.7 million U.S. consumers in 2014.
With a new identity fraud victim every two seconds, there is still significant risk to consumers.
The FTC reports that Americans age 20-29 make up 15% of identity theft complaints.
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Javelin agrees that millennials are particularly ripe targets for identity thieves.
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Posted in hacked, Hacked - Hackers, Identity Fraud, Internet - Soc Networking | 1 Comment »
October 7, 2015
It has been awhile since we’ve posted about identity theft.
The problem hasn’t gone away, so it’s time for a booster shot.
According to the Javelin Strategy 2015 Identity Fraud report, thieves stole $16 billion from 12.7 million U.S. consumers in 2014.
With a new identity fraud victim every two seconds, there is still significant risk to consumers.
The FTC reports that Americans age 20-29 make up 15% of identity theft complaints.
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Javelin agrees that millennials are particularly ripe targets for identity thieves.
(more…)
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Posted in hacked, Hacked - Hackers, Identity Fraud, Internet - Soc Networking | Leave a Comment »
August 4, 2015
Since LifeLock is in the news again, I thought I should reprise the HomaFiles all-time most viewed post …
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Here’s one from the “you can’t make this stuff” file.
LifeLock is one of the companies that monitors the credit applications and credit worthiness inquires.
Todd Davis became LifeLock’s CEO when the company’s founder was ousted for making repeated misleading statements about his shady past and the company’s origins.
For a couple of years, Mr. Davis was prominent in LifeLock’s ads … revealing his social security number and daring identity thieves to crack his code.
Bad idea.
Reportedly, Mr. Davis has had his identity stolen at least 13 times since his taunt-the-thieves commercials.
(more…)
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Posted in Credit Cards, Credit fraud, Fraud, Identity Fraud | Leave a Comment »
August 3, 2015
Loyal readers know that I’m attentive to identity theft issues ever since I got nailed.
I tend to be a proponent of the identity theft services.
I buy mine through Costco (good place to save a few pennies, right?) … in part, because I’ve been suspicious of all the advertising done by industry leader LifeLock.
Turns out that the FTC was – and continues to be suspicious of LifeLock and its hyped up claims …
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Posted in Hacking - Hackers, Identity Fraud | Leave a Comment »
June 10, 2015
A friend reported an interesting – and very ironic – breach of credit card security.
She had one of the fancy new cards with an embedded chip intended to confound cyber-thieves.
In “normal” operations, no problems.
But, she encountered a truck-sized hole in the program .
Here’s what happened …
(more…)
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Posted in Credit Cards, Cyber-security, Identity Fraud, Smart chips | Leave a Comment »
March 31, 2015
A couple of years ago I jumped on the bandwagon and e-filed my first ever tax return.
A couple of weeks later I was an identity theft victim.
Coincidence?
I can’t prove the connection … I also can’t shake the suspicion.
Now, crooks have a new online hack: filing online returns that claim other folks refunds.
I good friend just got burned on this specific new tax hack.
Here’s what’s going on …
(more…)
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Posted in E-file, Hacking - Hackers, Identity Fraud, Taxes | Leave a Comment »
February 16, 2015
Lots of hacking going on: Sony, Anthem Healthcare …
Here’s one from the “you can’t make this stuff” file.
LifeLock is one of the companies that monitors the credit applications and credit worthiness inquires.
Todd Davis became LifeLock’s CEO when the company’s founder was ousted for making repeated misleading statements about his shady past and the company’s origins.
For a couple of years, Mr. Davis was prominent in LifeLock’s ads … revealing his social security number and daring identity thieves to crack his code.
Bad idea.
Reportedly, Mr. Davis has had his identity stolen at least 13 times since his taunt-the-thieves commercials.
(more…)
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Posted in Credit Cards, Credit fraud, Fraud, Identity Fraud | Leave a Comment »
February 11, 2015
A couple of years ago I jumped on the bandwagon and e-filed my first ever tax return.
A couple of weeks later I was an identity theft victim.
Coincidence?
I can’t prove the connection … I also can’t shake the suspicion.
Now, crooks have a new online hack: filing online returns that claim other folks refunds.
Here’s what’s going on …
(more…)
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Posted in E-file, Hacking - Hackers, Identity Fraud, Taxes | Leave a Comment »
December 24, 2013
As loyal readers know, I take this identity theft stuff pretty seriously, having been hacked a couple of times in the pass few years.
We rarely shop at Target.
Nothing against the place, just no reason to shop there.
So, wouldn’t you know it … a rare shopping trip to Target during the recent hacking of all credit & debit card numbers.
Ouch.
Here are a couple of observations and some advice …
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Posted in Consumer fraud, Identity Fraud, ObamACA | 2 Comments »
October 9, 2013
Couple data points converged for me …
First, loyal readers may remember that I was an identity theft victim.
Started a couple of weeks after my first e-filing of a tax return to the IRS.
Coincidence?
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Being sensitized to the ID theft issue, I noticed a couple of recent articles about “ripe pickings” …
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Posted in Hacking - Hackers, Identity Fraud, ObamaCare | Leave a Comment »
August 2, 2013
Let’s end “hacked” week with one from the “you can’t make this stuff” file.
LifeLock is one of the companies that monitors the credit applications and credit worthiness inquires.
Todd Davis became LifeLock’s CEO when the company’s founder was ousted for making repeated misleading statements about his shady past and the company’s origins.
For a couple of years, Mr. Davis was prominent in LifeLock’s ads … revealing his social security number and daring identity thieves to crack his code.
Bad idea.
Reportedly, Mr. Davis has had his identity stolen at least 13 times since his taunt-the-thieves commercials.
(more…)
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Posted in Credit Cards, Credit fraud, Fraud, Identity Fraud | 1 Comment »
January 14, 2013
This one strikes close to home.
Article in this morning’s WSJ E-Filing and the Explosion in Tax-Return Fraud
Over 80% of individual returns were e-filed last year.
As a direct result:
- Tax fraud is now the third-largest theft of federal funds after Medicare/Medicaid and unemployment-insurance fraud.
- Tax-identity theft exploded to more than 1.1 million cases from 51,700 in 2008.
- Last summer, the Treasury “discovered” an additional 1.5 million potentially fraudulent 2011 tax refunds totaling in excess of $5.2 billion.
- The IRS has a backlog of 650,000 identity theft cases, and it usually takes over a year to resolve each of them
Here’s why I don’t just shrug off those stats.
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Posted in Identity Fraud, IRS, Taxes | 1 Comment »
The Homa Files 