Identity Theft

[John From Detroit]

Bob,
I get ad's for med's all the time and I've never ordered any over the Internet. Just a fact of life. Curiously, most of them are for Cialis or Viagra - wonder what they know that I don't?  ;D

I don't know but I do know this... They don't know how to SPELL, and would you really want to buy your meds from someone who can not spell their name

(Yes, I know the incorrect spelling is used in the crazy hope that the spam filters, which are often keyed to the proper spelling, will let them by.. Don't work but it does make for the interesting question above)

 

[localnet]

Have any of you looked at Life Lock?

I was listening to Rush Limbaugh, have been for years, and finally took the plunge and signed up with Life Lock who is a Rush sponsor.

I cannot say that I have been a victim of identy theft, but I don't want to be either. So I figured it might not be a bad idea to sign up the family, knowing full well the ease at which the bad guys can get our info.

I have been a member for a few weeks now, and I can say this, my junk mail has just about totally stopped! We would get those credit card offers by the hundreds! I got tired of emptying the shredder every week for all of this unsolicited junk. Junk that is dangerous in my mind, because if you know a few things about an individual, you could use these credit card offers to do some serious damage.

After hearing the founder of Life Lock on a few radio shows, I said screw it, sign me up! Just having the junk mail stop and the credit reports was worth it in my book. Let's just hope they do what they say, so far so good.

Mike

 

[jucieandginny]

It can happen to anyone.

 

[Clay L]

SNIP
Are there some credit card companies promoting their cards to be safer on the internet?  Does it have something to do with an additional password or some added step in authentication?

I use a software service that is offered by my credit card company. It is called ShopSafe and it generates a new credit card number that can only be used once and only for the amount you set. You can also set it for multiple uses if you wish.
A record is kept of past numbers and the charges to the numbers.  There is some info here - http://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/index.cfm?template=learn_about_shopsafe

Also you can stop pre-approved credit cards from being sent to you by visiting this site - http://www.creditsourceonline.com/opt-out.html

 

[Ned]

All of the credit cards offer one time card numbers for online purchasing.  It involves a small client program that runs on your computer to generate the one time account number.  Since the liability for credit card fraud is a maximum of $50 and in most cases will be $0, I've not seen the necessity of such a program.  And they are of no use for card present transactions.  However, for the truly paranoid, they may make some sense

 

[RLSharp]

All of the credit cards offer one time card numbers for online purchasing.  It involves a small client program that runs on your computer to generate the one time account number.  Since the liability for credit card fraud is a maximum of $50 and in most cases will be $0, I've not seen the necessity of such a program.  And they are of no use for card present transactions.  However, for the truly paranoid, they may make some sense

I don't know where my message went.

Richard

 

[John From Detroit]

People keep telling me I'm crazy running zone alarm behind a router.... Checked the log yesterday. Had over  a page of "incoming" intrusions stopped and the origin told me every one of those came in via the router and got stopped COLD by Zone alarm.

Plus... I'm not always behind this router

Now when it comes to Phish... My favorite was an E-mail claiming to be from Chase Bank... It said my Chase Bank Visa card account had been comprimised and ask me to click on the link so I could give the crooks all my personal info (On a page that looked like Chase Bank)

Well... I did click on a link all right... (In my bookmark file) and then on another link (Contact us) and then I did a cut and paste of the entire post, header and all.. To Chase Bank.

You see..  I don't HAVE a Chase bank Visa, so if that account gets compromised... It's gonna be some comprimise!!!!

 

[Shayne]

I agree with you John  I wouldn't run anything else until someone proves to me that there is something better.

 

[KodiakRV]

I use a software service that is offered by my credit card company. It is called ShopSafe and it generates a new credit card number that can only be used once and only for the amount you set. You can also set it for multiple uses if you wish.
A record is kept of past numbers and the charges to the numbers.  There is some info here - http://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/index.cfm?template=learn_about_shopsafe
...

I got two notices in the mail yesterday from FIA Card Services that my card information may have been compromised at a third party location.  The two cc ending numbers in the letters don't match my physical credit cards, so I'm thinking they must be some ShopSafe numbers that I used.  I tried to get onto ShopSafe yesterday and all day today to check it and it tells me "ShopSafe is temporarily unavailable from your desktop."  Does anyone know what is going on there?

 

[Ron]

Much of the identity theft as well as a lot of mail fraud would be stopped if the incompetents in Washington would just make it illegal for any company or person to share personal data that is not their own and to make telemarketing and sending of junk mailing illegal also.

 

[Ray D]

Frank, your description is similar to two times when my card actually had been  compromised. I called the 800 number on the back of my card and chose the number for fraud. The service rep, at that number, both times, confirmed that the card had been compromised and sent me new cards with new numbers. I still got the charge on my next bill but it was credited back on the following bill without me doing anything more.

The new cards took only 2 or 3 days to get here.

Try the 800 number and tell them what you have.

Ray D  ;D

 

[KodiakRV]

Frank, your description is similar to two times when my card actually had been  compromised. I called the 800 number on the back of my card and chose the number for fraud. The service rep, at that number, both times, confirmed that the card had been compromised and sent me new cards with new numbers....
Ray D  ;D

The letters say the accounts will be closed and new account numbers and new cards will be issued to me in 5-7 business days.  But, if these cc numbers refer to ShopSafe vurtual cards, then there shouldn't be any point in doing that.  That's the whole point of using that system in the first place.

 

[Ray D]

Copy that!  ;D

I see your  point.

Ray D  ;D

 

[JD & Mert]

I use only one card for any and all internet transactions, and it is not hooked to any bank accounts.  BOA sends an email each time I use the card to notify me of its use.  For resturants etc if not using cash which I don't carry alot of I use a card  that I can go online and check 24/7 and usually has any activity on the site within hours.  I try to look at these on a regular basis... And no one, no how gets information on me or my accounts via email.  If the bank / CU / CC agency needs the information they have other ways to contact me and I have their phone numbers to respond to their calls.  With all this I am still ever vigillant as the crooks out there are working harder at getting to me than the financial instutuions are working to protect me...

 

[utmtman]

I too got the lifelock after checking them out with the better business bureau and finding them to be safe.  For the price its worth it to me just to stop the junk mailings as well as all the idiot companies accessing my credit bureau account to send me junk.  We heard them on a radio advertisement almost daily.

 

[Jake123]

Just a couple for suggestions about protecting yourself from ID theft:
1) Shredding documents is good, but be careful with different color or weighted papers because it is possible to reconstruct the document like a jigsaw puzzle given time.  It is best to mix the shreds in different batches instead of just throwing all of it in one batch away when the bin gets full.  If you are getting rid of several documents which have the same form and letterhead such as from banks statements, don't do it all together; the lettering on the back page makes it very easy to piece them together.

2) If you are selling or trading in an old computer, be sure to use software design to actually "clean" the data off the harddisk because deleting files and re-formating the disk does not actually remove the data.  Whoever gets the harddisk next can use specialized software to read/scan the information on it even if you had deleted them.

 

[Ned]

We don't shred, we burn.  Campfires are a good time to dispose of sensitive papers.

 

[TravelJunky]

Those ATM tips really made me think how scary it can be.  Thanks for the great info!

 

[Steve CDN]

be sure to use software design to actually "clean" the data off the harddisk

What would be an example of such a software?

Does formatting the hard drive erase everything for the purpose of selling the computer?

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

What would be an example of such a software?

Does formatting the hard drive erase everything for the purpose of selling the computer?

No, formatting will NOT erase everything off a hard drive.

Darik's Boot and Nuke is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DB&N is but one of many programs out there. Do a google search on "hard disk eraser".