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Identity Theft

July 12, 2007

Identity Theft - Robbed! It's probably going to happen to you at some point: you look at your bank statement and see a few charges that you don't recognize. If you're married you call your wife or husband in a panic asking if they recognize the charges. You start to feel a combination of anger and of being violated.

It happened to me this week. Lucky for us, it was a debit card for an account that did not contain much money.

At this point, I still don't know, and may never know how my debit card number and our address was compromised. It could have been spyware on my PC or my wife's PC (we've both ordered items in the last few weeks using that card), or perhaps a server that was hacked at one of the sites we ordered from. It could have even happened in a restaurant or store when paying using that card. I'm always nervous when I give my card to a waiter and they go away with it. We were on vacation last month and that would be a prime setup... in a restaurant, the waiter being nice and asking where you're from, then when you pay, they make a copy of the credit card info and your name and the look your address up and bam... you're screwed.

I was able to get a name, city, and state from one of the companies that this person who stole our info ordered from. But in all probability, it's fake. How dumb would you have to be to use a stolen credit card number to order something and then have it shipped to your own address? In any case, two of the DVDs that were ordered were shipped to a Kevin Walker in Covington, LA (we live in NC). The customer service rep at the web site where they were ordered from would not give me any more information, I'm not sure he was supposed to give me that much. So, if anyone reading this, lives near Covington, LA and knows Kevin Walker, ask him if you can borrow Armageddon or Angel at my table. Those are 2 of the DVDs he ordered this week, the other was pornographic in nature and backordered (ha ha - that's probably the one he really wanted).

Trust me, it's a very strange feeling to call a company you've never knowingly purchased anything from and find out that they have your name, address, and credit card in their system and that several purchases have recently been made.

Being in an Internet Business myself makes this even worse!

The web sites that my wife and I have ordered from are well know, big sites, like Amazon and NewEgg. We've not ordered anything from any questionable sites, so if the compromise came from a server, then a lot more people have been victimized as well.

Please take precautions to avoid this happening to you.
Here are some things that I will start doing to help prevent this happening again.

When using a credit card to order online or pay in a restaurant where they take the card and disappear, use a credit card that does not have a high credit limit, or a debit card for an account that you don't keep high balance. I have a credit card that only has a $2500 limit that I will use for online purchases, etc. Why hand someone you don't know a card with a $25,000 or $50,000 limit and let them walk away from you with it? That's crazy.

Pay with cash if you can when you're in a situation like a restaurant where the person leaves your site with your card.

Don't let anyone get a plain view of your card or PIN number when paying at a cash register. Keep your card in your hand; don't lay it on the counter. Remember, a thief no longer has to have time to write down your info; a quick photo with a cell phone camera is all it takes. This can be done by the person behind you in line, or by the cashier.

When using an ATM machine, try to use one that's mounted in a wall vs. a freestanding unit. There have been instances where the phone line was tapped in freestanding units and numbers and PINs gathered that way.

When using an ATM make sure it's a real one. This sounds goofy, but there have been fake ATMs setup and people have put their cards in them and entered their numbers. Try to use one that you've used before, or, if traveling, use one that you see other's getting cash from.

Use Anti-Spyware, Anti-Adware, and Anti-Virus software on your computers.
- I recommend SpySweeper products from Webroot... see the ads in the lower left column of my blog. SpySweeper just won PCMagazines evaluation of anti-spyware software (again).
- Even if you use a product like DeepFreeze to reset your PC back to a known state everyday (or everytime your reboot), you can still aquire spyware, adware, or a virus while using your computer. Get the wrong spyware or virus and your information may be compromised before you have the chance to realize it and reboot.

Until next time...
Fred

About the Author

Fred Black is an experienced online business operator, programmer, web site developer, father, husband, musician, and songwriter. Visit his Internet Business Blog at: http://www.pqInternet.com.

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Posted by Fred on July 12, 2007 | Printer-Friendly

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Comments:

From: Daniel Sitter, Idea Seller

The reality of identity theft is that it poses a very real threat to everyone Fred. You could take every rational precaution to protect yourself and still become a victim. The fact of the matter is that criminals have relatively easy access to our personal information. Aggregators have a 360° view of us from data that they collect from hundreds of sources.

Unscrupulous people working in medical facilities, DMV's, insurance companies, lost or stolen computers, stolen mail and trash from our front yards and countless other means have been cited by law enforcement and the FTC as methods for acquiring our personal data.

The threat is far more than simply financial disaster, as was reported this very morning on the NBC Today Show. A innocent woman was arrested and charged with a felony as a result of her stolen identity. It has virtually destroyed her life. Unfortunately, this has happened countless times before to many others.

The key is doing everything humanly possibley to protect ourselves and then to be vigilant; pulling regular credit reports, carefully reviewing every bank and charge statement, and possibly employing an ID theft shield company for constant monitoring and legal/restoration aid.

It's aways disturbing to hear or read about new victims. Take care.
Posted by Daniel Sitter, Idea Seller on July 12, 2007 5:19 PM
From Fred...

Daniel;
Thanks for your comments. Your statements are very true. We've had a few more items come through that were pending. Shipped to the same name and address. This time when we called the company they were ordred from, they hadn't shipped yet, so Mr. Kevin Walker of Covington, LA will not receive anything. The customer service rep at this company was very helpful, but said that VISA will not do anything to this person even though he could give them all the information, they just don't want it. He also said the police will not do anything. Now that's a shame.

Fred
Posted by Fred Black on July 12, 2007 9:19 PM
From: Prevent Identity Theft

Personally I just use Lifelock and forget about identity theft altogether.

Lifelock also provides you with the walletlock service, which is awesome if you lose your purse or wallet. Just call up Lifelock and they'll contact your credit card companies and so on to put a hold on all your accounts and issue you new cards. You don't have to do a thing.

Posted by Prevent Identity Theft on March 7, 2008 11:07 AM