Posts Tagged: ‘Social Security Number’

Scam of the day – March 14, 2013 – Michelle Obama and 22 other public figures hacked – what it means to you

March 13, 2013 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

News about a website that has put on line huge amounts of personal information about 23 famous politicians, celebrities and sports figures including, Beyonce, Vice President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Hulk Hogan, Attorney General Eric Holder, Kim Kardashian, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump and Tiger Woods has been everywhere.  What happened was that hackers were able to hack into the website www.annualcreditreport.com and get access to the credit reports of each of these people which contained large amounts of personal information that in the hand of an identity thief could bring serious harm to the people whose information was accessed.  Instead of quietly using this information to victimize these people,these particular hackers chose to make all of the information public and put these people in serious jeopardy.  But what does this mean to you?  It is another example of how you are only as safe as the place storing your information with the weakest security.  In this case, an obvious flaw in the verification process permitted the hacker to pose as each of the victims and get their no longer private information.

TIPS

Getting access to the Social Security number of each of the victims was an important first step in the hacking.  The Social Security number is a key to identity theft and it is something that you should try to keep private, as much as possible.  There are plenty of ways that a determined hacker can get a Social Security number, but don’t make it easy for them.  Don’t provide it to places that do not need it and do not carry your Social Security card in your wallet or purse.

 

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Scam of the day – October 29, 2012 – New IRS scam

October 29, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

The IRS is warning people about a new scam that uses a website that appears to be the IRS’ e-Services online registration page.  The real IRS e-Services website does not provide anything for taxpayers, but does provide web-based products and informaiton for professional tax preparers.  Many people are fooled by phony IRS websites that have URLs that are close to the IRS’ URL of www.irs.gov.  Some may have IRS in the URL, but end in .com, .net or .org.  The only official IRS website is www.irs.gov, but even there if you get an email that appears to be from the IRS you should disregard it because the IRS does not contact taxpayers by email and under no circumstances will the the IRS contact you by email, social media or text messages requesting personal information such as your bank account information or your Social Security number.

TIPS

Never click on links in emails, texts or  social media messages unless you area absolutely sure that the link is legitimate.  And even then you should consider not clicking on a link until you have verified that indeed it was sent by a legitimate sender and even then you cannot be sure that the link is being sent to you by someone who is passing on a tainted link.  The link may take you  to a legitimate website that requests personal data from you, however, if the communication is from a scammer, the information you provide can lead to identity theft.  Remember, if it is the IRS contacting you, they would already have your Social Security number and they don’t need or ask for you bank account information.  By clicking on links from scammers, you also risk downloading dangerous keystroke logging malware programs that can steal all of the information from your computer and lead to you becoming a victim of identity theft.

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Scam of the day- October 9, 2012 – Latest employment scams

October 9, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

Searching for a job online has become the norm for many people seeking employment and there are many legitimate online employment websites such as Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com, however, merely because an ad for a job appears on a legitimate website does not mean that the job is for real.  It may be just a scam seeking either personal information to make you a victim of identity theft, your money or both.  Do not assume because you see an ad for a job on a legitimate employment website that the ad is legitimate.  Although Career builder.com, Monster.com and other online employment agencies do their best to screen their ads, they can’t be even close to perfect.  Some of the things to be on the lookout for are companies that want you to wire fees as part of the job application or those asking for personal information early in the process.  Make sure that the company has a brick and mortar location and is not just an online scam.  Also be wary of ads that appear to be from companies that you know are legitimate because the scammer may be faking that as well.

TIPS

Never spend money to apply for a job.  Legitimate employers do not require them.  Google the address, telephone number and name of the company to see if they match what you have been told.  Don’t send a resume with personal information, such as your Social Security number that can be used to make you a victim of identity theft.  If the ad appears to be from a company that you know is legitimate, confirm by a telephone call to the real company’s HR department that the ad you are answering is legitmate.  A legitimate company will eventually need your Social Security number, but not early in the process.  Make sure that you have confirmed that the job is legitimate before providing this information.

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Scam of the day – September 21, 2012 – AOL phony billing scam

September 21, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

Many people using AOL for email have been receiving legitimate looking, but phony emails purporting to be from AOL billing them for services.  Sometimes the phony messages come in the form of phony pop-ups that ask for personal information such as your Social Security number for “verification purposes.”  Either way, these are phony phishing scams merely looking to steal your money and your identity.  Ignore them.

TIPS

AOL uses what it calls AOL Certified Mail for actual communications which will come in the form of a blue envelope in your inbox and will have an AOL seal on the border of the email.  AOL will never ask for your Social Security number although scammers and identity thieves will because this number is the key to identity theft.  If you believe that an email communication from AOL or any other company may or may not be legitimate, go directly to the company at either its website or by telephone making sure that you use URLs and phone numbers that you know are accurate.  Never trust a link in an email that may be phony.  It can only lead to your downloading keystroke logging malware that can steal information from your computer and make you a victim of identity theft.

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Scam of the day – September 19, 2012 – “John Doe” sentenced to ten years for identity theft

September 18, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

Recently a defendant whose true identity is still not known was sentenced to ten years in federal prison on identity theft charges by a federal court judge in Florida.  Court documents referred to the defendant as “John Doe” also known as Leroy, also known as L.T.H.  John Doe had been using a stolen identity for the last 22 years during which time he managed to obtain 23 government issued forms of identification including Military Contractor identification cards and Social Security cards.  His identification cards permitted him to have full access to at least five different Navy ships at the Mayport Florida Naval Station and secure areas of the Blount Island Marine Terminal.  As of this date, law enforcement have still not been able to identify who John Doe is which means that he has managed to avoid arrest before and does not have fingerprints on record.

TIPS

This case emphasizes the seriousness of identity theft where what appears to be a petty criminal is able to breach security at federal facilities due to identity theft.  Protect your identity by monitoring your credit report at least once a year by exercising your right to free credit reports from each of the major credit reporting agencies and jealously guard your Social Security number which is the key to identity theft.  Also, make sure that you check your annual statement of benefits provided to everyone by the Social Security Administration whether you are receiving benefits or not.

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Scam of the day – September 9, 2012 – Identity theft risks of school children

September 9, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

Young children have become prime targets of identity thieves because the law requires children to have Social Security numbers, yet they rarely are involved with credit.  An identity thief who is able to obtain a child’s name and Social Security number can leverage that information into identity theft and obtain credit as well as  make large purchases while ruining the credit of the child who may not be aware that the crime has occurred until the child is much older and applies for financial aid, a car loan or some other financial transaction.  Often the perpetrators of this crime are family members, baby sitters or others who may have easy access to the child’s information.  Other times personal information gathered about your child by his or her school or an extracurricular program such as sports or music becomes the source of the problem if they do not properly protect the security of your child’s information.

TIPS

Guard your child’s Social Security number at home.  Keep any documents with the number on them locked in a secure location.  Find out from your child’s school or other organization that is gathering such information what they are doing to protect that information as well as with whom they share that information.  Federal law requires schools to notify parents about the school’s directory information policy and to offer families the right to opt out of the release of any data on their child to third parties.

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Scam of the day – September 7, 2012 – Jury duty scam

September 7, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

This is one of the old reliable scams that seems to be making a reappearance recently.  It starts when you receive either a telephone call, a text message or an email indicting that you have not reported for jury duty and that there is a serious penalty.  In some forms of the scam, you are able to pay a fine rather than go to jail.  In other variations of the scam, you are told that if the notice is mistaken, you should contact the jury commissioner at a phone number to provide information to confirm that the notice was sent to you in error.  The information you are asked to provide includes your Social Security number and as soon as you provide it, you are on the road to identity theft.

TIPS

Initial contacts from the courts regarding jury duty are always in writing through the mail although some systems will permit you to receive future notices through email.  Under no circumstances will you receive telephone calls or text messages indicating that you have failed to report for jury duty.  No court will ask for your Social Security number as a part of the information you provide them in regard to jury duty and NEVER give your Social Security number or any other personal information to anyone whom you have not called at a telephone number that you are absolutely positive is correct.  If you do receive such a notice and you think that there is even the possibility that you might have forgotten to report for jury duty, merely call the local clerk of courts where you can find accurate information.

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Scam of the day – August 31, 2012 – Hurricane Isaac scams

August 31, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

Scammers and identity thieves are always there to take advantage of every natural disaster and Hurricane Isaac which has wreaked havoc in the Gulf coast will be no exception.   Scammers and identity thieves will prey upon the victims of the storm, claiming to be either insurance claims representatives or FEMA employees.  They will require personal information from the victims in order to process their claims, but all that will happen is that the storm victims will then become identity theft victims.  As for those of us who were not affected by the storm, but want to assist the victims through charitable donations, there will be plenty of phony charities ready to take our money without ever helping the real victims of the storm.

TIPS

If you are contacted by someone claiming to be an insurance claim representative or FEMA representative, don’t trust their identification cards.  Those can be forged.  Confirm the identity of anyone seeking information from you with your insurance company or FEMA itself.  Also remember, your insurance company has no need for your Social Security number which an identity thief will most likely ask for.  As for making charitable contributions, check out the charity on the free website www.charitynavigator.org which will not only tell you if the charity is legitimate or not, but also tell you how much of what you give actually goes to the needy.

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Scam of the day – August 25, 2012 – Latest Medicare scam

August 25, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

The latest scam involving Medicare going on around the country at this time involves the victim receiving a telephone call from someone purporting to be a representative of Medicare notifying the victim that new Medicare cards are being issued and that in order to maintain their Medicare coverage they need to confirm personal information of the victim such as their Social Security number or checking account number.  Many of these calls are coming from the area code 409, which is in Texas.  If the victim provides this information to the caller, he or she will soon become a victim of identity theft.

TIPS

Never give your personal information to anyone over the phone whom you have not called and are not absolutely sure is both legitimate and has a legitimate need for the information.  Medicare is not issuing new cards.  Medicare will not call you on the phone and Medicare already has the information that the identity thieves are requesting with the exception of your bank account number which they have absolutely no need to have.

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