Last year Facebook had to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over Facebook privacy issues which misled users about their real right to privacy using its service. A recent poll by AP-CNBC found that 59% of Facebook users do not trust the service to keep their information private. Yet despite the lack of trust, we still post incredibly personal information on … [Read more...]
Identity Theft Stories – The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
If you’ve been watching the news, or even just keeping up with StumbleForward, you know that personal identity theft stories are on the rise. As people put more of their lives out in public and financial and government institutions get tangled in bureaucracy, it is harder than ever for identity theft victims to clear their names. These factors allow identity thieves to use … [Read more...]
The 10 Most Common Password Security Questions
Password security questions are meant to add an additional layer of security to online account log ins, but with the advent of social media the answers to the most common password security questions are increasingly easy for others to answer. The integrity of these website security questions is also damaged because many people have come to view them as more of a nuisance … [Read more...]
How to Protect Your Identity Online – 5 Ways to Reduce Your Risks
A recent survey reported by information control expert John Sileo found that 45% of consumers are most concerned about identity theft while online. However, 75% of consumers mistakenly thought that using a firewall while shopping online was adequate protection against cyber fraud. If you are one of these consumers and want to know how to protect your identity online, you … [Read more...]
The Top 10 Identity Theft Apps You Can Use to Protect Yourself
Did you know that your smartphone could be putting you at greater risk of identity theft? It’s true. Javelin Strategy & Research has found that smartphone users are 33% more likely to experience identity theft than the general public. You might accidentally leave your smartphone out on a table at a restaurant, or get hacked while using an unsecure WiFi connection. The … [Read more...]
How to Tell If Your Identity Is Stolen – 6 Key Clues
If you’re wondering how to tell if your identity is stolen, you aren't alone. According to Javelin Strategy & Research Inc.’s 2011 Identity Fraud Survey Report, the average time it takes for an individual to discover that their identity has been stolen is 68 days, or just over two months. This is plenty of time for an identity thief to do serious damage to your credit … [Read more...]
Identity Theft And Social Media – How To Avoid It From Happening To You
Most of us take steps to protect our identity in the physical world. We shred our mail, keep our Social Security cards in a safe place, and treat unsolicited phone calls as suspicious until proven otherwise. However, this caution isn’t as widespread in our social media lives as it should be, which is why identity theft and social media are becoming highly correlated. You … [Read more...]
My Identity Was Stolen 5 Times – The Story Of An Identity Theft Victim
The Issues I Faced and What I Learned There is a drop in your stomach the first time you get a letter that starts with “we regret to inform you” and it is worse when the information is that your identity was stolen. Anything from your name and address to your credit card number and social security number can put you at serious risk for credit issues and debt that is not your … [Read more...]
Phishing Statistics – The 10 Most Targeted And Phished Companies
According to zdnet.com identity theft is up more than 200% since 2010. On top of that hackers have traded more than 12 million pieces of information in the first quarter of 2012. This is astounding and remains to be said that identity theft is only getting worse, but the real question is who are the hackers really targeting? So in this article I'm going cover the phishing … [Read more...]
Top 100 Most Common Used Passwords – Avoid Them Or Get Hacked
If you've been listening to the news lately you may have been hearing about all sorts of different websites getting hacked from Linked In, and eHarmoney to the latest round involving Yahoo. However one of the major reasons so many people were hacked was because of a human error of not creating a strong enough password. The truth is passwords are the barrier of protection … [Read more...]