When you think of Black Friday scams, you might think of ordinary crimes like wallet snatching, but as identity thieves and other criminals move to capitalize on the biggest shopping holiday of the year, these scams are growing ever more sophisticated. The sophistication of these crimes means that not only are victims unaware of the…
House rental scams on Craigslist are on the increase. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, given Craigslist’s well deserved reputation as a haven for fraudsters; local law enforcement can rarely do anything to police the site, and in a misplaced belief in free expression, Craigslist executives refuse to take strong steps to curb the rampant…
As banks step up their efforts at securing unattended ATMs, identity thieves bent on credit card theft are moving to a new technique: Gas station credit card skimming. Although identity thieves might obtain fewer debit card numbers and PINs at a gas station than at an ATM, gas pump skimming is still profitable for enterprising…
According to the consumer advocacy group CALPIRG, 63% of identity theft cases start online via fraudulent emails or a website. Identity theft and technology now go hand in hand, making it more difficult for consumers to avoid becoming identity theft victims. It isn’t simply online technology making it easier for identity thieves to steal your…
Medical identity theft statistics show that the crime of medical identity theft is on the rise. Medical identity theft is a unique form of identity theft, in which people impersonate another person when receiving medical care. Because so few of us regularly check our full medical records, this type of crime can go undetected for…
With millions upon millions of Americans carrying around a credit card, many often don’t think twice when they swipe that piece of plastic. Sure, while most credit card companies won’t hold you liable for purchases you didn’t make, that doesn’t mean the scam artists can’t take advantage of you. What you have to understand is…
Thanks to several recent data breaches by highly respected companies, identity theft in America is once again making headlines. While it’s of benefit to consumers to see how and why identity theft occurs in the news, the real problem goes much deeper; most cases of identity theft are never reported to the public at large…
Over the summer, you might have heard that President Obama was offering to pay individual’s utility bills through a new federal relief program. Unfortunately, the offer was a hoax and one of the latest utility scams; after obtaining interested bill payers’ social security numbers and bank information, the criminals provided fake bank routing numbers that…
If you haven’t experienced having your identity stolen by someone, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to be concerned at all or learn a thing or two on how to prevent being a victim of identity theft. With technology advancing more and more each day, criminals are now equipped with a lot of tools to…
Online banking has made performing many tasks simpler and quicker; what used to take a drive to the bank and a wait in line can now be done in just a few clicks. However, like other online activities, online banking does have security pitfalls, so that convenience comes at a price. How safe is online…