Shredding papers is a lot like flossing teeth. Everyone knows it’s a smart thing to do; Many people claim they do it regularly; But few people make it a daily habit. Don’t worry, we don’t judge. But shredding documents containing personal information doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, you don’t even need to [...]
Archive for the ‘Industry News’ Category
Campus Connection: Student ID Theft and Student Loans
Big, busy state universities are hives of anonymity. Surprisingly, grades continue to be publicly posted by Social Security number for almost half of all college students, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft from passing eyes and in serious financial jeopardy, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Think about it: College students collect billions [...]
Cellphone Security Teens: What to Do to Keep Them Safe
Remember the old days when parents used to complain that their kids spent too much time on the family phone with their friends? Well, now we just wish our kids would talk. According to a recent study by The Pew Internet & American Life Project, 23 percent of U.S. teens now own smartphones and a [...]
Stop Cyberbullying: Don’t Let Your Child Be Cyberbullied
Technology in our lives can be great, a truly simplifying force. So many onerous tasks are dispatched now with a flick of a smartphone, a simple text, or a social media update to a loved one. Unfortunately, those same online tools also provide new ways for bullies to reach their targets—at all hours and [...]
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Con Every year Las Vegas holds the dubious distinction of having the most computer hackers in the world converge in its fine city. What brings so many geeks to the desert? The annual Defcon Hackers conference—dubbed “one of the oldest continuous running hacker conventions around” where thousands come to learn about the latest exploits [...]
More Than Just a Lost Wallet
By now, most of us know that leaving a Social Security card in a purse or wallet is a recipe for disaster. But what about standard wallet items? A lost wallet is much more than an inconvenience or lost cash. A friend of mine lost his wallet during his final year at college. Like most [...]
The School Smart Six
Kids love back-to-school season almost as much as identity thieves. And what’s not to love? New clothing. New supplies. New schedule. Sometimes even a new school. It’s new everything! But all that new stuff means a lot of transactions and exchanging of information—pretty tempting to an identity thief. From pre-school to college, back-to-school season can [...]
Bankrupt by 16: ID Theft and Your Child
Let’s play pretend. Imagine Johnny: an adorable little baby with great parents and a bright future. If little Johnny was running, jumping and sparking up eloquent conversations before his first birthday, his parents would probably be applauding and uploading videos to YouTube. Behold the toddler prodigy. But if the same little tike had three credit [...]
Old School Scams and the Con Man
Data hacking. Wi-Fi sniffing. Keystroke logging. The technological side of fraud and identity theft is regularly making headlines. But what about the old-school scams? They don’t get the press like the high tech fraud, but fraudsters can con you out of hundreds of dollars using nothing more sophisticated than a telephone and a bank account. [...]
Finders Keepers
Growing up, I was a banner child for vacation carelessness. Not only would I forget to pack my toothbrush or socks, I’d lose IDs, passports, cell phones and more. I’m surprised there aren’t 15 unidentified mortgages showing up on my credit reports. But I know it’s not just me. We’ve all succumbed to vacation-induced folly. [...]