Security warning! (Re: your id and credit)
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:55 am
Ladies and Gents,
I know this is off topic but I want to ensure it's seen by as many of our members as possible. Two days ago Yahoo seemed to be experiencing some difficulty with their e-mail. I don't have an active account there but one of my brothers uses them.
Early yesterday evening I was talking to him, explaining e-mail had bounced back the day before. He tried logging in and couldn't. He reset his password and logged in, noticing some unusual activity.
He tried his gmail account - same problem. One of the accounts had a message about updates on his credit card with Wamu, so he called.
They explained the card was shut down due to other fraudulent activity on another credit card that had just been reported. Apparently while he was on the phone with Wamu, the thief was on the phone with the other card company trying to change his address and info and have emergency cash sent to him in Yuba city.
Somehow the guy had my brother's Social Security Number but fortunately didn't have the other security info needed, so red flags started going off.
This is just a reminder. Be careful with your online banking. Do not use wireless connections for anything that should be secure, and use a password scheme that gives you unique passwords for every system you have to access. It's not difficult to create a scheme that ensures all kinds of variation yet is easy for *you* to remember.
I deal with sub-prime credit all day long. 5 years ago, a considerable amount of that was due to identity theft. For the past few years that's been relatively rare, but with the economy where it is I expect it to pick up as people become more desperate and creative.
Mike
PS You're entitled to a free credit report from each of the big three bureaus every 12 months. You *don't* have to do all three at once. I suggest doing one every three months on the same rotation so you can see your status every quarter and ensure everything is legit.
I know this is off topic but I want to ensure it's seen by as many of our members as possible. Two days ago Yahoo seemed to be experiencing some difficulty with their e-mail. I don't have an active account there but one of my brothers uses them.
Early yesterday evening I was talking to him, explaining e-mail had bounced back the day before. He tried logging in and couldn't. He reset his password and logged in, noticing some unusual activity.
He tried his gmail account - same problem. One of the accounts had a message about updates on his credit card with Wamu, so he called.
They explained the card was shut down due to other fraudulent activity on another credit card that had just been reported. Apparently while he was on the phone with Wamu, the thief was on the phone with the other card company trying to change his address and info and have emergency cash sent to him in Yuba city.
Somehow the guy had my brother's Social Security Number but fortunately didn't have the other security info needed, so red flags started going off.
This is just a reminder. Be careful with your online banking. Do not use wireless connections for anything that should be secure, and use a password scheme that gives you unique passwords for every system you have to access. It's not difficult to create a scheme that ensures all kinds of variation yet is easy for *you* to remember.
I deal with sub-prime credit all day long. 5 years ago, a considerable amount of that was due to identity theft. For the past few years that's been relatively rare, but with the economy where it is I expect it to pick up as people become more desperate and creative.
Mike
PS You're entitled to a free credit report from each of the big three bureaus every 12 months. You *don't* have to do all three at once. I suggest doing one every three months on the same rotation so you can see your status every quarter and ensure everything is legit.