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Are You a Target for Social Networking Identity Theft?

by Linda Vincent R.N. P.I.

Identity Theft in Progress

Social networking. Most of us do it. For some of us it’s an addiction. But it can be dangerous. Social networking identity theft is on the rise as more and more identity thieves adapt to this increasingly easy way to steal your identity. Once they have your identity, the sky’s the limit. They can drain your bank account, run up your credit, and virtually destroy you financially. And it all starts with some “innocent” communication online.

Social Networking Identity Theft Statistics

The statistics are in, and they aren’t pretty. According to PC World, one third of members of social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and MySpace have at least three pieces of personal information posted on their profile that can make stealing their identity easy for identity thieves. … Continue Reading

FRAUD ALERT: Scammers Bank on Facebook Users’ Fear of Missing Out

by Better Business Bureau

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Addicted to Facebook status updates? Spammers are taking advantage of Facebook users’ desire to stay connected by sending fake alerts for “activity you may have missed on Facebook.” Just don’t click the link!

How the Scam Works:

You receive an email that appears to come from a Facebook user’s personal email address alerting you to activity you missed on the social media site. In the below case, the email appears to come from Macie’s AOL email address. The sender may or may not be an actual Facebook friend. … Continue Reading

Facebook isn’t Professional Networking

by Brandon Williams

Sad Girl on Computer

I was checking into the happenings on Facebook last night and had a very strange request come up. Someone that I know and respect sent me a request through a product called BranchOut. While their about page does more to confuse than to clarify, what I understand it to be is a way to create a professional network of contacts with Facebook—or in easier terms, think about LinkedIn-type functionality sitting on top of your Facebook network of contacts. … Continue Reading

Is Facebook’s new Messenger App a Privacy Risk?

by ITRC

Social Media Apps

Last August, Facebook released their Facebook Messenger app for smart phones. This app is great for communicating with large groups of people (like party planning) so that everybody is involved, and also for allowing a friend to locate you in case you are lost or are meeting up at an unfamiliar location. In many ways, this app is a great convenience to many people and does make communication easier … Continue Reading

How Much “I” is “TMI”?

by J_Pratt

Identity Theft in Progress

You gotta love the ability for frequent communications with all of your dearest buddies. While you may or may not be particularly interested in what they have for breakfast every morning, generally speaking the opportunity that social networks like Facebook and Twitter provide for us to keep “connected” with the people we love is a marvelous thing. They help us maintain the high degree of intimacy we cherish, regardless of time and space, without catching each other’s colds or conceiving babies.

But there is a dark side to virtual communication–it’s hard to know when there are criminal eavesdroppers in our virtual community. We can’t control where the information goes, and once it’s out there, it’s easy for your information to go beyond the people you know and trust.

When the Hyman family in Mesa, Arizona was ready to leave for a trip to Kansas City, they tweeted to their friends that they … Continue Reading

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Beware Disaster Related Fraud and Scams

The Boston and Texas tragedies remind us that when disaster strikes, we are not always prepared to deal with the magnitude of the chaotic wake that follows such events in our communities … Continue Reading

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Fake Scanner Emails Infect Office Computers

Scammers are taking advantage of the standard emails sent by most office scanners. They have replicated the messages of famous printer brands but attach malware to the emails instead of documents.

How the Scam Works:

You are at work, and you receive a message from what you think is your office printer/scanner. It appears that someone sent you a copy of a scanned document. The name doesn’t ring a bell, but you open the attachment anyway.

When you click on the file, you find that it isn’t a scanned copy of the latest office report. It’s really a link to a third-party website that will download a virus to your computer. These viruses phish for personal and banking information on your machine. … Continue Reading

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Unknown Credit Card Charges: Fraud or Legit?

Recently, my mother-in-law discovered that a pretty significant piece of jewelry had gone missing. There had been a number of construction workers in the house for a few weeks and when she went to get her jewelry, it was gone. After searching like a crazy person under/in/on top of everything, she called the police.

When the police arrived they asked a bunch of questions, did an onsite investigation and calmly and collectively stated to her: “You misplaced it. It probably hasn’t been stolen. You will find it in a few days.” … Continue Reading

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