Identity Thieves Target ATMs

by Aleshia Altizer

From pickpockets hoping to hit pay dirt with a stolen purse to service workers in hotels, hospitals and restaurants selling confidential information, personal data is a hot commodity and under constant threat – The New York Daily News

Identity thieves will go to any lengths to get their hands on your personal information. Now they are installing small machines known as skimmers on ATMs, and according to a story from the New York Daily News, one crew of identity thieves managed to steal over $500,000 from more than 250 victims using this method.

Here’s what they did: They placed skimmers over the card slots on ATM machines, and when a customer inserted their card, the skimmer read and stored the card information. In addition, they installed a tiny pinhole camera on the ATM and recorded each customer’s PIN when they typed it in. Thieves used the stolen information to create and use phony ATM cards. The article also cites a warning from police that these skimmers have also turned up on gas pumps, and with crooked waiters at high-end restaurants.

Consumerist.com has pictures of an ATM skimmer, so you can learn how to spot one. At times like these it's so important to closely monitor bank statements, credit reports and credit card statements and report any fradulent activity immediately.

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Aleshia Altizer is a Corporate Writer at Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Pre-Paid Legal's signature products, including the Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield, serve more than 1.5 million families in North America.

Take Steps During Tax Season to Avoid Identity Theft

By Aleshia Altizer

Forbes recently posted an article warning about the risks of identity theft this tax season. W-2s and other tax forms being mailed out this month will contain information like income, Social Security numbers and bank account numbers: Valuable information that can lead to identity theft if intercepted by thieves.

The article lists some important steps that consumers can take to make sure their tax forms arrive safely:

1. If you’ve moved in the past year, make sure your address is current with companies you’ve worked for, don’t just rely on the Post office to forward your mail.


2. Have a secure lockable mailbox or a Post Office box.


3. Contact the Post Office and have them hold your mail if you’ll be away for more than one night.


4. Make sure never to leave mail in your mailbox overnight.

A quick Google search, shows that mailbox thefts are ongoing in many states, so stay vigilant to ensure your information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

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Aleshia Altizer is a Corporate Writer at Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Pre-Paid Legal's signature products, including the Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield, serve more than 1.5 million families in North America.

Top Things That Computer Users Should Fear in 2010

By Stacy Whelchel

Can the Internet be a scary place? Yes, and it may be an even more dangerous place this year, according to this MSNBC story. The daunting story makes predictions including:

1. Anti-virus products will have more difficulty screening out viruses

2. Increased buying of fake anti-virus software

3. Social networking sites will continue to be platforms for impersonation/identity theft

4. Spam numbers will keep climbing

Even though this may not be the most uplifting news, it’s important that the Internet always be treated as a powerful communication tool of seemingly endless possibilities - both positive and negative.

Caution is always the key to safe surfing. If something seems suspicious, avoid it and take precautions to safeguard all your confidential information, both online and during in person interactions.

It’s one thing to hope that these predictions don’t come true; it’s quite another to ignore the warnings and not take steps to protect your identity and leave the door wide open for cyber criminals.

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Stacy Whelchel is a Corporate Writer at Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Pre-Paid Legal's signature products, including the Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield, serve more than 1.5 million families in North America.

Identity Theft Left Victim Unable to Marry

by Aleshia Altizer

Getting married should be an exciting and very special occassion. But for one identity theft victim, a trip to the courthouse to get a marriage certificate turned into a four year nightmare when court records showed she was already married to someone else.

According to a New York Post article detailing the incident, the victim’s identity was stolen over ten years ago, and the thief used it to marry and even file state and federal tax returns among other crimes. All this went unnoticed until the victim went to get a marriage license and was turned away from the registrars’ office because records showed she had married over ten years ago.

According to the article, it’s been four years since the identity theft discovery, and since then the victim has endured problems with the IRS and her personal life and is also waiting for the marriage to be expunged so she can finally get married and move on with her life.

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Aleshia Altizer is a Corporate Writer at Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Pre-Paid Legal's signature products, including the Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield, serve more than 1.5 million families in North America.

Cyber Banking Trojan Attacks

"Cybercrooks stalk small businesses that bank online" By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY

"A rising swarm of cyber-robberies targeting small firms, local governments, school districts, churches and non-profits has prompted an extraordinary warning. The American Bankers Association and the FBI are advising small and midsize businesses that conduct financial transactions over the Internet to dedicate a separate PC used exclusively for online banking.

The reason: Cybergangs have inundated the Internet with "banking Trojans" — malicious programs that enable them to surreptitiously access and manipulate online accounts. A dedicated PC that's never used for e-mail or Web browsing is much less likely to encounter a banking Trojan."

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