How to remove a fake profile from Facebook

Posted by tasha on February 23rd, 2010

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question:

Q:   How can I remove a fake profile of myself from Facebook?

A: What can you do if you find out someone has created a fake Facebook profile in your name?   This is actually a pretty easy situation to resolve.   If you already have a Facebook account, just go to the Facebook "Report a Fake Profile" page and enter the requested information.  If you don't have a Facebook account you can visit the Facebook "Imposter Profile" page and report the issue there.

You should be aware that someone setting up a fake profile in your name may be an indication of even more serious identity theft. To learn more about how to protect yourself, check out our Facebook identity theft protection guide.  To proactively protect yourself from identity theft, consider signing up for Trusted ID, our top-reviewed identity theft protection service.

What to do if someone has stolen your identity

Posted by tasha on February 11th, 2010

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question:

Q:  My friend's dad is 80 years old and retired. Somehow his grandson has gotten a hold of his social security number. Both the grandfather and his grandson have the same name. The grandson has destroyed his grandfather's credit.  How can the grandfather prosecute the grandson?

A. Identity theft is a serious matter.  Since it is already known that your friend's dad's has had his identity stolen, he needs to first protect himself.  If he hasn't already taken the following steps, he should do so immediately to prevent more damage from occurring and to help remedy what has already occurred.  After contacting the credit bureaus (steps 1 & 2) when speaking with the police (step 3) he should enter into discussions about what action he can take against his grandson.  They will be able to provide further guidance in this matter.

1) Contact each of the three credit bureaus and ask them to place a credit freeze on his credit report. There is a small fee in most states for setting a credit freeze, but it will completely lock down his credit file and insure that no further financial accounts are opened fraudulently in his name. Here is the contact information for each of the three credit bureaus:

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

Another option is to set a fraud alert instead of a credit freeze. A fraud alert is an annotation on your credit report that lets potential lenders know that you have reason to believe that you are an identity theft victim. While fraud alerts can be useful in many cases, his situation seems serious enough to warrant a full credit freeze.

2) Get a copy of his credit report from all three credit bureaus. His credit report will list all the financial accounts that have been opened and reported to the credit bureaus in his name. This will be very important in tracking the damage that already seems to have been done by his grandson.  He can request a free copy of his credit report from each of the credit bureaus when he sets a credit freeze or fraud alert. He can also get a credit report instantly by signing up for a free trial of a credit report service like Identity Guard. Once he has his credit reports in hand, he should review them thoroughly to identify any accounts that he doesn't recognize. Then he should contact the customer support department of each of these suspect accounts and let them know that he believes that the account has been opened fraudulently.   In this case he can name the specific offender (his grandson) and explain the situation.  Each of these companies will have a different process for dealing with the fraud, but he should make sure that each of these accounts is closed immediately.

3) File a report with your local police or sheriff's department. This is very important, especially since it seems that identity theft has already occurred.  He needs to call the non-emergency phone number for his local law enforcement agency and report the identity theft. He may be able to file his report over the phone or he may have to file it in person.  Regardless of the route he takes, it will be helpful to have supporting documentation of what has happened.  In this case that might include his grandson's information, which specific accounts have been opened, what money has been taken and what he has done to prevent future theft.  The police should also be able to guide him in how he can press charges against his grandson and possibly prosecute him.

4)  File an identity theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). While the FTC can't provide assistance with individual identity theft cases, reporting his case can help identity patterns in identity theft crimes that can help prevent others from being victimized.  He can file an identity theft complaint with the FTC at this website:

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

5) Consider an identity theft protection service such as Trusted ID or Identity Guard to help prevent being victimized in the future. Each of these services will help mitigate the risk of future identity theft and may be able to provide assistance with his current identity theft issues. You can see a list of all of the identity theft protection services we have reviewed at NextAdvisor.com.

Connecticut sues Health Net for data breach

Posted by Caitlin on January 20th, 2010

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has filed a lawsuit against Health Net for HIPPA violations in the wake of a data breach. Last May, Health Net discovered that a portable disk drive containing confidential health information, Social Security numbers, and bank account numbers of nearly half a million past and present enrollees had disappeared. The data was not encrypted, and the company did not begin notifying those whose data had been compromised until November 30.

Blumenthal is civil penalties, which are limited to a maximum of $1.5 million per year, as well as a court order that would require Health Net to encrypt any personal health information contained on a portable electronic device. In a written statement, Blumenthal said, "The staggering scope of the data loss, and deliberate delay in disclosure, are legally actionable and ethically unacceptable. Even more alarming than the breach, Health Net downplayed and dismissed the danger to patients and consumers."

Health Net has offered two years of free credit monitoring and $1 million of identity theft insurance to affected members, and has promised additional assistance to anyone who does become an identity theft victim as a result of the breach.

Medical identity theft is a growing concern. One way to protect yourself is to invest in an identity theft protection service like TrustedID, which monitors for medical identity theft as well as financial identity theft. To learn more about TrustedID and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

U.S. Justice Department indicts international ATM hacking ring

Posted by Caitlin on November 11th, 2009

Yesterday, the U.S. Justice Department indicted eight men who allegedly hacked into a computer system at RBS WorldPay Inc., cloned prepaid ATM cards, and used them to withdraw $9 million from 2,100 ATMs in 280 cities around the world, in less than 12 hours. The prepaid ATM cards that they cloned were payroll debit cards that companies issue to their employees. The hackers raised the maximum withdrawal amounts and attempted to destroy data in order to remove evidence of the breach. Charges against the hackers include wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. One of the accused has been arrested and is awaiting extradition from Estonia, and the rest remain at large. Authorities say this hacking ring is one of the most sophisticated in the world.

According to Shawn Henry, the assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, "More money is stolen electronically or [in] data breaches than through bank robberies." RBS customers have been reimbursed for the stolen funds, but a class action lawsuit is pending against RBS WorldPay, alleging that the company failed to adequately protect consumer data. RBS WorldPay has acknowledged that the breach impacted 1.5 million cardholders, and that 1.1 million Social Security numbers may have been compromised.

There's no way to ensure that your Social Security number or other sensitive personal data remain safe from these types of hackers. But identity theft protection services like TrustedID, LifeLock, and Identity Guard scan the Internet's black market websites to find out whether your information is being bought or sold. They'll also alert you if anyone attempts to create new accounts in your name. To learn more about TrustedID, LifeLock, Identity Guard, and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

TrustedID introduces Identity Threat Score

Posted by Caitlin on October 27th, 2009

TrustedID, our favorite identity theft protection service, has just added a new feature to help determine your personal risk of identity theft. TrustedID will assess millions of records on hundreds of public and private databases and analyze that information for patterns that could indicate if you have been or are about to be a victim of identity theft. Your personal risk will be represented by your Identity Threat Score, a number between zero and 500. That score will make it easy to understand your risk level, and it will also help TrustedID's protection specialists ensure that the necessary steps are taken to protect your identity. Since your financial and personal information is constantly being updated, your Identity Threat Score will be automatically recalculated regularly.

This new feature makes TrustedID's protection even more comprehensive. New TrustedID customers will enjoy this additional layer of protection at no extra charge.

To learn more about TrustedID and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

How medical data breaches happen

Posted by Caitlin on September 30th, 2009

For the past three years, Tennessee doctors have been faxing patient information, including Social Security numbers and medical histories, to Bill Keith, an Indiana businessman whose fax number is similar to that of the disability determination section of the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Keith, who shreds the faxes, has contacted doctors, state officials, and even the governor's office, but the they keep coming, at a rate of five or more per week. This past Friday, the Tennessee Department of Human Services began contacting doctor's offices to inform them of the breach and request that they correct the fax number. Naturally, many doctors were concerned, to say the least, when they were told that they'd been faxing confidential patient information to the wrong number for years.

Identity theft expert Robert Siciliano blogged about the dangers of medical identity theft earlier this week. He described a new rule requiring health care providers to notify patients of any breaches of their medical information. But the fact is, many health care providers don't even realize when a breach has occurred, and in this case, continues to occur on a daily basis.

TrustedID, one of the identity theft protection services reviewed on NextAdvisor.com, monitors your medical records in order to detect medical identity theft. To learn more about TrustedID and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

Does TrustedID cover legal costs to restore your identity?

Posted by Caitlin on April 16th, 2009

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.

Q: Does TrustedID also cover legal costs which may occur during the restoration of your identity after ID theft?

A: Yes. TrustedID's identity theft protection service includes a $1,000,000 service warranty, which means that if your identity is stolen, TrustedID will cover many of the costs associated with restoring your identity, up to $1,000,000. This covers certain out of pocket expenses required to recover your identity, including legal fees incurred in the United States, for an attorney who has been approved by TrustedID in writing. TrustedID will also provide you with an on call protection specialist, to walk you though all the steps you need to take in order to prevent further damage to your credit.

To learn more about TrustedID or other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

TrustedID CEO writes book on identity theft prevention

Posted by Caitlin on March 18th, 2009

While attempting to recover and repair their stolen identities for the second time in two years, Scott Mitic and his wife realized that there was no easy way to do so, no reliable source of help and information. They also doubted that the measures available at the time would actually protect their identities from being stolen yet again. So a year later, in 2005, Scott Mitic launched TrustedID.

Mitic hasn't stopped there, though, in his quest to help prevent identity theft. Now a noted identity security expert, he recently wrote a book entitled Stopping Identity Theft: 10 Easy Steps to Security. In his book, Mitic aims to empower consumers by providing easy steps and practical strategies to help people protect their personal information. A companion website, StoppingIDTheft.org, provides additional information on the evolving risks of identity theft, as well as providing assistance if you suspect you've been a victim.

John Ulzheimer, president of Consumer Education, Credit.com and CNBC contributer, called Stopping Identity Theft "a must-have for anyone who doesn't plan to spend the next 50 years in a cave."

Stopping Identity Theft is an easily digestible primer the details simple safeguards that everyone can take to avoid becoming victims. These include:

• Scrutinizing a credit report
• Securing your online presence
• Spotting scams
• Shopping safely, both online and off
• Preventing medical identity theft
• Protecting your identity when traveling
• Protecting the identities of kids and elders
• Safeguarding personal but public records

Stopping Identity Theft is available at all major book retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon.com.

To learn more about TrustedID or other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

Does TrustedID protect my children from identity theft and if so, how is it done?

Posted by Joe on January 29th, 2009

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.

Q: Does TrustedID protect my children from identity theft and if so, how is it done?

A: Yes, Trusted ID does provide identity theft protection services specifically tailored towards children.

Upon sign-up, Trusted ID will request credit reports in your child's name to determine whether there are any financial accounts, collections activity, judgments or other activity in your child's name. This is really a check to make sure that your child hasn't already been victimized since most individuals under the age of 18 will not have a legitimate credit file with any of the major credit bureaus. Trusted ID will also check Social Security and medical benefits statements to make sure that these accounts have not been breached. On an ongoing basis, Trusted ID will scan the Internet's black markets where personal information is bought and sold by criminals and alert you of any suspicious activity related to your child's personal name has been detected.

The simplest way to begin protecting your children with Trusted ID is to sign up for the family plan. At just $161.49 per year after the exclusive 15% discount for NextAdvisor readers, we believe that this is the best value in identity theft protection for families. In addition to providing protection for your children, the Trusted ID family plan will also provide protection for you, your spouse and any other relatives in your household

To learn more about Trusted ID and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart. You may also be interested in our Child Identity Theft Prevention Guide.

Data Breach Alert: 100 million possible victims in what may be the largest data breach ever

Posted by Joe on January 21st, 2009

Experts are speculating that a recent breach of a 100 million credit card transactions could be the largest credit card breach in history. The reported number of potential victims is more than twice the approximately 45 million credit card transactions that were breached by criminals that hacked credit card processing systems of TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and other popular retail stores.

Heartland Payment Systems, a large credit card processor based in New Jersey, announced this week that hackers had breached the company's computer network and potentially gained access to customer information related to approximately 100 million transaction processed by the company. The breach included information that would allow criminals with the proper knowledge and equipment to create duplicate credit cards.

While Heartland is based on the east coast of the United States, the company processes transactions for 250,000 business located across the country and of all sizes and types.

There is no information available regarding notification of potential victims, although most states do have strict laws that require businesses to disclose data breaches to consumers. Businesses also commonly provide free access to a credit report monitoring service to victims for some period of time following a breach. There is no word yet whether Heartland will be providing free credit report monitoring to victims.

As always, our advice is to act quickly if you believe you or your family may have been a potential victim of this breach. We recommend that consumers review their credit reports in an effort to identify any suspicious accounts or activity. Many credit report monitoring services offer free access to your credit reports and scores when you sign up for a free trial (read our reviews and comparison of credit report monitoring services to learn more). It is also a good idea to keep an eye on your credit card statements and alert your credit card company of any charges that you believe may be fraudulent.

Additionally, we recommend signing up for an identity theft protection service, such as Trusted ID or LifeLock, that can help prevent new fraudulent financial accounts from being opened in your name.