According to Sophos Security  over 4000 people responded to a poll regarding the new Facebook Timeline.  Almost 52% stated that they were worried about security and another 32% said they don’t “know why they are still on Facebook” and only 7.96 reported they “liked it.”

One major concern is pointed out by Naked Security blog, “Facebook is encouraging users to enter even more personal details about themselves and their life experiences, and making it simpler for others to view the information,” Cluley writes on the Naked Security blog.

“But might this not also make it even easier for identity thieves to put together a profile about an individual, discover the name of their first pet, and so forth? That’s all information which could be put to a nefarious use.”

Cluley tested his out, and was “shocked” to find out how much information he had shared since he first started using Facebook.  I admit that with time running out, I’ve been spending a little “time” working on my Timeline to try to delete those things that I don’t want shared, since sharing seems to be the keyword on the new Facebook Timeline, but in this case sharing is definitely not “caring.”

Cluley has left Facebook saying, “In a nutshell, if I don’t think that I can get my head around how to protect my personal information and updates on Facebook then – as someone who advises others on how to best remain private – I should quit.”

 So what are some of the security concerns about the new Facebook Timeline?

As Facebook’s privacy policy came under fire by the FTC an agreement was made.  But the Electronic Privacy Information Center has asked the FTC to explore whether or not the Timeline violates Facebook’s privacy promises that resulted from that agreement.

• Information has once again been taken over and shared.  Once again users must go in and update all their privacy settings to make sure that what they want shared with friends and family only really is.  Some things are sure to fall through the privacy cracks.
• An increase in Spam Apps, both those that promise to help you keep your information private and those that are going to be fishing for information.
• Identity theft, as users profiles have more and more information available it becomes that much easier for an identity to be stolen. Naked Security says, “Facebook is encouraging users to enter even more personal details about themselves and their life experiences, and making it simpler for others to view the information. But might this not also make it even easier for identity thieves to put together a profile about an individual, discover the name of their first pet, and so forth? That’s all information which could be put to a nefarious use.”

The UnderWater Samurai blog admits they like the format of Facebook timeline but states, “Unfortunately, in its default settings it’s the most unsafe thing I’ve ever seen on the internet to date. An unprecedented amount of your personal life is displayed in perfectly accessible, easily understood, graphical format.

• Your online activities are now shared whether you want them to our not.  Sites like Spotify automatically post your music listening on your status and many other sites are jumping on board.  Sure, your music tastes are not a state secret but it’s hard to determine which sites are sharing and which aren’t.  Look for auto posts to come from music, movies, news sources and more.

I still haven’t cleared everything off that I wanted to. The process itself is very time consuming.  It’s almost like you are trapped into sharing information that you don’t want to.  What is even scarier is that you get 7 days warning before you go “live.”  I only noticed that I was in the preview period because I had double shared and wanted to delete one of the posts.   After that your timeline goes live and your information is on there.

If all else fails, Facebook isn’t the only social media game in town.  There are still sites like the growing in popularity Google+, Linked In, Twitter and many others.

If you decide to stay with Facebook, this information from PC World and Anson Alex.com are very helpful in once again regaining some of your privacy and sanity.   If you have the same security concerns as the professional, take the time that it takes to “fix” your Timeline.

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The FBI recently reported an increase is this type of con.  The offer comes to them and wanting to sell or rent their time share to make a little extra money sounds pretty good to them, especially if they can’t take a vacation this year or meet the fees associated each year with time share ownership.  They agree to the sale or rental and provide their credit card number over the telephone to cover the cost of a “one time processing fee.”  But, before you can say “Let’s go to Disney!”  that credit card information is being used as a stolen card and many charges for now stolen goods are adding up until it reaches that maximum capacity (or maximum balance) stage. Or maybe they are using that credit card information to create a whole new you, and not the one that returns back home ready to work and handle daily life’s stresses, but a whole new identity involving you.

Once the charges have been paid suddenly the phone calls are unreturned and even the so called “call customer service center” isn’t providing any customer service.   To make matters even worse, the business that you may turn to in order to recover from your time share scare may not be legitimate either.  IC3.gov reports, “timeshare owners who have been defrauded by a timeshare sales scheme have been subsequently contacted by an unscrupulous timeshare fraud recovery company as well.”  They are contacted and promised assistance in recovering their money, but the process is anything but recuperative.

CBS News reports “The Florida Attorney General’s Office says timeshare fraud tops their list of complaints with over 12,000 last year alone.”   Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi recommends “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.  She adds “[People] should be very skeptical of any company claiming that a timeshare resale market in the area where they have their timeshare is “a hot market” now. Because that’s just not true.” Another common tactic for these companies is to tell clients that there are buyers “waiting in the wings.”

To avoid credit card fraud, identity theft and unscrupulous charges to your credit and your identity it is important to do the following:

• Before you work with any company to sell or rent your time share vacation check with the Better Business Bureau.
• Don’t believe the so called “promises” made out to make you money on your time share or the next thing you know you will be doing more sharing of your vacation home.
• Read the fine print whether you are purchasing, selling, or renting your time share know what business you are in business with.

The State of Florida has recently introduced a bill to help them “crack down” on time share fraud.  The proposed regulation includes:

• A timeshare resale advertiser may not misrepresent a pre-existing interest in the owner’s timeshare.
• A timeshare resale advertiser may not mislead a customer as to the success rate of the advertiser’s sales.
• A timeshare resale advertiser may not provide brokerage or direct sale services.
• A timeshare resale advertiser must honor a cancellation request made within seven days following a signed agreement.
• A timeshare resale advertiser must provide a full refund by a timeshare owner within 20 days of a valid cancellation request.
• A timeshare resale advertiser must not collect any payment or engage in any resale advertising activities until the timeshare owner delivers a signed, written agreement for the services.
• A timeshare resale advertiser must also provide a full disclosure statement printed in bold type, with no smaller than a 12-point font, and printed immediately preceding the space provided for the timeshare owner’s signature.
• A timeshare advertising agreement must be put in writing.
• A company that violates these provisions has committed a violation of the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act with a penalty not to exceed $15,000 per violation.

What do you think?  Will this help or will the time share frauds in Florida stay on the rise.  Does the federal level of government need something like this to stop time share sales fraud?

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(Talk about above and beyond reasonable and necessary charges).

Those arrested included senior citizens, doctors, and other medical care professionals.   Senior patiencts were offered a “kick back” of  $50-$100 for their assistance in this scheme where “suspects in Miami alone are accused of submitting $103 million in false claims, the Miami Herald reports. “This is like a game of whack a mole,” Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer told the paper. “The numbers are off the charts.”

How did the other cities and suspects “add” up?

According to ABC News:

• In Baton Rouge, 31 defendants were charged for various schemes allegedly involving fraudulent claims for durable medical goods (such as wheelchairs) totaling approximately $32 million.
• In Brooklyn, 22 defendants were charged for their alleged participation in schemes to submit fraudulent claims totaling approximately $78 million.
• In Detroit, 11 defendants were charged for their alleged roles in schemes to submit $35 million.
• In Houston, four defendants were also charged for their alleged roles in a $3 million

According to the US Dept. of Health and Human Services these

“arrests are a powerful warning to those who would try to defraud taxpayers and Medicare beneficiaries,” said HHS Secretary Sebelius.  “These arrests illustrate close cooperation between the Medicare program that identified these fraudsters and the law enforcement officials who acted swiftly to cut them off.  And our efforts to stop criminals don’t end here because the Affordable Care Act gives us new tools to prevent Medicare fraud before it is committed – better protecting seniors and the integrity of the Medicare program for generations to come.”

However, it seems that some defendant’s may be getting off “easy” as a deal is reached in the Brooklyn cases.  The New York Daily News reports, that 6 of the accused have reached a “deal.”  According the the Daily News “the indictment will be dismissed in 18 months if the defendants agree not to accept any more Medicare kickbacks and pay unspecified restitution. They do not have to admit wrongdoing before a judge.”

One defendant, at 76 years old passes away last summer due to natural causes.

This agreement is reached after one defendant appeared in the courtroom pushing a walked, and another at 84 years old didn’t appear because she couldn’t get a ride to the court.

Defense attorney John Kaley says. ”We appreciate what we think is the government’s fair assessment of the case and it’s a just resolution.”

What do you think?  Should age and health issues be taken into consideration in a criminal trial?  Or should each of the defendants have to either plead guilty as three clinic operators (in the Brooklyn cases) or gone to trial, as two doctors in the Brooklyn case did?

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to:www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

Sources:

US Department of Health and Human Services 

CBS News 

PBS 

ABC News 

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Citigroup will be thanking customer with thank you rewards that they can “pool” together in a new Facebook application.  The Facebook application allows users to join points and use them to benefit a charity, a person or a gift.  For example, 20 people could share their points together, and use them to purchase an airline ticket for a friend.   Citi says it’s the first bank to offer such a feature.

After a successful launch of a Citigroup app which permitted customers to transfer points to one another using the banks online banking service, it decided to expand the rewards sharing capability and program by offering it social media.

“Now we’re delivering it to where customers are every day,” said Ralph Andretta, who heads Citi’s loyalty programs and co-branded cards. He notes that “customers will have far more flexibility with their points, whether it’s to help a friend fly home from college or team up for a big-ticket reward. The company is giving away 2,500 free rewards points to each of the first 4,000 customers to sign up.”

Simply download the ThankYou Point Sharing App, to get started. This application is offered on Citi’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/citibank.

American Express Card members can go for the gold as they “sync” their credit card purchases with their Foursquare account and application.  American Express also joins J.P. Morgan and Discover Financial Services allow cardholders to link their accounts with Amazon.com and use rewards to pay for purchases on the site.

Discover Card users can apply as little or as much of their cash back rewards to purchases on Amazon and also earn double cash back bonuses when they use their Discover Card to make purchases on Amazon.   You can even use it on your MP3 purchases, just follow these simple instructions.

Have you ever purchased credits on Facebook?  These “credits” are used to play premium games and access some services on Facebook.   Facebook now has a gift card available for purchase at Target.  You can purchase your card in $15, $25 and $50 denominations and use it to make Facebook credit purchases.  USA Today reports, “”We think (the cards) will be incredibly popular as a holiday gift,” says Dan Rose, vice president of partnerships and platform marketing at Facebook.  The cards can initially be used on more than 150 social games and applications, including titles from game makers such as Zynga (FarmVille, FrontierVille), CrowdStar (Happy Aquarium, HelloCity) and PopCap Games (Bejeweled Blitz). Facebook gift cards do not replace Zynga’s existing game cards.”

Is Facebook the new credit card of the future?  Gift cards today, credit cards and reward applications tomorrow?  Would you be worried about the interaction on sites like Facebook that links both personal and financial information?  I would, after all the more you “share” the more you and everyone else can know.

Sources

Wall Street Journal

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Sony is not the only one to come under attack, but several others including many celebrities like Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Kim Kardashian, for their support of the SOPA Act.

What is the SOPA Act? Some say it’s designed to stop piracy on the Internet. Other’s call it a form of government censorship that can stop just about anyone or any business dead in their tracks. While stopping piracy may sound good there is a whole lot more to this act than meets the eye. Also, many piracy options occur all over the world, and the US Government can’t police that.

Here is the SOPA Act in it’s entirety.

This isn’t the first time, as we have reported in “Hackers Hit Sony Again and Again” and “Sony Playstation Network Breach”

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“These donations will never reach the ones in need,” writes Mikko Hypponen at F-Secure. “In fact, these actions will just end up hurting the charities, not helping them.  Credit card companies will do a chargeback to the charities, which will have to return the money. In some cases, charities could be hit with penalties. At the very least, they will lose time and money in handling chargebacks.”

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In the past decade, however, with the rise of the internet as the predominant networking and business platform, social security numbers are being lifted from websites and emails by hackers and used maliciously, most often to start and subsequently max out lines of credit, along with other similar financial crimes.

Ordinary consumers have learned to take precautions when browsing the web, and to go to great lengths to protect their identity, but it has recently come to light that members of the military — the same people who serve and protect us at home and overseas — are at a much greater risk for being the victims of identity fraud.

The military relies heavily on the use of social security numbers to identify soldiers and administer their orders.  In fact, a soldier’s social security number has (in the past) been posted in public view, on ID cards, bunk bed assignments, laundry bags, and other kinds of personal property.

And soldiers who are overseas are even more vulnerable, as they don’t have regular access to their citizen accounts and have their highly sensitive information visible to the public.

One soldier, David Hernandez, was the victim of egregious fraud while he was stationed in Japan.  After his service term was over and he returned home, Hernandez received a billing notice for the repayment of a loan that he did not take out.  Furthermore, there were several outstanding arrest warrants in his name, as well as credit charges, medical bills, and other fraudulent accounts all opened in his name using his social security number.  Hernandez even owed back child support for children that were not his.

Another serviceman, Marine Cpl. Jacob Dissmore, returned home from Iraq to find that his information had been used to open credit card accounts, start a business, and even buy a home while he was deployed.

For members of the military, especially those that are deployed or are about to be deployed, it is crucial that more strict precautionary measures are taken to protect personal information, so that they aren’t victims of fraud while they are away.

Soldiers who are deployed and have had their identities stolen, and even soldiers who haven’t had their identities stolen, should follow these steps to reclaim and protect their information:

1. Enroll in an online banking program.  Online banks provide access to account information from anywhere in the world, giving deployed soldiers the opportunity to monitor activity frequently, even while away.  And once enrolled, accounts need to be monitored weekly or monthly, either by a relative or by the soldier herself.  This will help reduce further damage and prevent more fraud.
2. Place an active duty alert on your credit report and inform your banks of your deployment date and term.  An active duty alert will let creditors know that you are serving overseas and that you are unlikely to be applying for loans or credits cards.  Three bureaus keep a close watch on your credit activity, and will be able to note suspicious activity if you are serving overseas.  If you have already been the victim of fraud, contact the credit bureaus immediately and tell them you are serving.  All it takes to activate an active duty alert is a letter to each of the three credit bureaus with copies of your driver’s license, Social Security card, military ID, orders of deployment, and proof of your home address.  In the letter state that you would like to activate an active duty fraud alert on your credit report.
3. Grant a close friend or family member power of attorney to handle your financial affairs.  This can be a great solution because it relieves active duty military members of the burden of monitoring their finances, but can also be risky because the entire responsibility is placed on someone else, so that person must be absolutely trustworthy.
4. Sign up for identity theft protection.  Almost every major bank offers identity theft protection now, and there are even third party businesses that you can pay to monitor your credit and finances for suspicious activity.
5. Hold or forward your mail, so that it isn’t intercepted.  A common problem for military men and women serving abroad is that their mail is scattered and lost in delivery, or intercepted by thieves and used to commit fraud.  Have all of your mail held or forwarded to the same place, and eliminate the risk.

Identity fraud is a serious offense, and it is a sad reality that military members are the most vulnerable to attacks.  But with a little effort, you can help to protect your information and reduce the odds of being a victim.

This is a guest post from Jacelyn Thomas. Jacelyn writes about identity theft prevention for IdentityTheft.net. She can be reached at: jacelyn.thomas @ gmail.com.

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The Washington Post and Bloomberg reports that a European hacker online name “Poxxie” obtained over 1,400 credit card numbers with all their information including expiration codes, security codes, names and address of the credit card holders and then sold them on his online store CVVs.in. Ironically, he claims that his sales are so popular because he is honest and that underworld buyers have come to trust the “quality of his goods.”  Unfortunately his site registered in India, making it even that much more difficult to catch cyber thieves in “the act.”

Just like any other online site from Amazon to eBay shoppers can sort and shop online, sorting and finding the “goods” they want by bank card, type, credit limit and even zip code. (My question is how do they pay for it, I wouldn’t trust an online credit card transaction, these are thieves and fraudsters after all.)

Here’s a few interesting facts from the article:

“Symantec Corp., the cybersecurity firm, estimates that cyberthieves steal data worth $114 billion a year. By comparison, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the take from all bank robberies in the U.S. in 2010 was just $43 million. The global market in cocaine is an estimated $85 billion, according to the United Nations.” (Emphasis added)

“Cybergangs, mainly in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, are making money that rivals some drug cartels,” said Richard Clarke, former special adviser on cybersecurity to U.S. President George W. Bush, at an October conference on network security. “There is frankly nothing the FBI and Secret Service can do about it.”

“The stance we take is looking at it through the lens of organized crime,” he (Eric Strom, an FBI special agent) said. It took the better part of the 1980s and early 1990s for federal authorities to understand and begin to dismantle the U.S. mafia: develop investigative capacity, penetrate complex enterprises, pass new laws. It will take time with global cybercrime as well, Strom said.

“We’re trying to keep pace with how the crime is evolving,” he said.

Online theft has become easier and easier as hackers become smarter, malware becomes easier to obtain and chat rooms can teach you what you need to know to become the most experienced hacker.

“The problem is getting worse faster than we’re getting better,” said Tony Sager, chief operating officer of the Information Assurance Directorate at the National Security Agency, which includes some of the U.S. government’s best cyberexperts. “We’re not keeping pace.”

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Avoid seeing red after starting your holiday season shopping on Black Friday. Before you head out to the stores make sure you clean out your wallet.  Yes, that’s right.  Take only the credit or debit card that you plan on using and your Driver’s License.   It only takes a minute to lift your wallet or purse from your shopping cart or back pocket and the more you have in there, the more you have to loose.

Make a list and check it twice. Store your credit cards and other financial information in a safe place.  Make copies of those cards that you are carrying with you and be sure to attach contact information to your copies.   This way if something does go wrong, you have all the information you need to start making it right.

Don’t be snowed under by requests for your information. Whether it is a pretending to be a non-profit agency or a “seller” of the latest and greatest tech gadgets that everyone must have, don’t supply your credit or debit card, checking or savings information over the phone or over the Internet.  Identity thieves and credit card fraudster know what you want this holiday season, and they want it too.  They just want you to pay for it.

Wrap up those receipts. Save your receipts.  Not forever, but at least until you are sure that what you are saving and spending all adds up on your next bank or credit card statement.  You never know when someone may “charge” right in there and buy their own Christmas presents using your money.

Santa’s helpers work from home.  With the holidays many of us are looking for ways to make a few dollars more.  Watch out for work from home opportunities that request your credit card information or other payment upfront.   Unfortunately your glee may turn into gag when your so called registration fee, registers nothing but your credit card as stolen.

Wi-Fi roasting by an open fire.   As you make your travels using your netbooks and iPads and enjoy free Wi-Fi services remember that there is nothing “warming” about having your information and identity stolen.   Never, connect to a computer to computer network.

Pop goes the scam.   Don’t you hate those pop ups on your computer and flash “You are our 100^th winner!”  Not only are they ugly and annoying, but quite often they are also a scam, especially targeted to teens and tweens.  With just a few simple text or key strokes they think they are going to win a free (insert hot tech gadget here).  Typing or texting, it all means the same thing.  Make sure you know what and who you are dealing with before you ring a ling a ling.

Free is not all it is cracked up to be.   Trust me I am the first person in the world to admit that before I purchase anything or head to any store I look for a coupon.  After all every penny counts right?  Fraudulent coupons pop up even more frequently on the Internet during the holiday season.  Make sure it’s a valid coupon before you start clipping and avoid falling for freebie frauds.

Play it Safe.  Shop from retailers that you are familiar with.

Check out those charities.  Use Charity Navigator to check out any charity before you start to hand over your dough or offer up some toys to be nice.   Unfortunately there are far too many  others out there on the naughty list.

Season’s Greetings!  E-cards are great fun.  They save time, money and expense.  They can do so many more things than a simply mailed can do, and I don’t just mean the animations and songs.   E-cards coming from your great aunt Emily who is 84 and doesn’t use the Internet, some Jane Smith or Dora Doe, or that have misspellings in them are quite possibly spam or scams.    Be careful opening a virtual present or card to make sure it doesn’t leave your computer in real life broke.

Avoid the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas” with these simple reminders and tips of the most common holiday scams that may try to snow you under.

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