Identity Theft Blog at Identity Theft Secrets http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/ Want to see a Blog about how Identity Theft really works? en Copyright 2009 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:41:26 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Applicable to identity theft victims? Psychologist says Yes. The American Psychiatric Association has not formally recognized the symptoms of being a victim of identity theft as meeting the standards for a PTSD diagnosis, but some psychiatrists believe that the symptoms are quite similar. The Identity Theft Recovery Center, the first organization to study the emotional impact of identity theft on victims, found that victims of identity theft suffer from symptoms resembling the symptoms of PTSD.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-applicable-to-ident.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-applicable-to-ident.html Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:41:26 -0700 Golden Cash Network Uses Bots and Zombies to Steal Data Many of us have heard of the terms "cash cow," "Midas touch," and there is also the mythical goose that laid the golden eggs, but have you heard of a "Golden Cash Network?" You may think this is a new form of ATM machine but it is really a shopping mall for those looking for a quick and easy way to steal information, data and expand their spamming efforts through the use of bots and Trojans that make their way onto just about anyone's computer.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/golden-cash-network-uses-bots-and-zombies-to-steal.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/golden-cash-network-uses-bots-and-zombies-to-steal.html Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:32:14 -0700 My Purse was Stolen. Is My Identity Next? Ten steps everyone should know to protect themselves from identity theft, credit card fraud, medical identity theft and additional crimes after their wallet or purse is stolen.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/my-purse-was-stolen-is-my-identity-next.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/my-purse-was-stolen-is-my-identity-next.html Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:26:38 -0700 CivilRecords.org Provides More Finding information about an individual's personal life and wheareabouts used to be next to impossible. Even something as simple as verification of birthdates required a special visit to a government office or a trip to the hospital where the birth occurred. There were few other avenues available, and the necessary work to confirm these records led many to abandon the goal alltogether.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/civilrecordsorg-provides-more.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/civilrecordsorg-provides-more.html Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:23:09 -0700 Identity Theft Victims: Who's Your Daddy? Sometimes the identity thief isn't just hacked into your computer but is actually hooked into your family circle. Sometimes it's even dear old Dad, or Grandpa. Find out about this father who will be winning no awards this Father's Day.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/identity-theft-victims-whos-your-daddy.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/identity-theft-victims-whos-your-daddy.html Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:29:29 -0700 Getting Pumped by ATM Fraud at Your Gas Station The latest and greatest round of ATM fraud in the United States and abroad. Find out how ATM fraud happens and what you can do to about it.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/getting-pumped-by-atm-fraud-at-your-gas-station.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/getting-pumped-by-atm-fraud-at-your-gas-station.html Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:43:56 -0700 In Identity Theft News This Week: Verizon Phishing Scams and Supreme Court Decisions http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/in-identity-theft-news-this-week-verizon-phishing.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/in-identity-theft-news-this-week-verizon-phishing.html Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:37:11 -0700 GPS Tracking without a Warrant? A Court of Appeals Judge says Yes. Do you use a GPS system? Have you activated it on your cell phone in case of emergencies? Maybe you use OnStar or other navigation systems for your car. Well, guess what, the police are using GPS too, and the next time they use it, it could be on you.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/gps-tracking-without-a-warrant-a-court-of-appeals.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/gps-tracking-without-a-warrant-a-court-of-appeals.html Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:31:04 -0700 Facebook, Twitter and Me: Under Attack by Scams and Phishing It's been a busy week for me, between work, home, two sick children and the upcoming summer break from school for my older children. But what made it even more busy was the need for more vigilance as my Facebook, Twitter and email accounts came under attack of phishing schemes and scams. Find out how my week went and scams you should know about if you use these social networking sites.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/facebook-twitter-and-me-under-attack-by-scams.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/facebook-twitter-and-me-under-attack-by-scams.html Sat, 30 May 2009 21:42:59 -0700 Get Court Records Fast and Easy CourtRecords.org is used and endorsed by private investigators. You can do your own private investigation today right at your own computer.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/get-court-records-fast-and-easy.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/get-court-records-fast-and-easy.html Tue, 26 May 2009 09:12:38 -0700 Cell Phone Tapping: The Scary Truth about this Techno Crime It sounds like some kind of high-tech cyber stuff right out of Ocean's Eleven except it's very real. Tracking, eavesdropping, viewing text messages are all possible with versions of cell phone spy ware that make identity theft as well as cyber stalking possible.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/cell-phone-tapping-the-scary-truth-about-this-tech.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/cell-phone-tapping-the-scary-truth-about-this-tech.html Thu, 21 May 2009 11:08:23 -0700 $20 Million Settlement for Identity Theft Risk If you can't trust your government who can you trust? Find out about this settlement and if you or someone you know is entitled to any part of it.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/20-million-settlement-for-identity-theft-risk.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/20-million-settlement-for-identity-theft-risk.html Sun, 17 May 2009 09:15:31 -0700 Arrested and Charged with Identity Theft Mistakes We first brought you Former Wells Fargo Employee Arrested: An identity theft ring leader or Victim -- a few weeks ago. Find out what has happened since then to this grandmother and former Vice President for Wells Fargo.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/arrested_and_charged_with_identity_theft_mistakes.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/arrested_and_charged_with_identity_theft_mistakes.html Wed, 13 May 2009 10:29:50 -0700 Instant Background Report Available - Instantly Need to do a background check? Need it now? InstantBackgroundReport.com is the answer.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/instant-background-report-available-instantly.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/instant-background-report-available-instantly.html Sat, 09 May 2009 11:49:06 -0700 Identity Theft Pays for Tummy Tuck Medical identity theft normally occurs so that people can obtain medical care that is needed or prescription drugs but what about these women so desperate for plastic surgery they resort to credit card fraud and identity theft?

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/identity-theft-pays-for-tummy-tuck.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/identity-theft-pays-for-tummy-tuck.html Tue, 05 May 2009 11:04:19 -0700 Who's in your Zip Code? http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/whos-in-your-zip-code.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/whos-in-your-zip-code.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:53:37 -0700 Red Flag Rules to Protect Against Identity Theft Go in Effect May 1st Find out the who, what, when, where and how Red Flag rules work to protect you from identity theft.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/red-flag-rules-go-in-effect-may-1st.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/red-flag-rules-go-in-effect-may-1st.html Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:38:26 -0700 We Want Your Opinion You may be new to IdentityTheftSecrets, or you might have been with us now going on 5 years.

Either way, we really would like your help.

We are at a crossroads with the IdentityTheftSecrets.com, and need to know what direction to take it.

Identity Theft remains a huge problem, growing almost daily in size and complexity.

This crime is a major factor in all kinds of challenges currently facing the United States and other countries, including:

- International drug trade
- Meth addiction
- Ponzi schemes
- Child pornography
- Illegal immigration
- Bank insolvency (via massive fraud)
- And more

We want to continue to develop IdentityTheftSecrets into an incredible resource, and a unique source of information for everyone who visits the site.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/we_want_your_opinion.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/we_want_your_opinion.html Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:47:41 -0700 I've Been Hijacked, Again So, after 4 years or so of being error free and thinking I was protected (I do, after all run a web site devoted to teaching people how to protect themselves against Identity Theft), my laptop has been hijacked.

I thought other people might be interested in my process for getting rid of stuff from my computer. So I've included helpful links to the free software I use in this post.

Here's how my computer got hijacked:
"Hey Jonathan, you have a great web site. We've already linked to you from www.DorksWhoHijackedMyBrowser.com (not the actual address they used) and we'd like you to link back to us."

Well, I wanted to check out their site first (otherwise I'd be sending you along to junk that could infect your computer...)

So I clicked... landed on the web site, and WHAMMO!

Spybot Resident (free software I use in the background on my computer) starts going CRAZY and blocking tons of stuff that's trying to change my system registry.

I couldn't believe how quickly it happened, but with all the stuff hitting my computer at the same time, something got through. (Actually, a lot of stuff got through.)

So, I've run:
Spybot
CWShredder
Ad Aware
ComboFix

I've run ComboFix in SafeMode and Spybot in SafeMode.
I've downloaded Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool and gotten all the latest updates from Microsoft.

Every program has gotten rid of a variety of stuff running on my laptop, which is a good thing.

However, there's still something running.

I finally resulted to HiJackThis (NOTE: do not use unless you know what you're doing or will post to a web site where someone does know what they're doing), which I ran in normal mode, and then in safe mode.

There is a process I can't block or stop from running which I can't figure out.

The reason I know something is still running is because Internet Explorer and Firefox both take a LONG time to open, and about every 6th click on a search result from Google lands me on a page that's not actually what Google is showing.

I posted the HJT log to www.BleepingComputer.com, but so far no response to my post.

Here's what I've got:
4/14/2009 1:34:27 PM Allowed (based on user decision) value "{CFBFAE00-17A6-11D0-99CB-00C04FD64497}" (new data: "") added in Internet Explorer searches!
4/15/2009 12:33:20 AM Allowed (based on user decision) value "BootExecute" (new data: "autocheck autochk *
lsdelete
") changed in Session manager!

4/15/2009 9:53:14 AM Denied (based on user blacklist) value "Qbihasamoqixate" (new data: "rundll32.exe "C:\WINDOWS\ifizuhifucize.dll",e") added in System Startup global entry!

I denied the process for ifizuhifucize.dll, but it's running and I don't know how to block/remove it (or what it's doing).

Anyone have any suggestions?

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/ive-been-hijacked-again.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/ive-been-hijacked-again.html Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:19:57 -0700 Spend a Few Minutes at Government Registry.org, Not Hours at the Courthouse A day at the courthouse is nobody's idea of fun. There is an alternative that is a lot less painful and time consuming. Go to GovernmentRegistry.org.

]]> http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/spend-a-few-minutes-at-government-registryorg-not.html http://www.identitytheftsecrets.com/spend-a-few-minutes-at-government-registryorg-not.html Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:15:01 -0700