The Smartcard Alliance has released an in-depth report called “Medical Identity Theft in Healthcare.”

While identity theft is a global issue that garners much media attention, most do not realize that medical identity theft is a serious and growing threat. Many authorities consider medical identity theft one of the fastest growing crimes in America. With the digital age of healthcare upon us, the risks are expected to increase as electronic medical records become more prevalent and the exchange of this data over expanding networks becomes more pervasive. Heightened concern over personal data security and privacy highlight the importance of having secure electronic medical identities.

According to a recent Ponemon Institute study, nearly 1.5 million Americans have been victims of medical identity theft with an estimated total cost of $28.6 billion–or approximately $20,000 per victim. [1] Further evidence of the significance of the medical fraud problem is the allocation of $1.7 billion for fraud detection in the 2011 U.S. Health and Human Services Department budget. [2] In 2009, 68 reported healthcare data breaches in the U.S. put over 11.3 million patient records at risk of exposure.

Patients whose medical identities are stolen face serious lingering effects. Fraudulent healthcare events can leave erroneous data in medical records. This erroneous information–like information about tests, diagnoses and procedures–can greatly affect future healthcare and insurance coverage and costs. Patients are often unaware of medical identity theft until a curious bill or a surprising line of questioning by a doctor exposes the issue. Then, the burden of proof is often with the patient and it can be difficult to get the patient’s legitimate medical records cleaned up. The consequences can also be life threatening and can lead to serious medical errors and fatalities.

Identity theft prevention services generally will not protect you from medical identity theft. However, if your information is out there on the Net and being scanned constantly by the identity theft protection service, then your risk is lowered. Furthermore, I’m all about layers of protection. If your identity is protected from new account fraud via credit monitoring or credit freezes then the thief may use another identity that has less restrictions.

1. Get a credit freeze and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing Medical Identity Theft on the CBS Early Show

First, there is no such thing as the “Municipal Water Disaster Department.” But in drenched communities home scammers are posing as inspectors and gaining access to people’s homes.

In one incident a man knocked on an older couple’s door asking to see their basement to check utilities for safety purposes. Once inside he told them he needed to go upstairs to check on something and they should remain downstairs. The couple remained in the basement waiting for instruction but after about 15 minutes they realized something was wrong. They went upstairs to find the man was gone and $7,500 had been taken from a safe and hundreds more stolen from elsewhere in the home.

This time of the year people are also doing their spring cleaning and home scammers are trying to clean you out too. Apparently chimney sweep and chimney repair is something to look out for. Someone knocking on your door looking to sweep your chimney may do the job, but may also find all kinds of unnecessary repairs that they will try to sell you. Don’t get me wrong here, if someone tells you your chimney needs repair, act on it, but first get a second opinion on it. And do it fast because a broken chimney is a severe health hazard.

Look for driveway repair home scams, phony landscapers, window washing scams, trash removal or clean out home scams. All I’m saying’ is you need to have your head up and pay attention to what’s going on out there. Scammers are using every possible event, holiday, season or tragedy to catch you with your guard down.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home invasions and home security on the Montel Williams Show.

Holding data hostage is sometimes done using “ransomware” Otherwise known as “ransom software.” The software gets on your PC as the result of you downloading an infected attachment or clicking the links in the body of an email. Sometimes you can get ransomware simply by visiting a website in what’s called a “drive-by.”

Once your PC is infected with ransomeware it locks down your files in a way that prevents you from accessing them and gives the bad guy full control of your machine. Sometimes the virus poses as a “ ]]> http://blog.protectyouridnow.org/2010/04/05/be-careful-your-pc-isn%e2%80%99t-held-for-ransom/feed/ 0 http://blog.protectyouridnow.org/2010/04/04/dumb-criminals-%e2%80%93-the-best-way-to-get-caught-call-911/ http://blog.protectyouridnow.org/2010/04/04/dumb-criminals-%e2%80%93-the-best-way-to-get-caught-call-911/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 03:59:07 +0000 Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano http://blog.protectyouridnow.org/?p=384 In Daytona Beach, Florida, the dumb criminal capital of America, two Florida teenagers are facing charges after breaking into cars. Apparently one teen’s phone was programmed to call 911 and the phone was smarter than the teens and called (maybe accidentally) 911 to inform law enforcement of the crimes taking place.

Dispatchers from the police department listened in at the duo discussing the cars they were breaking into and the stuff that was worth taking. Seems some info was given that directed law enforcement to the parking lot of a local nightclub where the teens were apprehended. Karma man karma.

Meanwhile, another Cro-Magnon Mickey-the-dunce in Utah stole 2 phones from a convenience store. In the process he left a piece of paper with an address he was going to. So now cops had a lead. But it gets better. The store clerk reported the theft and gave a description of the man to police.

Moments later as Mickey was driving and looking for the address, he pulled over to ask a cop for directions. Immediately the cop recognized the address and the dunces description and arrested him. Karma man karma.

And in an amazing criminal history that spans 55 years, an 80-year-old woman, known as the “Beverly Hills Burglar,” gets three years for breaking into a medical building. Her rap sheet was well known in Beverly Hills as she’s been to the clink in the past. She was quoted saying “I’m 80 years old,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll ever come back – except I’m going to die and be in the morgue.”

That’s amazing and sad all at the same time.

Lock up. Don’t be victimized. And don’t be dumb.

Home Safety Tips:

1. Install outdoor lighting on timers and motion sensors.

2. Make sure your home has a “lived in” look.

3. Use indoor timers for lights, TVs and automatic shades.

4. Install security cameras that can be remotely monitored.

5. Install a home alarm system monitored by an alarm company and the police.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover.

There’s a lot of excessive trust in the Facebook world. People have entirely dropped their sense of cynicism when logged on. They have no reason to distrust. People who are your “Friends” are generally those who you “know, like and trust.” In this world, your guard is as down as it will ever be. You are in the safety of your own home or office hanging with people all over the world in big cities and little towns and never have to watch your back.

Reports of sex offenders on social media abound. Do you know who your child is befriending?

Many of the “strangers” came into my life as a result of what I do, and I appreciate and accept them for connecting. But I know plenty of other people who don’t write or do media and might be in college, and have 2000 friends! And they know 5 of them! Social media is weird.

Employers, potential employers and others will often friend someone for the sole purposes of getting a solid profile of that person to determine if they want to hire them. Now the AP reports “U.S. law enforcement agents are following the rest of the Internet world into popular social-networking services, going undercover with false online profiles to communicate with suspects and gather private information, according to an internal Justice Department document that offers a tantalizing glimpse of issues related to privacy and crime-fighting.”

I don’t think there is anything wrong with this; it’s a good thing actually. There is a question of legality and whether or not government agents can pose as someone else and lie, which often violates the terms and conditions of the sites themselves.

But the fact remains, there are bad people out there and they need looking after. And if it means an FBI agent posing as someone to catch the bad guy, I’m all for it. So next time you get a friend request from a stranger, they might be someone checking up on you. Guilty conscience? Hope not.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing social media security on Fox Boston.

The Wall Street Journal reports under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued an ID card with embedded information, such as fingerprints, to tie the card to the worker.

There are too many forms of identification floating around right now that lack standards and overall security. The Social Security card is currently our national identification card that’s not supposed to be used for identification. From a NY Times article from 1998 it states: WASHINGTON— FOR many years, Social Security cards carried an admonition that they were to be used ”for Social Security and tax purposes — not for identification.” That assurance rings hollow today. Congress has authorized so many uses of the nine-digit number, and Americans use it for so many unauthorized purposes, that it has just about become a national identifier. Today your social is connected to everything.

Security Management reports that all workers and mariners attempting to access secure maritime and port areas nationwide will have to flash a government-approved Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), which includes a biometric identification card before entry. HSPD-12, or Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, set universal identification standards for federal employees and contractors, streamlining access to buildings and computer networks. Then there is old and new versions of the passport, as many as 200 forms of ID circulating from state to state, plus another 14,000 birth certificates and 49 versions of the Social Security card.

Government has tried hard to create identification that will once and for all standardize the process under the REAL ID Act which is most likely going to be squashed under Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano who is proposing the repeal of the Real ID Act.

“A person familiar with the legislative planning said the biometric data would likely be either fingerprints or a scan of the veins in the top of the hand. It would be required of all workers, including teenagers, but would be phased in, with current workers needing to obtain the card only when they next changed jobs, the person said.”

Many oppose biometrics and New Hampshire has even proposed legislation against it. My money is on biometrics creeping into our lives in the form of a national ID. Like it or not biometrics are coming.

Meanwhile, until there is assigned accountability, which means nobody can pose as you and work as you and open new accounts as you, protect your identity.

Get a credit freeze and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated and check out my spyware killer IDTheftSecurty HERE

With your iPhone get my book as an App or go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.

Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing Social Security numbers on Fox News

Today, copy machines, fax machines and many printers are just like computers; they’re smart and they have hard drives or flash drives and can store data that can be extracted. Peripherals in the olden days, just like when dot-com was a significant part of a person’s stock portfolio, were dumb.

Because of the increased demand of networked technologies, manufacturers of all these peripherals met the demand and built them so they can be easily accessed by everyone in the office. These same peripherals are often wireless too.

The issue here is that these devices, sometimes, but aren’t always treated with the same considerations as a computer would have. PCs are often locked down, access is limited and the data might be encrypted. Worse, when someone upgrades to a new PC, the old PC’s data is supposed to be removed, reformatted etc. This procedure is often overlooked on a copier/printer/fax.

Consider what kind of data is copied at your doctors, banks, mortgage broker and accountants office. Generally, there might be personal identifying information that can be used to create a new accounts or take over exiting accounts.

Where do old peripherals go? Many of them head to warehouses to be resold. Others end up on eBay. A quick search on eBay results in 7845 copiers for sale and 1130 used ones. If I can buy an ATM off Craigslist with over 1000 credit and debit card numbers on it, how much data do you think we can get from used copiers?

All the more reason to protect your identity.

1. Get a credit freeze and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated and check out my spyware killer IDTheftSecurty HERE

3. With your iPhone get my book as an App or go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.

4. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing copy machine scams on CBS Boston

Today is a little different. It’s not so easy to peel back the laminate. Most cards today are treated plastics, PVC, styrene, polypropylene, direct thermal, and teslin hybrids. However, while all that sounds technically challenging, it’s really not. Some of the do-it-yourself ID making machines are the size of a shoebox. It is however a tad more complicated than that. Sure you can go to your local office supply and buy ID making materials or simply buy fake IDs online, but will they pass the muster when put in front of numerous technologies that look for tampering?

That’s where the $10,000 Fake ID comes in. In New York authorities busted an identity theft ring and charged 22 people with selling drivers’ licenses and other identification documents.

“Among those implicated in the ring are two New York State Department of Motor Vehicles employees, who are believed to have earned over a $1 million dollars issuing more than 200 licenses and other documents over the past three years. The alleged ring leader of the group was identified as Wilch Dewalt, also known as “Sharrief Sabazz Muhammad” and “License Man.” Authorities say he acted as a broker who, in exchange for a fee of between $7,000 and $10,000 served as a one-stop shop for fraudulent documents.”

In this case the clients who were dropping 10G on ID’s were people who were hiding from the law in plain site, including felons, a drug dealer whose claim to fame was once a cameo on America’s Most Wanted and someone from the governments ‘No Fly List.” These were people that, A: could afford it and B: needed the best of the best in real fake identification.

In the meantime, identity theft is again the top 2009 consumer complaint, the FTC reported. The FTC had reports of 1.3 million. The number of American identity fraud victims rose 12% last year to 11.1 million, with losses hitting $54 billion, according to an annual report from Javelin Strategy & Research.

Protect your financial identity.

1. Get a credit freeze and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated and check out my spyware killer IDTheftSecurty HERE

3. With your iPhone get my book as an App or go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.

4. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Dan Yost Chief Technology Officer of MyLaptopGPS brought attention to the Ponemon Institute, with sponsorship from PGP, has released their “Fifth Annual U.S. Cost of Data Breach Study.” As usual, the report is a treasure trove of great data (just like most people’s laptops are).

The average cost per breached data record rose $2 in 2009, to $204. That’s actually not too bad. The average cost of a breach was $6.75 million, compared to $6.65 million in 2008.

PC World has a good article to summarize, and thanks to lyger at DataLossDB for the pointer.

Not very many businesses are taking serious note of the fact that, on average, they have $6.75 million laptops walking around out there. For those who are, our hats are off.

Here’s an interesting excerpt:

“Overall, 42% of all cases in the Ponemon data-breach study involved third-party mistakes and flubs. In addition, more than 82% of the cases in the Ponemon study were organizations that had more than one data breach in 2009 involving the loss or theft of more than 1,000 records containing personal information. At about 40% of the companies that participated in the study, the chief information security officer (CISO) was in charge of managing the response related to the data breach.”

And how about the maximum data breach cost in the study? $31 million.

That’s a rather expensive laptop, and probably worth a few dollars to protect instead. (Note: the breach may actually have been the result of something other than a lost/stolen laptop, such as a network break-in).

The least expensive breach? $750,000. That beats $31 million, but $750k is still a pretty penny to pay, compared to protection.

Many thanks to Ponemon and PGP for another excellent study.

Protect your identity.

1. Get a credit freeze. Click on the preceding link and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated and check out my spyware killer IDTheftSecurty HERE

3. Go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.

4. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing laptop security on The Today Show

Chip and PIN is the name of a government-backed initiative in the United Kingdom to implement the EMV standard for secure payments.

There have been rumblings from Europe over the past year about American based credit cards that solely rely on the magnetic strip not being accepted in the future due to security issues. Australia recently stated they were getting rid of all magnetic strip based cards and going Chip and PIN within the next few years.

Meanwhile ZDNet reports “Researchers at Cambridge University have found a fundamental flaw in the EMV — Europay, MasterCard, Visa — protocol that underlies chip-and-PIN validation for debit and credit cards. As a consequence, a device can be created to modify and intercept communications between a card and a point-of-sale terminal, and fool the terminal into accepting that a PIN verification has succeeded.

“Chip and PIN is fundamentally broken,” Professor Ross Anderson of Cambridge University told ZDNet UK. “Banks and merchants rely on the words ‘Verified by PIN’ on receipts, but they don’t mean anything.”

This new research has shown that a PIN still needs to be entered, but any PIN code would be accepted. That’s not good. The researchers who cracked the code stated that the ability for the badguy to do this in the future is probable due to the fact that the attack itself is “elementary”. That’s got to warm the cockles of organized crime.

The US has not adopted CHIP and PIN and many argue it is due to the costs involved. With 213 million cardholders and 1.2 billion credit cards in the U.S., there’s no shortage of opportunity for carders to maintain their current pace. However, an investment in a flawed technology isn’t wise.

You can’t protect yourself from these types of scams. However, by paying attention to your statements and refuting any unauthorized transactions within 60 days, you can recover your losses. When using any POS or ATM, pay close attention to details, and look for anything that seems out of place. If your card gets stuck in the machine or you notice anything odd about the appearance of the machine, such as wires, or error messages, don’t use it.

Protect your identity.

1. Get a credit freeze. Click on the preceding link and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated and check out my spyware killer IDTheftSecurty HERE

3. Go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.

4. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing ATM skimming on NBC Boston