07.07.08
Posted in Children's ID Theft at 10:30 pm by CreditMom
This week there has been much in the press about Facebook applications potentially leading to identity theft. Any one that has a Facebook account has seen the countless applications that are extremely popular with kids and adults alike. There’s movie compatability quizzes, brain games, send a friend a cupcake and many many more. I know my 14 year old can rattle off much more than I can and it seems every day he has loaded a new application (I know this because yes, I do openly monitor his Facebook).
Today I read this article from http://wbaltv.com regarding a game called “Mob Wars” that is an application on Facebook. You need to be 18 to play but of course any kid knows it’s pretty simple to lie about their age. Basically the player is a mob member and commits a variety of crimes. In order to get points the player clicks on a Godfather icon that leads him/her to a series of sketchy advertisements ranging from drug offers, adult magazines and credit applications that require a social security number. Many kids don’t know any better and input their social security number, subjecting them to ID theft.
The games are 3rd party web sites and not associated with Facebook but does the average kid know that and if so, would he/she even care? I feel Facebook does have responsibility to screen these applications since a major portion of their members are minors. In fact according to comScore Media Metrix the number of Facebook members between age 12 and 17 increased by 149% in 2007 vs. 2006. This age group is the largest growing segment and it does not include the amount of kids that lie about their age to place them in the 18+ bucket.
Do you feel Facebook should have stricter screening policies, is it the parent’s role or both? Would love to hear your thoughts.
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06.13.08
Posted in Credit Cards at 1:01 pm by CreditMom
I grew up in the city so I always considered myself to be pretty savvy…well not this time when I found I was a victim of credit card theft. About a year or so ago, I received my American Express statement and noticed strange charges. I live in New York and was pretty certain I hadn’t traveled to Houston within the past month (nor did I notice the hubby missing for a few days!) yet there were multiple charges from JC Penney in Houston. I reported the charges to American Express immediately. They investigated the issue, credited the charges and determined that my credit card had been cloned. After jogging my memory I realized the only place this could have occurred was my local gas station, which had just temporarily closed to install new pumps (the ones that accept your credit card!).
What’s credit card cloning?
Credit card cloning or “skimming” is when your credit card information is duplicated onto a fake credit card.
How is it done?
It’s pretty simple. The credit card is swiped onto a small remote device about the size of a mobile phone. The credit card details are stored on the magnet strip. All of those details are transferred to the device which stores it in memory. After that the details are loaded onto a counterfeit card creating an exact duplicate of your credit card.
Where does this happen?
It’s common for this to occur in restaurants, bars and gas stations; basically any place where you hand your card to someone and it disappears for a short amount of time. So think about it – when you’re paying a restaurant check you typically hand your card to the waiter and you don’t see it until it comes back with the bill. Or, if you’re at a full self service gas station, you hand your credit card to the attendant and they go into the office to swipe it. It can also occur at ATM’s where people mount cameras that will record you inputting your PIN number. Often times it’s pretty blatant and done right in front of you.
Take a look at this post from this video on youtube.com from nextdaycreditcards.com. It’s amazing how simple this really is.
Credit card cloning is big business. You can protect yourself a few ways: Use only home base ATM machines, pay with cash at restaurants or use your credit card in restaurants that swipe the card right in front of you only . Also, only frequent gas stations with pumps that accept credit cards. Be wary if there are extra devices on an ATM machine because they could be cameras. Also, be careful if your card seems to get “stuck” in a machine and a bystander offers to “help” you out. Do NOT give them your PIN under any circumstances.
Will this prevent you from being a victim of credit card cloning or “skimming”? Absolutely not. Despite taking precautions and being constantly aware of your surroundings you must check your credit card statement carefully at least once a month. Also consider a credit report & alert service that provides a monthly credit report and will alert you if someone is accessing your credit history, trying to open up an account in your name or any other unusual activity.
And what do I do? I check my credit and debit card activity daily online. And since I have condensed all of my cards to one credit and one debit it takes just a few minutes and is well worth the time. What do you do to protect your credit/debit cards?
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05.30.08
Posted in Children's ID Theft at 12:51 am by CreditMom
This week, we may have been the victims of identity theft. We are having renovations done in our house which means there are unattended workers during the day. Last night, my 10 year old claimed to have “lost” his phone. Of course I reacted very calmly (NOT!…since it’s not even a month old) while we tore apart every inch of the house. Then, I noticed my Ipod missing from my night table. After that his twin brother noticed his Ipod missing from the computer where he had left it charging. Also missing was my old mobile phone that I left with my boys as a spare.
Of course my first reaction was to blame the kids. After all, their room tends to look like gale force winds passed through it even on a good day so it’s no wonder something could get lost….but 4 things in a row? Something wasn’t right. Well, I’ll never be 100% sure if one of the workers actually stole the items or whether they’ll turn up in a sock drawer, the dog’s crate or even the plumbing for the toilet but what I do know is lost or stolen, there was a ton of personal information on those phones.
So what was on my phone? To start, about 80 or so contact ID’s: names, phone numbers, photo ID’s and email addresses. In addition to that was my call history and uncleared text messages. It gets even better - I thought I was pretty slick and input all of my rewards point programs and passwords into my notepad - wait, it still gets better….I input all of the combination lock codes into the notepad as well. Want a bike? The code is there. My son input his 2 locker numbers and combination codes into his phone. Then there are the pictures…all with clearly labeled file names. Any one can tie the picture back to the contact list. It goes on and on.
As I write this I am beginning to feel more and more violated. If someone wants to they could pretty much piece my family’s life together. Imagine if it was a blackberry? People store physical addresses, activate auto logins to their emails, bank accounts, etc. It’s just endless and we wonder how we become victims of Identity Theft!
Has this ever happened to you? What did you learn from it and how do we protect ourselves and our families?
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05.25.08
Posted in Children's ID Theft at 7:39 am by CreditMom
I have to admit, children’s Identity theft has never been top of mind for me. In fact, when it comes to children related theft the first things that come to my mind are lockers broken into or stolen bicycles. But, kids and ID theft seem to be making the forefront of the news lately.
According to the FTC, 400,000 kids per year have their identity stolen. Who would steal a child’s ID and how would we even know it’s stolen? Unfortunately kids are the best targets for identity theft because their credit is completely clean. A care taker, relative or even a parent is typically the culprit. What’s worse is most times a child doesn’t even know their ID is stolen until they apply for their first car loan or credit card or even a student loan for college. By that time, they might have multiple credit cards with credit lines in the thousands of dollars and they might also be in major debt.
A few tips:
- Don’t carry any social security cards with you
- Beware if your child begins to receive pre approved credit card applications in the mail or cannot open up a checking or savings account
- Also beware if your child is denied car insurance or drivers license renewal
- Teach your kids not to give out their social security number to anyone without your approval and be especially aware of phishing type emails on the internet
So the next time my kids leave the house do I need to make sure they lock up their ID’s as well as their bikes? Has any one’s child ever been the victim of identity theft? Could you please share your experiences and what you have learned so others may take precaution?
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