Identity Theft Expert Speaker John Sileo » CSIdentity

Identity Theives Don’t Take A Holiday

Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:15:44 +0000

The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the biggest shopping time of the year. As we enter the season of giving there is one thing we should be stingy with – protecting our Identities!

Holiday madness, crazed shoppers and packed malls. While we are bustling from store to store and internet site to internet site trying to complete everyone’s holiday list, thieves and scammers are taking our distraction as a signal to strike. According to the author of Privacy Means Profit and identity theft expert John Sileo, “This is the easiest time of year for thieves to steal wallets, break into houses and profit financially from the season of giving without victims detecting it for a long time.”

With just three weeks until Christmas, now is the time to protect yourself and make sure that your Identity is safe from potential thieves. Just last month, Sileo was hired to speak to the Department of Defense and included some of the most important Holiday Safety Prevention Tips:

* Don’t trust your email. There are so many holiday scams by email that you should read everything with an enormous grain of salt. If someone is promising you something for nothing (free gift, free money, etc.), don’t buy it.
* Protect your home. Your greatest risk during the busyness is all of the extra people that come into your home. It makes it very easy to pocket a check book that’s on your desk or a brokerage statement in your filing cabinet. Especially during the holidays, lock it up!
* Use your credit card. Don’t use checks and don’t use a debit card, as they don’t give you nearly as much protection.
* Carry less in your wallet. It is too easy to steal a purse that is sitting at your feet as you pay or have lunch. The very best advice is to take your drivers license and one or two credit cards with you shopping.
* Watch your statements. Most forms of holiday identity theft can be caught simply by monitoring your checking, debit and credit card accounts frequently. Even better, sign up for automatic account alerts when any transaction occurs on your account.
* Give yourself the gift of Identity Monitoring, like CSIdentity.com.
* Shop on secure websites. Make sure that both the https:// and lock symbols appear in your browser.
* Be cautious in public. Don’t give your credit card number (or Social Security Number) over the phone if someone is within earshot. Shield your PIN number when entering it at an ATM or card swipe.
* Donate to known charities and only when you have initiated the gift. Don’t respond to phone calls for charity.
* Rotate your credit cards. After the busy holiday shopping season is over, call your credit card company and ask them to issue you a new card (you can tell them that you are concerned that your credit card number was stolen).
* Don’t advertise travel plans to burglars on Social Networking sites.

Distraction is the worst enemy when it comes to crime and the holidays. In addition to spending more money, we tend to be busier, more stressed-out and less careful than other times of the year. Identity thieves take advantage of this distraction to perform information extraction.

Identity theft expert John Sileo speaks around the world on identity theft, privacy, social networking exposure, cyber crime, social engineering and other forms of information theft. His clients include the Department of Defense, Blue Cross, FDIC, Pfizer and hundreds of organizations of all sizes. Contact him directly on 800.258.8076 or at www.ThinkLikeASpy.com.

Identity Theft Prevention this Holiday Season

Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:15:34 +0000

AAA Hawaii’s Annual Holiday Season Travel and Shopping Poll of 250 local residents reveals that 76% plan to primarily shop this holiday with credit or debit cards. However, almost four in ten of surveyed shoppers have little or no concern about identity fraud happening to them this holiday shopping season! Identity theft is rampant throughout the holiday season. Over the past 3 years stolen data being used in less than one week jumped from 33% to 71%, meaning that they steal today and shop today. Identity thieves count on our lackadaisical attitude toward monitoring our wealth.

Not only does legitimate business pick up during the holiday season, but Identity theft and fraudulent Business seems to be on the rise as well. Especially during these hard economic times Identity thieves are on the prowl more than ever looking for a quick fix to their financial problems. It is just not possible to observe and ward off every threat to our identity. There will be documents that you forget to destroy or lock up, accounts that you won’t cancel, checks that you will mail, and waiters that will disappear with your credit card. It is not practical to think that we can cover every situation that threatens the safety of our identity. But we are not helpless in these situations.

Like an experienced spy, we have a solid backup plan. It is extremely important to monitor the key components of our identity especially during the Holidays. Over 50% of all Identity theft is self detected. Here are a few tips to stay safe and keep an eye out for Identity Fraud this Holiday Season:

Monitor Your Credit Report Look for any suspicious activity or unknown accounts. If you find anything new that you haven’t applied for contact the responsible financial institution immediately.

Credit Monitoring Services Services that companies like CSIdentity offer make it easy to ensure that fraudsters aren’t accessing your personal information, accounts, or credit. Allowing them to do it for you will put you more at ease this Holiday Season.

Sign up for Account Alerts This way you will know immediately if anyone is making fraudulent charges on your account.

Switch to Online Statements This way you can more easily access your accounts throughout the month rather than waiting until the end of the month for a statement.

John Sileo became America’s Top Identity Theft Speaker & Expert after he lost his business and more than $300,000 to identity theft and data breach. His clients include the Department of Defense, Pfizer and the FDIC. To learn more about bringing John to your next meeting or event, contact him directly on 800.258.8076.

Identity Monitoring Services

Identity Theft Expert John Sileo — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:35:43 +0000

CSIdentity Protector Tri-Bureau

Only 25% of identity theft can be detected by traditional credit report monitoring, which means that you need a more sophisticated service than the average offering (LifeLock). If you are time starved, convenience based or just simply want a comprehensive way to detect the inappropriate use of your data, you need to enlist an identity monitoring service. It’s similar to having someone monitor your home alarm system.

Here’s a bit of background. Traditional credit monitoring only detects a portion of identity theft. The remaining theft happens on non-credit loan activities (pay-day loans, etc), as part of public records (court cases, real estate transactions, government filings, etc.), over the internet (bought and sold on identity-for-sale sites), or in relation to medical or criminal records. It is important to monitor these forms of potential identity theft as well as your credit file. CSIdentity’s Protector Tri-Bureau product wins the award for Best-in-Class identity monitoring based on 7 criteria:

Convenience: It emails me any time a red flag appears, meaning that I don’t have to do any extra work to keep track of my identity;
Technical Excellence: The engine under their surveillance hood is superior, providing a deeper scan of risks and therefore a higher chance of detecting fraud;
Depth of Monitoring: The service monitors your credit report at all three credit reporting bureaus as well as scanning non-credit loans (pay-day check schemes);
Public Document Surveillance: It monitors your public records on the internet (court documents, govt filings, etc.) in case your information is published for any reason by the government;
Cyber-threat Detection: It combs the internet for the buying and selling of your individual identity to minimize your data being circulated through carder sites;
Restoration Services: It provides IN HOUSE restoration services if your identity is stolen, meaning that you aren’t dealing with a third party in the case of theft;
Industry Leadership: The executives at CSIdentity are some of the smartest people I have met, and have a proven track record of being honest, trustworthy thought leaders. I wouldn’t allow them access into my personal data if I didn’t completely trust them.

Here’s how it works. Rather than waste hours monitoring all of the different potential sources of identity theft myself, CSIdentity does it for me, automatically. In addition to 24/7 credit monitoring, pay-day loan fraud, public record monitoring and theft insurance and restoration services, their CyberAgent technology monitors the internet for instances of my identity being bought and sold online. Every month, a report shows up in my email inbox letting me know if there are any areas that I should be concerned about.

If you decide to try out CSIdentity’s Protector Tri-Bureau Monitoring, enter the promotion code CSIDFRIEND at the top of the screen (this gives you a $39 discount). I receive no money if you use this code – it only benefits you.

To reiterate, no matter what Identity Monitoring Service you end up using, they should provide the following tools:
•    3-in-1 Credit Monitoring
•   Court Record Monitoring
•   Public Record Monitoring
•   Non-credit loan monitoring
•   Internet Surveillance
•   Sex Offender Reports
•   Identity Theft Insurance
•   Identity Theft Restoration Services performed in-house

Discover and Recover Quickly from Identity Theft in 2010

Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:00:22 +0000

Since you can’t protect yourself 100% from identity theft, make sure that you Monitor the Signs! Heading into a new year people make many resolutions that they may or make not stick with, but protecting your identity should always be a top priority. Here are 3 effective tips to help discover and recover quickly if you become the victim of identity theft:

Create a Dossier – A dossier is a collection of documents that are stored in a fire-safe and that you regularly review and update. It is a paper summary of your identity as the outside world sees it (businesses, organizations and governments). It is made up of several key documents: your credit report, bank and credit card statements, Social Security statement, wallet photocopies and your password list. Virtually any of your vital documents could be included in your dossier as well (birth certificates, marriage licenses, etc.). A dossier is a place where you can quickly access a complete record of your vital information in case your identity is stolen and you will have the necessary account and phone numbers at hand to cancel credit cards, bank accounts and to file credit disputes. And you can do it quickly.
Order and Monitor Your Credit Report and Set up regular calendar reminders every 4 months for your next Credit Report. A credit report is a historical record of how you pay off money you borrow from others. There are currently three main credit bureaus in the United States—Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Credit bureaus track your credit history, generate credit scores and produce credit reports—all for sale to other businesses. If you own a home, have a credit card, lease a car, or apply for or use credit of any sort, this information is reported to one, two or all three of these credit bureaus. In addition, they collect information on how timely you pay your bills, how often you are tardy, how frequently your credit is checked by companies and any changes of address, employment, or personal information. By monitoring these reports closely, you will know when someone else is using your credit file to their benefit. If an identity thief opens a new credit card or loan on your Social Security number, you will see it on your report. The quicker you spot the problem, the less trouble it will cause. You can also sign up for an Identity Monitoring Service (CSIdentity has many great options) and Identity Theft Insurance.
Set up Account Alerts bank, credit card and investment accounts and make sure you check your monthly statements for any suspicious activity. Account alerts automatically notify you by email or text message (to your cell phone) when a transaction is made on your account. For example, if you make a purchase on your credit card, it will automatically send you an alert detailing how much was spent, where you spent it, and on what date. They will also alert you when a payment is due or is not received on time or when private information is changed on the account (often a sign of fraud). Alerts are a simple way to keep track of credit card usage, bank transfers, low account balances, investment moves and a handful of other helpful tasks without doing any extra work.

These 3 simple changes make a world of difference when it comes to protecting your Identity. Early detection will save you time and money in the long run. Make it a priority to protect your identity in 2010 for a safe, successful and headache free year!

John Sileo became America’s leading Identity Theft Speaker & Expert after he lost his business and more than $300,000 to identity theft and data breach. His clients include the Department of Defense, Pfizer and the FDIC. To learn more about having him speak at your next meeting or conference, contact him by email or on 800.258.8076.

LifeLock Identity Monitoring a Fraud?

Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:54:44 +0000

I’ve never been a big fan of LifeLock. You can easily implement most of what this identity theft protection service offers by doing it for yourself – for free (see the identity theft tool box). It appears that Ron Lieber of the New York Times is also questioning the validity of this identity monitoring service (along with many other industry experts, journalists and class action lawyers). But all services are not created equal.

In fact, there are tangible identity protection benefits delivered by many of these services. Having researched many of them, I settled on CSIdentity for my personal use because of the “engine underneath it’s hood”. Unlike LifeLock, it provides a portfolio of monitoring tools: credit reports, pay-day loan fraud detection, public records, illegal cyber-trafficking of your personally identifying information, etc. It also offers insurance in case you get hit. For $10-12 a month, it actually allows you to monitor many aspects of your identity simply by checking your email (the email you if they detect a problem). No, I don’t make money when you sign up for their service, I use it because it works.

There are rumors going around that LifeLock might be adding some of this type of detection functionality to its product. Time will tell… that is, if they survive the onslaught of bad news that comes from advertising a car for sale that, at this point in time, doesn’t actually have an engine under their very shiny hood.

John Sileo
Identity Theft Expert and Speaker