Michael Finney's Consumer Blog

Scam alert! Never trust an email

Scam Alert! Now you can't even trust an e-mail from the BBB. Con men are sending out fake BBB notices and complaints. Of course, they eventually want information or money. So, as with any other organization or business, never trust an email.

How to protect your identity if you are moving

Summer is a big time for moving. Families move across the country, singles across town and students off to college. We all make big check lists on what not to forget. Here’s something that most lists don’t include: ID Protection.  When moving, you will come across a lot of paperwork, don’t throw it away, shred it. And what you don’t shred, take with you. Don’t pack important papers, keep them with you.

Do a background check on yourself

Amazing! Just what “they” know about you.  Here’s how to do a background check on yourself.

>>Details on background checks at Consumerist.com

The truth behind LifeLock?

LifeLock, ID Theft company, sure promised a lot… the government says too much. Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. said today, "LifeLock sold Californians a false sense of security.”  Brown says a settlement has been reached, "Today's settlement prevents the company from misrepresenting and overstating its services and reimburses LifeLock subscribers who were misled." LifeLock has agreed to pay $11 million in restitution to its subscribers. Over the next two weeks California LifeLock customers will receive letters explaining their rights.

Social media sites offer goldmine of personal info

Disturbing trend: Companies are reading your Twitter posts and compiling dossiers! Facebook and other social media are being mined. You are being profiled. Here’s how it works and steps to take to protect your privacy. 

Read the 7 On Your Side story

Valentine's Day scam: Flirt-bot

With Valentine’s Day coming up we all want a sweetheart. The ID thieves know that and have a secret weapon: Flirt-bot. PC Tools keeps track of these types of things and tells me the Flirt-bot is malicious software posing as an amorous woman/man. In back and forth exchanges, it ‘talks’ Lonely Hearts out of personal information, then goes one step further. It sends victims to a website where it says a credit card will prove they are old enough (18 years of age) to keep talking and to flirt online with a webcam. 

This website is where PC Tools says victims are sent.

LINK: pctools.com

Is your password really hacker-proof?

So you have selected a couple of passwords for your flickr and 401k log-ins. But will they protect you? Will they keep the bad guys away?

Check your password's strength here

5 tricks to picking a hacker-proof password

Passwords are often the only thing standing between you and snoops. So picking the right password for your online banking site, Facebook account or eBay is important stuff. Here are 5 rules that will protect your privacy.

Rule #1: Size matters. The longer the password, the harder it is to hack.

Rule #2: Don't use real words. That makes it too easy for smart hackers and their dictionary computer programs.

Rule #3: Add random numbers to any password selected.

Rule #4: Pick a song/book/movie title or favorite quote, then use the first letter of every word as your password.

Rule #5: Create a password for every account. Reusing a single password allows a code breaker total access to your online life.

New sites can prevent identity theft

Is your identity at risk? Two new websites help consumers keep track of their privacy and they do it for free. One site uses more than a billion pieces of information and compares and contrasts. Another site uses the same lists and information as the bad guys. You can check them both for free. Here is a video primer.

How identity thieves really get your information

Think identity thieves get your personal information by snooping around your computer?  Travelers insurance has been looking into this and says simple physical theft is five times more likely to result in ID fraud than malware and online snooping.

Travelers identifies the following as the top known causes of identity fraud:

•    78% - burglary and theft of wallet/purse/personal identification/computer
•    14% - online or data breach
•    5%  - change of address/postal fraud
•    3%  - lost credit card and other miscellaneous causes

The lesson here is remain vigilant in the real world, not just the virtual one: hang onto your valuables, watch your mail and shred important documents.