Blog / Privacy
IRS introducing truncation of SSN on some returns
Dec 5, 2009 by Tom Fragala
File this one under "About Time!" The IRS is going to test a program that will let filers on a few limited informational returns truncate their SSN. The IRS has released Notice 2009-93, announcing a pilot program allowing filers of...
Opt-out of CPNI sharing by Verizon Wireless
Jan 12, 2009 by Tom Fragala
The vast majority of us have mobile cell phones--here is a way to boost your privacy. Verizon Wireless is the largest provider by sheer number of accounts. Every year they, along with other carriers, send a privacy notice to its subscribers....
Privacy-friendly Search Engines
Jun 30, 2008 by Tom Fragala
Most of the leading search engines like Google, MSN, and Yahoo keep your search data for a long time; Google 18 months and Yahoo 13 months. There is an alternative for the privacy-conscious called Ixquick, which is based in Holland. It...
Alaska Law Loaded with Identity Theft Protections
Jun 13, 2008 by Tom Fragala
Alaska has a new identity theft law with protections including privacy of SSN's, credit freezes and data breach disclosures. Alaska’s HB 65 restricts the request, collection, sale, and sharing of Social Security numbers by both private parties and government agencies. The new...
ConsumerSay: Just Say No?
Apr 2, 2008 by Tom Fragala
Consumerist has a blog post about a service called ConsumerSay that pays you $20 to hand over a lot of sensitive personal information, including credit card accounts. They use this data to track your habits and understand consumer behavior and...
FTC reaches settlement with TJX
Mar 27, 2008 by Tom Fragala
So the settlement is that TJX has to submit to a total of 10 security audits over the course of 20 years. Which is something they would do anyway most likely. Now, the FTC has limited powers under the FTC...
Opting Out from Companies You Do Business With
Mar 2, 2008 by Tom Fragala
We've written a lot here about privacy and opting-out. One thing you may wonder about is: How do you opt-out from companies you do business with--to prevent them from soliciting you over and over? Well, you can opt-out, although it...
Privacy tip: AT&T opt-out from marketing
Feb 12, 2008 by Tom Fragala
Important privacy notice. If you are an AT&T customer (including Cingular Wireless), you may receive a letter like I did that says "ServiceGram" on it. Do not throw it away. It allows you to opt-out from AT&T sharing your customer...
Do Not Call List May be Permanent Soon
Feb 11, 2008 by Tom Fragala
Under the somewhat misleading title "Congress Makes 'Do Not Call' List Permanent", Consumer Affairs.com reports that Congress (House and Senate) have voted for a bill entitled the Do Not Call Improvement Act of 2007 and now it goes to the...
Data Security Breach Report by ITRC
Feb 7, 2008 by Tom Fragala
The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has released its 2007 Breach Report. They also maintain an ongoing 2008 Breach Report. In 2007, ITRC documented 448 paper and electronic breaches, potentially affecting more than 127 million records. This is a significant...
Disturbing: Texas schools give kids personal data to private company
Feb 4, 2008 by Tom Fragala
Came across this article in Dallas Morning News. The article refers to our child privacy tips in talking about a story of Texas schools giving kid's personal identifying information, including SSN, to a contractor, OZ Systems. But it underscores a...
British TV Star Foolishly Publishes Bank Account Number to Prove a Point
Jan 7, 2008 by Tom Fragala
Unfortunately for this twit, he proved the opposite point of what he was trying to. Here is what happened. Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of popular British TV show Top Gear, wanted to prove a point. There was recently a massive data...
Why You Should Be Careful Where You Shop Online
Jan 4, 2008 by Tom Fragala
The internet retailer you choose just might, without disclosure, install software on your computer to snoop on your web browsing. Brian Krebs at the Security Fix blog has this story. Would you believe it could be one of the country's...
Identity Theft Protection: Two Tips for the Holidays
Dec 16, 2007 by Tom Fragala
There are a lot of lists about identity theft flying around this time of year. 12 tips of Christmas, top 10 ways to protect yourself from identity theft...that kind of thing. Well, to save you time and keep things simple...
How Direct Marketers Get You to Opt-In After Opting Out
Oct 26, 2007 by Tom Fragala
The Wall Street Journal did a piece today on how direct marketers get around the do not call list (and other opt-outs like the DMA's direct mail marketing database). Basically a marketer sends out a mailing (a "reply card") with...
TJX Data Breach Was Far Worse - 96 Million Accounts
Oct 24, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Court documents disclose that 96 million Visa and Mastercard accounts (credit and debit) were “impacted” by the TJX data breach. Jaw-dropping numbers, almost hard to believe. I wonder what they mean by “impacted.” Despite TJX having reported some 46 million...
Opting-In After You Have Opted-Out
Oct 9, 2007 by Tom Fragala
You may recall my saga from a few months ago, where some of my banks accounts fell victim to fraud because two of my banks sent me convenience checks (which I never requested) on a home equity line and credit...
4 New ID Theft Prevention and Privacy Tools--With Free Trial
Sep 29, 2007 by Tom Fragala
This week we released a new version of our award-winning myTruston service. The new features are FREE to current members for a 45–day free trial period. These four new prevention and privacy services are: Credit bureau fraud alerts Chexsystems fraud alerts Stop...
8 Reasons Why TransUnion Offered Nationwide Credit Freezes
Sep 26, 2007 by Tom Fragala
I have yet to see a much analysis of the reasons for the surprise announcement that TransUnion is going to offer all 50 states and DC the ability to freeze their credit file. Apparently, few saw the TransUnion move coming....
Credit Bureau TransUnion Offers Nationwide Credit Freeze
Sep 18, 2007 by Tom Fragala
TransUnion issued a press release that appears to be a bombshell. Still waiting to learn more about this. They are offering consumers in all 50 states and DC the ability to lock or freeze their credit file. Just how “frozen” it...
Another Database You Don't Know About
Jul 25, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
Here’s some good advice from Clark Howard on yet another database that keeps records on you related to your auto and homeowners’ insurance. According to Clark’s tip, it is called the C.L.U.E. report and you should check what yours says...
Credit Freeze Now Available in D.C.
Jul 2, 2007 by Tom Fragala
As reported in Brian Krebs’ Security Fix blog Residents of the District of Columbia now have the right to "freeze" their credit reports as a way to ward off identity thieves. As of July 1, people living in the nation's...
Synthetic Identity Theft
Jun 29, 2007 by Tom Fragala
We have blogged about this before and inside the industry this term is getting a lot of play. The mainstream media is starting to pick up on synthetic ID theft. Simply put, it means an imposter uses different parts of...
Credit Report: What is It?
Jun 28, 2007 by Tom Fragala
You may have heard different, perhaps confusing terms and definitions for a credit report. The three credit reporting companies, through their web site annualcreditreport.com define it this way: A credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report, provides you with...
Congressional Hearing on Disputing Inaccurate Data
Jun 25, 2007 by Tom Fragala
I got this from Mark Enderle the other day: By the way, you might be interested to know that the House Financial Services Committee had a hearing 2 days ago examining “Consumers’ Ability to Dispute & Change Inaccurate Information.” …I...
Do You Think Caller ID Always Blocks Your Number?
Jun 16, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Think again. It’s laughably easy to get your phone number if you have outgoing Caller ID blocked. I’m not talking about tricks, taps or illegal means. Toll-free number (800, 877, 866, 888) subscribers with Automatic Number Identification (ANI) included can capture and...
Oops! Medical Center Exposes Patients to Identity Theft (Again)
May 31, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) sent donation solicitation letters to thousands of its former patients. Unfortunately, the patients’ social security number appeared through the window of the envelope. Yikes! Oddly enough, UPMC didn’t learn its lesson from a previous mishap. ...
Temporary Email Services Reviewed
May 28, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Sizlopedia did a review of the top 20 temporary and disposable emails services. These services can help you fight spam, spyware, and save hassles from sites that require registration. I blogged about this in the past here and here. Um,...
Credit Card Industry Says Restaurants are Data Sieve
Mar 24, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Electronic payment processors, including Visa and Mastercard, say that restaurants are the biggest source of credit card data breaches and security leaks. In a way, no surprise since there are millions of restaurants, many of which are small operations, that...
CA State Website Publishing Social Security Numbers
Mar 23, 2007 by Tom Fragala
California, which prides itself on being the most privacy-friendly state, gave its residents an unpleasant surprise today. It was discovered that a California state web site had been exposing people’s Social Security numbers for years. The SSNs were including on...
Identity Theft by a Photocopier?
Mar 21, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Here one that you should at least be aware of. It’s possible that sensitive documents you copy on a photocopy machine, at a public place or work, could be an ID theft risk. Many of these devices now have small...
Medical Identity Theft Can Be Harmful To Your Health
Mar 7, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
Identity thieves are usually after their victim’s good credit, but that's not all they want. Medical insurance coverage has become as good as gold to identity thieves because with it, they can get free medical care for themselves. All it...
Banks Fight Back Against TJX in Data Breach
Feb 16, 2007 by Tom Fragala
The Canadian Privacy Law Blog (great blog, not just about Canada) pointed me to this eye opening story in a CIO Magazine blog. It is important because a bank seems to have tied the TJ Maxx security breach directly back...
Two New Data Breach Bills in 2007
Jan 13, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Consumer Affairs has a good article about the first two updated data security bills bubbling up from the new Democrat-controlled Congress. They are the Social Security Number Misuse Prevention Act and the Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act. I have...
New article: 3 Tips to Stop Identity Thieves From Exploiting Your Mail
Jan 12, 2007 by Tom Fragala
I wrote a new article entitled 3 Tips to Stop Identity Thieves From Exploiting Your Mail. Your personal and business mail can be a gold mine to thieves looking to hijack their next victim's identity. This article has 3 tips...
Shredders On Sale At Staples.com
Jan 11, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Staples.com is having a "Security and Privacy Event" with shredders and other products on sale for up to 60% off (thorugh January 13, 2007)....
Another free anti-spam temporary email service
Jan 10, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Recently I posted about Guerilla mail. Here's another one I found called spambox.us. It is more flexible, as it allows you to choose an expiration from 30 minutes to 1 year. I haven't used it so I can't vouch for...
Happy Birthday Elvis Presley (And a Surprise)
Jan 8, 2007 by Tom Fragala
ELVIS PRESLEY, Born 08 Jan 1935, Died Aug 1977, SSN 409-52-2002. That isn't a typo. That's Elvis' real social security number and a clue as to how serious our privacy and identity theft problems still are in 2007. And, no,...
Free temporary email addresses from Guerilla Mail
Jan 4, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Do you hate having to give your an email address when signing up at web sites--but you have to because they send a confirmation email? You might want to try this service. Guerrilla Mail provides you with disposable e-mail addresses...
Five questions to ask to protect your Social Security number
Jan 3, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Your Social Security number is important, confidential information. You should avoid giving it out unnecessarily. The trick is knowing, as best you can, when it is necessary. Keep your Social Security card and number in a safe place. Never carry your...
Businessweek Story on Medical Identity Theft
Jan 2, 2007 by Tom Fragala
BusinessWeek has a story on medical identity theft that is worth a read. Here’s one key point that is raised. While the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives victims of financial identity theft the right to see and try to correct...
Huge law firm's records handed over to government
Dec 22, 2006 by Tom Fragala
What do you think happens when a huge law firm goes belly up? Would you guess that all its records would be handed over to the government, lock, stock and barrel? It’s happening. Brobeck was a 900 lawyer firm, one of the...
The FDIC responds
Oct 11, 2006 by Tom Fragala
I got a response from the FDIC to my recent post about a web page that asks for sensitive data lacking security. I posted my reply too....
Offshoring Risks Identity Theft
Oct 1, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Don’t tell Lou Dobbs. With so many companies sending call centers offshore, what are the privacy risks? Pretty serious, if you read this article in the Times Online. Credit card data, along with passport and driving licence numbers, are being...
Truston Discovers a FDIC Data Security Flaw
Sep 30, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Updated below... Shame on the FDIC. I was tooling around their web site when I stumbled across a page that helps you determine the amount of your FDIC insurance (it may be more than the typical $100,000). I was stunned...
NY Gets 3 New Identity Theft and Computer Crime Laws
Sep 26, 2006 by Tom Fragala
New York Gov. Pataki signed three measures into law today. These bills establish the Consumer Communication Records Privacy Act, place limits on the use and disclosure of Social Security account numbers, and further clarify and define what is considered a...
Laptops are main source of data breaches
Sep 26, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Research into the source of data breaches has found that "…lost or stolen laptops were the main source of data breaches, rather than good old-fashioned hacking." Another data point that’s perhaps surprising: Datafrom New York state suggests that financial institutions have...
What is pretexting? How is it related to identity theft?
Sep 8, 2006 by Tom Fragala
I wrote a post about this in April of 2004 on my first identity theft blog, scamsafe.com. You can find the pretext article here....
Some thoughts on the H-P board scandal
Sep 8, 2006 by Tom Fragala
I’ll assume you are aware of what is going on over in the Hewlett-Packard board room. I won’t opine on it directly. But I will add this. Pretexting is not identity theft. Pre-texting is a method, a means to gather...
Xanga.com Fined $1 Million for Disclosing Children's Data
Sep 7, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The FTC accounced this today: Social networking Web site operators Xanga.com, Inc. and its principals, Marc Ginsburg and John Hiler, will pay a $1 million civil penalty for allegedly violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and its implementing...
The Oregon DMV Gives Murderers Access to Your Data
Sep 3, 2006 by Tom Fragala
This one, I can hardly believe. Did you know that if you call the Oregon state DMV, the person you speak with there might be a convicted felon? And they would have access to your sensitive personal information (DMV data...
MySpace Vulnerability Made Private Information Vieweable
Aug 31, 2006 by Tom Fragala
ConsumerAffairs.com reports on this one. A security breach on MySpace that enabled users to view other users' private pictures and postings went unattended for several months, according to news reports....
New web browser called Browzar designed for privacy
Aug 31, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Update: Watch out, this browser looks like it might be bad news. Read more here. Update 2: Yep, stay away from Browzar. At best, it doesn’t really do much and is an annoyance. It’s not even a new browser, it’s...
Data Breaches are Unavoidable says New Survey
Aug 29, 2006 by Tom Fragala
A new survey of technology professionals reports that 63 percent of respondents don't believe they can prevent such breaches. The survey can be found here. More from PC World: "This group came out much, much more negative than I ever expected," said...
Employment verifications and your social security number
Aug 28, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Have you ever seen an employment verification from Choicepoint? This is something that a prospective employer might use to confirm that your employment background is as you told them. I have one in my hands right now. It has the...
Data brokers commit fraud to steal telephone data says AT&T
Aug 23, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The AP via Cnet.com reports that AT&T filed suit against 25 data brokers that fraudulently gets access to private phone records. Hey, this is nothing new. All a data broker, or private investigator, has to do is pre-texting: pretend to be...
Cal Poly SLO not using SSNs to ID students
Aug 8, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Well, this is good news, but file under “it’s about time.” Starting this fall, Cal Poly San.Luis Obispo will no longer use SSNs as student ID numbers. Now, every other university that still uses the social security nunmber as an ID needs...
How companies can implement security and privacy
Aug 7, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Computerworld has two articles on how enterprises are implementing policies to protect privacy and secure data. See here and here....
Swiping driver's licenses at a drugstore?
Jul 15, 2006 by Tom Fragala
I went to a Long’s drugstore today in Santa Barbara, California. I picked up a box of infant’s decongestant drops. At the check out, the person asked to see my driver’s license, I assumed because I was paying by credit...
CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey
Jul 14, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Bill Brenner over at SearchSecurity.com points to the 11th annual report by the Computer Security Institute (CSI) and the San Francisco Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Computer Intrusion Squad. The report shows that average losses to security breaches were lower...
Hampton Virginia is butt naked
Jul 10, 2006 by Tom Fragala
(Scroll for updates…) I don’t mean disrobed. I mean that the residents of Hampton, VA are all naked and wide open to identity thieves and secret data brokers. Why? Apparently, your sensitive data is being made available to anyone by...
Is it legal for your sensitive data to be online?
Jul 10, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The answer is YES. This article in FindLaw tells a gruesome tale of how state and local government is legally allowed to and has been posting your sensitive personal information online. This data could lead to identity theft and is...
New security rules from Visa and MasterCard
Jul 8, 2006 by Tom Fragala
ComputerWorld has an article on new PCI (payment card industry) standards that are being unveiled by Mastercard and Visa. These are not anything the consumers have to do, it is for merchants....
Ugly Duckling Leaked Sensitive Customer Data For Financial Gain
May 24, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Robert Brennan of the SoCalCreditDamage.com Blog has a press release on his blog about a class action case he is representing. Consumers shopping at DRIVE TIME (formerly known as UGLY DUCKING) for used cars usually have filled out credit applications...
FTC Testifies on Social Security Numbers in Commerce
May 18, 2006 by Tom Fragala
A press release entitled Reconciling Beneficial Uses with Threats to Privacy from the FTC newsroom. The Federal Trade Commission today told the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that in the...
Action Taken on Credit Freezes in Florida And California
May 14, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Jim at GuardMyCreditFile is following these stories. First, Florida in on the brink of passing a credit freeze law—great news for consumers there. Second, California has a bill that proposes to make that state’s already powerful credit freeze law more convenient...
FOXNews' new ID theft web page--puts users at privacy risk
May 5, 2006 by Tom Fragala
FOXNews.com has a new web page dedicated to stories on identity theft. That’s great. However, there is a text advertisement in the middle of the page for a service that is downright scary. The ad takes you to a website...
Interview with IBM exec on breach notification laws
May 2, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Computerworld has this interview with Harriet P. Pearson, vice president of corporate affairs and chief privacy officer at IBM. It covers breach notification laws and the growing challenges of managing risk and security. If you needed any proof that the...
Phone Privacy Bill in US Senate
Apr 16, 2006 by Tom Fragala
U.S. PIRG Consumer Blog reports on what it calls an “Awful Phone Privacy Bill.” Here's a consumer letter (PIRG, Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America) opposing S 2389, a bill marked up today in Senate Commerce that purports to protect...
Data Brokers and Government Not Compliant with Privacy Act
Apr 16, 2006 by Tom Fragala
SANS NewsBites - Vol: 8, Issue: 28 reports According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and State and the Social Security Administration spend a total of US$30 million to acquire data from information...
Kudos to Microsoft Messenger team
Apr 10, 2006 by Tom Fragala
In the Windows Messenger software I run, when I click to send a message I always see this first “Never give out your password or credit card number in an instant message conversation.”. Good advice. In most cases, instant messaging...
Internet Explorer hit by new phishing flaw
Apr 9, 2006 by Tom Fragala
From ComputerWeekly… Another serious security hole has been unearthed in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, which could lead to users being tricked into thinking fake phishing sites are genuine.The error in the browser can be exploited to fake the address bar...
House panel approves data protection bill
Mar 29, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Computerworld is reporting: A U.S. House of Representatives committee has unanimously approved a bill that would create regulations for so-called data brokers, including a requirement that U.S. companies that traffic in personal data notify victims of breaches. The House Energy...
U.S. Cracks Down on Consumer Data Traders
Mar 29, 2006 by Tom Fragala
The NY Times is reporting today: The Secret Service yesterday announced seven arrests in five states and the District of Columbia as part of a continuing crackdown on online forums where credit card data and other stolen consumer information is...
Gratis allegedly sold 7 million consumer emails illegally
Mar 28, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Computerworld provides further proof that signing up for free offers via the web is a bad idea. New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is suing Web site operator Gratis Internet Inc. for allegedly violating consumer confidentiality agreements by selling...
CALPIRG writes about the IRS taxpayer privacy contrroversy
Mar 28, 2006 by Tom Fragala
CALPIRG’s blog has an post about a proposal the IRS is considering to allow tax preparers to sell your information (yes, with your approval). It points to a couple of recent newspaper editorials....
IRS Considers Weakening Your Privacy
Mar 26, 2006 by Tom Fragala
PENN PIRG (THE PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP) writes The IRS is considering weakening consumer privacy rules by allowing tax preparers like H&R Block or your accountant to share the entire contents of your tax filings with corporations that want...
U.S. PIRG Consumer Blog: Is Congress Going Soft On Identity Theft Crime?
Mar 26, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Ed Mierzwinski’s US PIRG blog says The New York Times had a story by Damon Darlin Saturday on the issues around the need for strong security freeze laws and the threat to strong state privacy protections posed by Congressional meddling....
GuardMyCreditFile rips feds over looming privacy crisis
Mar 22, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Jim from GuardMyCreditFile has written several posts lately about the bill winding its way through Congress. In this one he makes an argument that the California breach notification law (which would be wiped out by HR3997 as its now written), actually...