To use a credit card for establishing credit, you need to have at least one open card that can be reported to the credit agencies. But beyond that, there’s no definitive number of cards you need to have in your wallet for good credit. While your credit cards directly impact your credit, the number of [...]
As unemployment numbers continue to climb, so do fake employer scams that are preying on those searching for work. In fact, there have been triple-digit increases in fake employer scams that aim to gain access to personal and financial information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online human resources schemes where criminals pose as potential employers have [...]
Anyone can fall victim to credit card fraud. Take television personality Sharon Osborne, for instance. “The Talk” host recently shared with viewers she and rocker husband Ozzy were credit card fraud victims, according to FOX News. Osbourne revealed, “Someone rang up charges and maxed out Ozzy's card and my card. I called through to the [...]
According to the Federal Reserve, synthetic identity theft is one of the fastest growing forms of identity theft in the country. Synthetic identity theft occurs when a criminal uses a combination of real and falsified data to create a fictional identity for financial gain and other fraud. Children are particularly appealing victims for synthetic [...]
A malware attack is suspected in a recent Barnes & Noble data breach that exposed customer information. The attack also led to some customers not being able to access their e-reader Nook libraries and the temporary shutdown of cash registers at the bookstores’ physical locations. Barnes & Noble officials said the cyberattack took place earlier [...]
No one is completely safe from identity theft – not even after they die. In a form of identity theft known as “ghosting”, criminals can use a deceased person’s personal information to file false tax returns, claim Social Security benefits, open fraudulent loans and credit cards and more. Millions of deceased Americans have their [...]
Every day we use our personal information for access to online accounts, smart devices and other resources. This happens so frequently that the sensitivity of credential information can be taken for granted. A recent study by password management company LastPass found that a staggering 61 percent of business users reuse the same passwords for [...]
A ransomware attack has exposed the commercial and personal employee data of Artech Information Systems, one of the largest IT staffing agencies in the nation. The data breach occurred Jan. 5 – 8 after a bad actor gained access to company servers through an employee user account, according to Bleeping Computer. Company officials said [...]
A former Uber executive has been charged with covering up a data breach affecting 57 million app users and drivers. Joe Sullivan, Uber’s former chief security officer, is facing obstruction of justice and other charges stemming from a 2016 data breach. The breach occurred when two men hacked a third-party server to steal the personal [...]
Medical records are a prime target for cybercriminals, and data breaches are a frequent occurrence in the health care industry. These records are valuable because they may contain a large variety of personal information, including your name, address, insurance information, Social Security number (SSN) and medical history. Medical records can be used to commit [...]
The COVID-19 outbreak has brought a lot of uncertainty into the lives of many Americans. Over the span of just a few months, the number of unemployed individuals rose by 14 million. In response, many people have turned to the “gig economy” for supplemental income. The Labor Market The gig economy refers to the share [...]
Scammers are now targeting Google and Amazon customers the most frequently with brand phishing attacks, according to a new report. A recent study by security company Check Point found that Google and Amazon customers tie for the most phishing attacks aiming to steal their personal information at 13% of total attacks during the second quarter [...]
Across the country, states have implemented contact tracing programs to help track the spread of the coronavirus. Contact tracing is the process of finding individuals who have come in contact with a person who has COVID-19, learning about their movements and asking them to quarantine or monitor their symptoms. Contact tracers are hired by [...]
This fall, college students are returning to school or logging on from a distance during a time of deep economic insecurity. While the coronavirus pandemic may have devastated some job opportunities, there are still ways for college students to work on establishing financial independence before they graduate. Having a strong credit history can help students [...]
As headlines focus on coronavirus-related scams, the related healthcare industry also continues to be a top target for cybercriminals. This year alone more than 3 million patient records have been exposed, according to Health It Security. Top 5 Healthcare Data Breaches This Year 1. Health Share of Oregon More than 654,000 patients had their [...]
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, a record 32 million adult Americans lived with their parents or grandparents as of April. The pandemic is one likely culprit, but other factors – including housing costs and high student debt – have contributed to this phenomenon for years. Moving back in with your parents [...]
There’s no surprise that COVID-19 has impacted people and businesses in all kinds of negative ways within the past couple of months. Unemployment rates have risen quickly, and many businesses have had to close due to inactivity. To help those looking for additional income, here is a list of survey-taking jobs that are easy to [...]
How expensive is a data breach for a big company? A recent report by Audit Analytics provides insight to this question in a study that sampled 639 cybersecurity breach incidents at public companies in the last nine years. The report, “Trends in Cybersecurity Breach Disclosures,” found the cost of a data breach directly relates to the life cycle of an incident and on the sensitivity of the compromised customer information. According to the study, the longer the [...]
Whether you’re giving money to help those in need during the coronavirus pandemic or supporting political activism, donating to charity is a worthy endeavor. If you’re donating to charity for the first time or you’ve been supporting your favorite causes for years, it’s a good idea to ensure your donation is safe and the [...]
Business clients applying for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with Bank of America may have had their personal and business information exposed in a data breach, according to a letter the bank sent to affected customers. The data breach occurred on April 22 as Bank of America uploaded customers’ PPP loan applications to the [...]
Illinois residents filing for coronavirus-related unemployment using the state’s new online system might have had their personal information exposed. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D, announced the Illinois Department of Employment Security experienced a system “glitch” after launching this week. The system, a new online portal, has been set up for contractors and self-employed residents filing for [...]
The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have issued a warning that China is attempting to hack the networks of U.S. organizations, pharmaceutical companies and health care professionals working on coronavirus vaccines and research. The federal agencies called research institutions, companies and others working on the COVID-19 response “prime targets” for Chinese cyberattacks. [...]
Scammers have been registering coronavirus-related domain website names daily in order to commit fraud, according to new reports. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercriminals have been registering malicious sites with names that include “coronavirus” and “COVID-19”. They also are using combinations of the pandemic names and the word “vaccine”. Reports are showing malicious [...]
A data breach in the Small Business Association (SBA) loan application portal may have exposed the personal information of thousands of businesses last month as they submitted emergency loan applications during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Washington Post. The SBA has seen a large influx of applications from struggling businesses seeking emergency loans [...]
With hackers and scammers going to unprecedented lengths to steal information during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to know about tools you can use to help make it more difficult for criminals to access your information. While data security and identity theft are complicated issues, taking steps to reduce your exposure doesn’t have to [...]
As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us, having an emergency savings fund is important for handling unexpected expenses. From job loss to reduced income to other unplanned issues, it is important to save up a few months’ worth of expenses to weather financial storms. Building a strong emergency savings fund takes more than slipping [...]
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused enormous financial insecurity across the country, with more than 10 million Americans applying for unemployment last month alone. If you’ve been financially affected, you’re probably worried about how you’re going to pay your bills. Timely bill payments aren’t just important to maintain your housing, services and other essentials. You [...]
As many of us are working from home during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, now is the time to be especially vigilant when it comes to protecting personal and business data online. Here are three tips to help secure your data. 1. Use a virtual private network (VPN). Securing employee access with a VPN can give [...]
The coronavirus pandemic has already dealt a severe blow to the American economy and has caused financial insecurity for countless citizens. The situation seems poised to get worse before it gets better. If you’re experiencing financial hardship – such as a job loss or reduced income – because of COVID-19-related circumstances, there are local, state [...]
After doing your taxes, you might find out you owe a hefty tax bill to the IRS. Millions of people owe the IRS every tax season and coming up with the money all at once can be a big financial burden. While you probably won’t be able to get out of paying the IRS, [...]
FICO® has announced its newest credit score models – the FICO Score 10 and FICO Score 10T – with a focus on consumer personal loans and credit trends. The new FICO Scores aim to reward those who pay lenders on time and give lenders more precision and predictability powers when making lending decisions, said [...]
Microsoft recently announced a data breach affecting one of its customer databases and exposing millions of records, including the personally identifying information (PII) of some customers who may have used Microsoft support since 2005. Between Dec. 5 and Dec. 31, a change made to an internal customer support database’s network security contained misconfigured security [...]
Planning a debt-free vacation is ideal. But traveling is costly, and the expenses can really stack up when it comes to vacations. Many people end up piling debt onto their credit cards just to travel to exciting destinations or get some rest and relaxation. If you want to plan a vacation this year without [...]
Hackers are becoming more and more sophisticated in their phishing email attempts to steal personal and company data. The number of data breaches caused by phishing is increasing with hackers finding their way into a company’s network using phished information such as employees’ stolen credentials, according to a recent report from cybersecurity organization Crowdstrike. [...]
If you went into debt shopping for the holidays, you’re probably not alone. Many American consumers plan to put at least some of their holiday spending on their credit card to pay off later. But putting too much holiday debt on your credit card can be bad for your wallet and your credit. Large [...]
There is a general lack of awareness surrounding credit, as American consumers’ knowledge about credit scores has been on a steady decline since 2012. And when you aren’t informed about your credit, it can be easy to believe misinformation and even spread it to others. Unfortunately, believing falsehoods about your credit can lead you to [...]
Landry’s Inc., the parent company of more than 600 restaurants, hotels and casinos, has announced a data breach exposing customers’ card payment information. Company officials reported a hacker accessed and installed malware to their network supporting payment processing, which is used by servers to swipe and charge customer credit cards. They said encryption technology [...]
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced a $110,000 settlement with the traveling websites Orbtiz and Expedia after a data breach that put the credit card information of almost 21,000 state residents at risk. Shapiro lead an investigation into the data breach that discovered a hacker was able to add malware to steal credit card payment [...]
The highest profile data breaches and cyberattacks often involve big businesses with millions of customers. But private companies aren’t the only organizations that are vulnerable to cybercrime – local governments are also popular targets for criminals. According to Verizon’s 2019 Data Breach Investigation, 16% of all 2018 data breaches involved public sector entities including [...]
SMS communications company TrueDialog left millions of text messages exposed and unprotected in an online database that security researchers discovered last month, according to reports. TrueDialog is a communications company that enables clients, including private businesses and universities, to send text messages to customers, students and other individuals. The service allows message recipients to respond [...]
Macy’s officials have alerted customers that their personal data and payment information may have been exposed via a data breach on the department store’s retail website. The breach allowed an “unauthorized third party” to harvest customers’ personal data and payment card information from macys.com. According to a letter to customers dated Nov. 14, Macy’s [...]
This holiday season alone, retail industry professionals expect Americans to spend more than $1 trillion. Criminals see this increased spending as an opportunity to rip off consumers, steal their money, and obtain their personal data to commit fraud and identity theft. It pays to be vigilant. Here are four types of scams to watch [...]
The head of cybersecurity at Capital One has been removed following this summer’s data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 100 million customers. Michael Johnson has transitioned from Capital One’s chief information security officer to a new role as senior vice president and special advisor for cybersecurity, according to the company. The [...]
The 7-Eleven Fuel app suffered a data breach in Australia last week that exposed users’ personal details. The app uses customer location and pricing data to help drivers find the best gas prices at local 7-Elevens, and lock in the low prices by prepaying. A customer reported the breach to 7-Eleven when he discovered [...]
A SIM swap scam occurs when thieves have gained enough of your personal information to convince a wireless provider to transfer your phone number to a new SIM card that is in their control. Once they have your phone number, they will try to access your accounts, including email, banking and even social media, and [...]
The debts that appear on your credit report are typically sorted into two different types: revolving credit and installment credit. These debt types can affect your credit in different ways. But what’s the difference between revolving credit and installment credit? We break it down below. What is Revolving Credit? Revolving credit extends a fixed line [...]
When people hear the term “spoof” they often think of a humorous parody of a song, movie, or real situation. It’s all about imitation — just like it is in the context of cybersecurity. But when it comes to cybersecurity, the imitation isn’t about humor or entertainment. In this context, spoofing refers to the [...]
Email and phone phishing scams are commonplace in the modern age. Their goal is to trick you into providing personal information, such as bank account numbers or personally identifying data, that can be used to commit fraud or identify theft. But thanks to spam filters and call screening, many phishing scams now go ignored. [...]
An energy firm is out almost $250,000 from a high-tech phone scam that used artificial intelligence to mimic the boss’s voice. The CEO of the unnamed company, based in the United Kingdom, thought he was on the phone with his boss from the company’s German headquarters and following directions when he transferred about $243,000 [...]
A new phishing scam is using false two-factor authentication to take over Instagram accounts. The scam, recently discovered by researchers, starts with emails stating the recipients have had a login attempt into their Instagram accounts. The email states if the recipients did not attempt to log into their accounts they need to log in [...]
Many retailers, from online sellers to department stores and smaller chains, have their own version of a store-branded credit card. Chances are that you’ve been offered one in exchange for a discount off your purchase at some point. While retailers often try to lure customers at the cash register with savings, store credit cards aren’t [...]
Five men have been charged with stealing millions of dollars from military members and veterans as part of an international identity theft and fraud ring that used stolen personal information to gain access to Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs benefit sites. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Frederick Brown, Robert Wayne Boling [...]
The dark web has been around for a long time, but it’s recently risen in pop culture — and for many people, it’s a relatively new concept. Increasingly frequent data breaches and cases of identity theft have put the dark web on our radars, but the subject remains strange and unclear to many people. As [...]
You already know that a decent credit score can help you get approved for the credit cards, loans, and other financial products you need. The better your credit score, the better your odds of securing approval. But there are other financial incentives to building a good credit score – it can actually save you a [...]
With the Black Hat and DEF CON conventions – the mecca for both information security professionals and hackers alike – taking place in Las Vegas this month, one major industry focus this year is aviation software vulnerabilities. Black Hat, which runs Aug. 3 – 8, features a presentation on the Boeing 787 software system [...]
An ex-Amazon employee has been arrested for allegedly hacking the account information of more than 100 million Capital One customers. Paige Thompson, of Seattle, is accused of exposing customers’ personal information – including names, addresses, credit scores, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, and Canadian Social Insurance numbers – and attempting to share the information [...]
When it comes to consumer protection and security, not all credit cards are created equal. While all credit cards do offer basic security features, some cards go above and beyond to protect cardholders. If you’re looking for a new credit card, you should make sure the credit card issuer is prepared to provide protection. Here [...]
Social media giant Facebook has agreed to a $5 billion fine – the largest in Federal Trade Commission history – for violating users’ privacy. The record-breaking fine comes after the FTC began investigating the company last spring after political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica gained access to almost 87 million Facebook users’ data without their [...]
Sprint has confirmed hackers were able to access account information through the Samsung website late last month, making it the second time this year Sprint customer data has been exposed. The most recent breach occurred last month through a Samsung webpage that allowed customers to add a line to their accounts. Hackers were able [...]
Four out of five physicians have experienced some type of cyberattack as health care continues to be the No. 1 industry affected by data breaches, according to a new report by the Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Councils. The report highlights the increasing and costly trend of data breaches in the health care industry, [...]
Medical costs are a serious issue in the United States. The average U.S. consumer spends more than $10,000 a year on medical care, and one in five Americans has reported problems with paying his or her medical bills. But medical debt can put a dent in more than your bank account. It can also land [...]
Two U.S. medical testing companies are reporting almost 20 million customers have had their personal and financial data exposed because of a security breach at a third-party vendor. Quest Diagnostics reported 11.9 million patients have been affected by the breach with LabCorp indicating 7.7 million customers are at risk, according to the Washington Post. The [...]
