My identity was hacked and my credit score went up.
(Old gag, but not far off)
I use the same password on all chat boards, and hackers probably know it.
So if you don’t like my post - it wasn’t me!
We are dealing with this as I write. Mrs. L got three letters from the IDES yesterday. One confirmed a Change of Address request, one confirmed an application for unemployment benefits, and the third denied that application on grounds of fraud.
To be fair IDES called us back in less than an hour and completely wiped her “account” with them. I thoroughly documented all of the interactions with everyone we spoke to, just in case.
Now on to locking down everything else because apparently they have her SSN, our current address, her birthday, and her current employer.
So on top of dealing with the COVID we’ve had for the last two weeks, the Almighty decided we needed this, too.
I’m starting to hate 2021 even more than I did 2020.
L
That’s an old one. There is a great website that has all the major hacked DB’s that made it to the dark web. Run by a former Microsoft guy. You can lookup your email and/or password and see if it was contained in one of those. That’s where the got the real pw from.
It’s not IF, it’s only a matter of WHEN your info gets hacked. Use different passwords, enter as little info as possible. Use your initials only.
Bobby Fuller.
We have had our address changed twice where all of our mail was diverted to another location for weeks the first time and about a month the second time. The first time I was able to find out where the mail had been diverted to, which did me absolutely no good as the police had zero interest into looking into it. It is not their jurisdiction you see.
The second time the people at the post office after making me jump through all sorts of hoops, at first refused to even acknowledge that a change of address had again been done. After multiple calls it still took about a week to get any response back from them at all, and never anything meaningful. I ended up filing another Change of Address myself online to a different address. It was another week before we started getting our mail again. Then I was able to change the address back.
But what a nightmare and this was not even full on identity theft, although I am sure that was the intention.
Along with stealing checks and packages. I have lost all confidence in the people running our post offices and the US Postal Service. They were much less than helpful. No one would tell me anything at all the second time around at any point. It was quite obvious that everyone that I dealt with could not have cared at all and just were their to collect a paycheck. They enable this crime by doing changes of address with no verification any time someone fills out a little change of address card. When criminals steal mail this way the people I dealt with treated me like I was a nuisance. If you think that they would have any desire to find and bring the criminals to justice... you are going to get an education.
You already have a VPN, it's called HTTPS. If you can't click on the padlock to the left of freerepublic.com and every other important website you visit, then you need to stop immediately until you have fixed that. If you don't see the padlock, then type https://freerepublic.com You need to do that with every other website of any importance.
Also if your password is stolen at some insecure website, then a VPN won't help you at all.
Ping
So I read the entire RCI article and it basically says “You are screwed. There’s nothing you can do. And the problem is too difficult for the FBI to solve.”
“It’s clear where the world is going. We’re entering a world where every thermostat, every electrical heater, every air conditioner, every power plant, every medical device, every hospital, every traffic light, every automobile will be connected to the Internet. Think about what it will mean for the world when those devices are the subject of attack.”
― Andy Greenberg, Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers
I've had that call every few years. "Hello, we're calling about a recent charge on your credit card, last four digits _____. Did you purchase ______ online?" I find it interesting that they flag out of character purchases and impressive that they don't seem to have missed even one. A hacker who ordered ammo using my credit card could get what he wanted delivered. The stuff they buy? Nope. Red flag.
My video streaming service was hacked, my settings got changed, including the nationality of text (to German).
I changed the password and reset the settings. That lasted a couple of days, then the hacker got back in. How? I made sure when I changed my password that everything was secure (I’m a software engineer). I changed it again but with same result.
It only stopped after I change the account email address. Huh. It was as though this person had a means of attaining a password to a specific account via knowing the email address. I could only put it down to an inside job or the service provider has a backend that has severe security holes.
Few people I know have tried going on the dark web. I have, just to know. You quickly realize this is a pedo’s heaven. Just do a search on “short stories” - all sick. Knowing there’s people out there that relish in consuming this is highly disturbing, it’s certainly part of the world you do not see. Other aspects were illegal drugs and “dirty deeds”. There’s really only bad reasons to go in there. Most would be shocked.
Here are a few of my security steps. So far, so good:
1) Minimize use of Social Security Numbers. Other than a few cases (banks, IRS, job applications, credit applications, DMV) they’re really not needed. For example, it never hurts to ‘make a small mistake’ when putting down an SS number in a doctor’s office, as they’re only used to track down deadbeats, so if you plan to pay, you’re fine.
2) Minimize credit card applications - the less you toss out your number, the better.
3) Go through old hard copies of things with an SS Number, like tax returns. Do you REALLY need to see your SS Number on your old tax returns? I went through them all with an Exacto Knife and cut them out, and then flushed them down the toilet. Same for any other document with that number...or than something original, like a birth certificate or marriage license. No need to have that number everywhere.
4) Enable hard drive encryption on your computer. For Windows it costs $99 ,one time, and means that whoever is trying to read it needs your password (called Bit Locker, and is part of Windows - you just need to pay to enable it). Otherwise no dice. Works with portable drives too (thumb, SD, Hard Drives, etc.). Everything that I have with data is encrypted and no, they won’t get in, even with possession of my computer.
Lots more stuff too.
For what it’s worth, I finally set up a yubikey to access certain sites.
Yubikey seems to be a “no-brainer” security device to create another level of security. Once yubikey recognizes your computer and the site you’ve registered with, there’s no way anyone can hack into your account without the yubikey. Or at least, that’s what I’m told.
To access a site, you must physically plug the yubikey into your computer and then tap it when prompted.
I’ll now go cross my fingers and rub my lucky rabbit’s foot, just in case.
Thieves kept getting my information.
Every agency or company has a long list of names and information more often tan not it’s sold not stolen.
Ever winder how so many lap top of business people get lost?.
It even happens with the FBI.
The benefits of having an Eastern European name that was mispelled on immigration papers has its benefits. Hard to steal your identity.
Very thoughtful thread... thanks for posting.