Today, we credit the FTC consumer information blog as the source for our weekly effort to educate our community. The blog addresses the growing problem of text message spam. Scammers often use the promise of free gifts, like computers or gift cards, or product offers, like cheap mortgages, credit cards, or debt relief services to…
In a recent post by Andrew Johnson from the Federal Trade Commission’s Division of Consumer and Business Information, we get explanation of one of the latest scams. It’s really just a new wrinkle in the old tech-support scam-the one where the scammers gain access to your computer by promising to “fix” a computer problem that doesn’t…
April 22nd is Earth Day and we like to celebrate April as “Earth Month”. Along those lines, it’s a good thing that April pairs tax time with the urge to spring clean. It feels good to throw out some of the financial records stuffing your filing cabinets. But before you head for the dumpster, make…
Our Legal Shred blog often taps into the Federal Trade Commission blog to keep our readers informed. The FTC is the government agency charged with Consumer Protection. As an identity theft protection/security company, we see education as a key piece of our service to the community. The recent blog posted by FTC Consumer Education Specialist…
By Friday we will be welcoming April and Spring cleaning is in full force. What better way to celebrate than with Spring cleaning! There are few tasks as cathartic as file purging. A thorough cleanup of your office and home is a great opportunity to find out what records you no longer need to keep…
In Jessica Rich’s recent blog in her role as Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC she honors Women’s History Month, by focusing on identity theft scams targeting women. Women make up slightly more than half of the US population, according to the US Census Bureau. Which means that about half of the people affected by the big cases…
We use this blog space to identify and help manage the risks associated with identity theft. A top risk area is non-secured documents. A major area of risk presents itself when employees prepare the necessary information to complete a tax filing or similar confidential documents. The data is often pulled from various locations and digital…
This week we wrap up our tips for tax time vigilance. We are now deep into tax season 2016, an especially vulnerable time of year when we need to remind ourselves of best practices regarding identity theft protection particularly as they relate to filing taxes. Identity theft still tops the list of taxpayer concerns. According…
Not that we needed any more reasons to monitor our credit cards and the like, but right here in our Hudson Valley a Rite Aid Pharmacy is the scene of identity theft to an unknown level. Anyone who shopped at Rite Aid’s 238 Hooker Ave. store in the past year should keep an eye on…
Picking up where we left off last week, tax time is a time to step up our vigilance regarding identity theft. Once again, identity theft still tops the list of taxpayer concerns. According to the most recent Javelin Strategy & Research, identity thieves stole $16 billion from 12.7 million US consumers in 2014. More tips…