Recently, I learned of a new way thieves can get into your locked car without breaking anything. The trick is simple. They have a reader that records your car’s lock code when you remotely lock your doors. Once you’ve gone they simply transmit the lock code and your car opens.

This isn’t quite as easy as it sounds as they have to be somewhere near your car. So be alert for people sitting in cars near where you park.

For total safety, manually lock your car doors and they can’t do anything.

After decades of violating the law, MEDICARE will finally stop using your Social Security Number in an attempt to reduce fraud. The new cards will start rolling out in 2018. First warning. You do not have to pay for them or give anyone any information Anyone who contacts you asking for information or money is a scammer.

Be aware though that even attempts to reduce fraud actually increase scam attempts. That’s because people are frightened of losing their benefits.

Here is the first rule that if followed should be enough to keep you safe.

I CANNOT REPEAT THIS ENOUGH BECAUSE SOMEONE ALWAYS MISSES IT. BIG COMPANIES AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES DO NOT E-Mail you. They send US Mail. If they call you, write down what they say, but don’t answer anything. HANG UP IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD and call the 800 number on the website, NOT the E-Mail.

Why do fraudsters want your SSN? With it they can file a fake tax return for a refund. Do you really want to deal with the IRS on this? They can open credit cards in your name and they can fraudulently bill Medicare for services in your name. Finally, worst of all they might get medical services in your name and you could be responsible.

How about some tips on protecting your current Medicare card.

1. Make a copy.Black out the first 5 digits but write an emergency contact number on the back.
2. Keep it with you. Don’t leave it in a Gym locker or your car.

 

I CANNOT REPEAT THIS ENOUGH BECAUSE SOMEONE ALWAYS MISSES IT. BIG COMPANIES AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES DO NOT E-Mail you. They send US Mail. If they call you, write down what they say, but don’t answer anything. HANG UP IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD and call the 800 number on the website, NOT the E-Mail.

The remote viewing is very worrisome because of the time involved. He may have copies of every unencrypted file on your computer which could include passwords, usernames, as well as the indicated SSNs and DOBs.

So here are some (painful) suggestions:

1. With regard to the person who is looking at your computer, I would suggest discussing with him restoring it to the original factory settings and anything else he  can do to clean BUT not until you have extracted all your current userids, passwords, logins etc. so you can change them all.
2. I would IMMEDIATELY notify EQUIFAX, TRANS UNION, and EXPERIAN of the theft and put a FREEZE on your credit file at all three places.
3. I would contact East Goshen police and see if they will accept your report of stolen credit card information. That will save you money with the credit bureaus and help with future thefts.
4. IMMEDIATELY contact any credit card issuers and cancel existing cards and get new ones issued.
5. Sign up for FRAUD ALERTS  with all three credit bureaus. These may be free if you have a police report.
6. Delete all your E-Mail accounts and sign up for new ones with strong passwords. You will lose some incoming E-Mails but it’s worth it. You can also call friends or use your new E-Mail to let them know of the change you made.
7. Be very very wary of phone calls or E-mails offering help. They are not legitimate but scammers sell the names people they have scammed to other follow on scammers. Only deal with websites you know. DO NOT click on ANY links in E-mails.
8. Finally, the hard part. You will have to cancel any web site IDs you have and establish new ones with your new E-Mail address and passwords.

Hope this helps but be on guard.

SCAM ALERT – AVOID TODAY’S PHISHING E-MAIL

The E-Mail to avoid is from Eric Morgan re: Your Messages. When you open it, he tells you that he is from FACEBOOK and you have unseen messages. There is a link to view them, a link to ask questions and he is even polite enough to give you a link to unsubscribe. By the way, links are words (in blue) to click on.

Pressing any off these links will download malware on your computer so DON’T. Also be aware that FACEBOOK doesn’t offer tech support.

 

HOW EQUIFAX DATA THEFT COULD AFFECT YOU OR YOUR KIDS WHEN BUYING A HOME

Home buyers and mortgage applicants tend to have significant information on file at the three credit  bureaus and could run into complications soon or down the road.

Take this scenario: Say your Equifax file was looted but you’ve done little or nothing to detect fraudulent activity on one or more of your credit accounts. You sign a contract to buy a house, and you apply for a mortgage. The lender pulls your credit and confronts you with shocking news: Your FICO credit score is too low for you to qualify for the loan because you’ve been running up too much debt on one or more accounts. Your “utilization ratio” on your available credit is too high, and that has depressed your score. Or there’s a newly established account in your files that has put you deep in debt, even though you had nothing to do with it.

It turns out that financial thieves have been racking up thousands of dollars in debts at your expense, and now — smack in the middle of a major lifetime investment — you’re stuck with having to get the file corrected, which takes time and can be a pain. In the meantime, what happens to your purchase contract? Will the sellers bear with you, essentially putting off the transaction indefinitely and possibly blowing up their own plans to move into another house on a specific date? It could all get really messy.

Another scenario: Say your lender already has approved you for a mortgage or a home-equity loan. Before the scheduled closing, the loan officer does what has become standard practice in the mortgage industry in recent years — runs another credit check to make sure no new debts have been added since your application. But in the meantime, identity-theft criminals have created a new account or run up charges on one or more of your credit cards, knocking your debt-to-income ratio out of sight.

 

Today I received th following scam E-Mail from “PAYPAL regarding the fact that my credit card was about to expire and that I needed to contact them immediately to renew my card.

 

Several things alerted me to the fact that this was a scam. First, if my credit card was about to expire my credit card company would send me a new one well before that. Second the last four digits of the expiring card is not a card I use with Paypal. Finally, I am also sure that Paypal would never send this type of message.

 

Below is the E-Mail without images:

Your card is about to expire

Dear Allan Pomerantz, We noticed your card ending in 9890 is about to expire. Please update your card expiration date and the card security code (CSC) as soon as possible so you can continue using it with PayPal. Be sure to activate your new card with your bank first.

Update card details

If you haven’t received your new card yet, please save this email and click the button when you have your new card. If you’ve already updated your PayPal account with your new card information, please disregard this email.
And remember, you can always log in directly to PayPal to update your card information in the Profile or Settings areas.

Sincerely,
PayPal

 

WHAT TO DO ABOUT EQUIFAX HACK – UPDATED

I posted this column the day after the Equifax hack became public knowledge to help you deal with the breach as it affects you. While the advice below remains accurate, I have become aware of some issues for you to consider when deciding if it is right for you.

Here are the three updates:

1. If Equifax says they believe your personal information has not been impacted that is only a partial truth. What they mean is that they haven’t seen any suspicious activity from the time the hack was discovered (May) until they last checked (July.) this should not reassure you for two reasons. Misuse of your information may have happened before May and more significantly the people who stole your data may wait six months to a year to use it so the heat dies down.

 

2. If you click the ACCEPT button you agree to waive your right to sue Equifax or join a Class Action Lawsuit. Although Equifax says this won’t apply in this case the contract language overrides any verbal statements. I am not making a recommendation here, only giving you the alternatives.

 

3. Equifax wants more personal information. Are You comfortable giving it to them?

 

 

This hack is a big deal despite Equifax’s ridiculous claim that their core database was not breached. The crooks have your social security number, address, driver’s license, and birth day. They don’t need anything else. They can open new accounts in your name and if they change the address you might never know they did so.

I have followed Equifax’s instructions so I can let you know what to do to receive a free year of identity theft protection and credit file monitoring product, called TrustedID Premier. Please note that EVERY Equifax customer is eligible for this service even if Equifax doesn’t know if you were hacked.

First, go to the website www.equifaxsecurity2017.com. You will need your social security number. After you enter your last name and last six digits of your SSN hit continue. That will take you to another site for enrollment. You will the receive an enrollment date and you will be told to return to the site www.equifaxsecurity2017.com ON THAT DATE to continue your enrollment. For security purposes, you will be asked to re-enter your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number. To enroll in TrustedID Premier, you will be asked to provide additional information to verify your identity. You also will need to provide a valid email address in order to complete the process. Within a few days, you will receive an email with a link to activate TrustedID Premier. Please be sure to check your spam and junk folders if you do not receive your activation email within that time frame.

As a word of warning the scammers will be on this like a dog on a bone. So please be very wary of any E-Mails, texts, or phone calls you get from “Equifax.” ALWAYS call their 800 number to check.

 Here are some other things you can do to help protect yourself:

Credit Freeze / Fraud Alert

This is the most important thing you can do. It will prevent anyone from opening credit in your name. The drawback is this includes you but you can easily turn it off temporarily with a phone call and your personal pin. There is usually a $10 charge to set it up and to suspend it but Equifax may suspend it. Even if they don’t it will be the best $10 you’ve ever spent.

The three credit bureaus and their phone numbers are:

• Equifax        800-349-9960
• Experian       888-397-3742
• TransUnion  888-909-8872

Be Aware of Any Suspicious Activity on Your Accounts

These could be late payments on accounts you don’t have or changes to non-financial accounts.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT EQUIFAX HACK 

This hack is a big deal despite Equifax’s ridiculous claim that their core database was not breached. The crooks have your social security number, address, drivers license, and birth day. They don’t need anything else. They can open new accounts in your name and if they change the address you might never know they did so. 

I have followed Equifax’s instructions so I can let you know what to do to receive a free year of identity theft protection and credit file monitoring product, called TrustedID Premier. Please note that EVERY Equifax customer is eligible for this service even if Equifax doesn’t know if you were hacked. 

First, go to the website www.equifaxsecurity2017.com. You will need your social security number. After you enter your last name and last six digits of your SSN hit continue. That will take you to another site for enrollment. You will the receive an enrollment date and you will be told to return to the site www.equifaxsecurity2017.com ON THAT DATE to continue your enrrollment. For security purposes, you will be asked to re-enter your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number. To enroll in TrustedID Premier, you will be asked to provide additional information to verify your identity. You also will need to provide a valid email address in order to complete the process. Within a few days, you will receive an email with a link to activate TrustedID Premier. Please be sure to check your spam and junk folders if you do not receive your activation email within that time frame.

As a word of warning the scammers will be on this like a dog on a bone. So please be very wary of any E-Mails, texts, or phone calls you get from “Equifax.” ALWAYS call their 800 number to check.

Beware of Scams by Text (SMISHING)  Smishing is when scammers use text messaging to lure targets into sharing credit card numbers and other personal information. The name comes from combining Short Message Service or SMS (the technology used for text messages on cell phones) with phishing. How it works: Scammers send hundreds, or even thousands, of text messages at a time in the hope that even just a few recipients take the bait.The text is urgent – you need to click on a link or call a number to deal with an issue like suspicious banking account activity or perhaps to address the suspension of an account or service. Or it could claim you’ve won a prize and you need to act right away.The ultimate goal is to get you to share sensitive information – your bank account number, or user names and passwords – and to use this information to steal from you. What you should know: Scammers are banking on you responding quickly to a text message – we tend to trust them over emails.It’s easy for scammers to make the text look like it’s coming from a legitimate phone number. What you should do: Be wary of unsolicited text messages – when in doubt, delete.Don’t respond to suspicious texts, even to tell them to leave you alone. Responding verifies to the crook that your number is valid, and that puts you at risk for being targeted by other scams. When it comes to fraud, vigilance is our number one weapon. You have the power to protect yourself and your loved ones from scams. Please share all these alerts with friends and family. Thanks to our friends at AARP

Don’t Fall Victim To Harvey Flood Scams

As sure as the sun comes up in the morning, every time there is a calamity that will cause people to want to help by donating money, scammers are at work before just about anyone else. Here a some tips from NPR to help you avoid being fleeced.

As Harvey, the largest rainstorm in the history of the continental United States, floods homes in Texas and Louisiana, many Americans want to send money for relief efforts.

The need for that help will be enormous: FEMA Administrator Brock Long has said more than 195,000 people already have registered for disaster assistance.

Many reputable organizations already are delivering food and care to those in need. But experts on charitable giving say donors need to be wary: con artists are also after your money. Scam charities raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the aftermath of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, and they are likely to try it again now.

Here’s are tips from legitimate sources, such as the Federal Trade Commission’s web site, on how to safely donate to Harvey relief efforts.

 

Know where your money is going.

Contribute to organizations that have an experience assisting in disaster relief, and be skeptical of charities that pop up solely in response to Harvey or those with unfamiliar names. You can check out charities with the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, or GuideStar.

 

Never give out cash.

Give your donation by credit card or a check made payable to your charity of choice.

 

Understand crowdfunding.

Scammers may claim to represent legitimate organizations online. The crowdfunding website GoFundMe created a Medium post about safety measures being taken to protect those donating to relief efforts, and all verified GoFundMe Harvey-related campaigns as hosted at an official page.

 

Check a charity’s website before you text a donation.

Confirm that the charity has authorized donations via text message — and keep in mind that your contribution may not reach the charity until after your phone bill is paid. It may be faster to donate directly to the charity.

 

Be wary of clicking on links or opening attachments in e-mails.

Unless you are sure you know who sent it, don’t open attachments that could install malware on your computer. And don’t assume that emails you get — or social media messages you see — have really been posted by the legitimate source. They might be fake.

 

Report suspicious organizations.

Be skeptical if an organization will not send you information about their programs and finances: any legitimate organization will be glad to provide you with this information. The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance has charity reports on thousands of U.S. charities. If you believe a scam may be taking place, you can contact the BBB to report what you know.