IDENTITY THEFT

Taxpayer identity theft increased five-fold between 2008 and 2010 according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The office plans to share this news–provided to them by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)–during a House hearing on Thursday in hopes of curbing this type of fraud before it gets even more out of control.

Taxpayer Identity Theft Jumps by Nearly 200K in 2 Years

Banks and credit card issuers are warning customers that millions of e-mail addresses were possibly stolen from an advertising company last week. As a result, customers could receive fraudulent e-mails that attempt to coax their account login information from them.

Major Banks Affected by the Theft

A number of major banks and financial institutions say customers may begin seeing e-mails that try to trick them into providing login information for their bank accounts and credit cards due to a security breach at a Dallas-based e-mail management company called Epsilon.

A new report has revealed that children have their identities stolen 51 times more frequently than adults. Released by AllClear ID, an identity protection service, the report is said to be the first large child identity theft report ever published.

10.2 Percent of Children Have Identities Stolen

The Federal government kicked off the official start to National Consumer Protection Week on Sunday with hopes of educating consumers about the many ways to avoid identity theft, financial scams and more. While many individual states are hosting local events to celebrate the week, the government is providing resources consumers can take advantage of as they learn more about how to protect themselves.

What is National Consumer Protection Week?

Identity theft has become a major issue for foster children, which is why lawmakers in Colorado are pushing to protect them. As a part of a, already challenging system with enough hardship to contend with as it is,  the Senate wants to make sure these children don’t also have to deal with poor credit as they enter adulthood.

Identity Theft a Major Problem Among Foster Children

A new warning from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) says thieves are now skimming RFID information in order to steal credit card and debit card information. According to the not-for-profit organization, identity thieves are able to harvest numbers and personal details from new debit and credit cards by brushing past a purse or wallet.

How is the New RFID Technology Scanned?

Photo by benstein at Flikr

Anyone with a Facebook profile is probably all too aware of the thousands of applications available for use on the site. Even if you’re not one of the Farmville or Mafia Wars addicts who flood friend feeds with annoying updates, you are definitely friends with someone who is. Well, some of the most popular apps currently in use have not only been sucking up precious time and filling up feeds, but transmitting user IDs to outside companies unbeknownst to their users.

Photo: Adland.tv

You might recognize the name Todd Davis from LifeLock commercials and billboards. In fact, you may also recognize his Social Security number from the same places. Davis is the CEO of LifeLock identity theft protection, who demonstrated his unwavering loyalty to the product by publicizing his SSN in order to prove how fail-safe it was.

Identity theft. You’re hearing the words more and more, on TV and especially online. And there’s good reason. Identity theft is among the largest growing crimes in the world, and it costs consumers millions per year. Here are some facts about identity theft and how you can prevent it from happening to you.

Don’t miss out on all the info. Check out the fullsize graphic.

With all the recent changes in the banking and credit card industries, you’re bound to get more than a few e-mails or letters from your bank or credit card company.

But, wait. Was that last e-mail really from your bank?

It might have been, but there’s a pretty good chance it might not have been. Phishing is a pretty common practice for those trying to steal your identity. All they need is you username and password, and off they go, taking all your private financial information with them. Phishing is serious and you’ve probably been targeted whether you realize it or not.

Check out some pretty surprising phishing stats below: