Gaming site Sega Pass was hacked. On the Sega Pass website it states, “we had identified that unauthorized entry was gained to our Sega Pass database.” Numerous outlets report hackers stole Sega Pass members’ email addresses, dates of birth, and encrypted passwords.

The recent Epsilon data breach resulted in a similar loss of data. Epsilon is a marketing company that sends over 40 billion emails a year, and keeps millions of consumer email addresses on file. When hackers breached Epsilon’s database, the email subscriber lists for over 100 major companies were compromised.

Consumers received breach notifications from financial institutions including Citigroup, Capital One, and JPMorgan Chase, and from hotels such as the Marriot and the Hilton.

All of these organizations customers are eternally susceptible to spear phish scams.

The Wall Street Journal reports that GlaxoSmithKline sent email notifications to consumers who had registered with any of GlaxoSmithKline’s websites for prescription or nonprescription drugs and products, warning that consumers’ names and email addresses had been hacked, and that the stolen data may have included the specific product websites where consumers registered.

GlaxoSmithKline provides medications that help victims of HIV and mental health disorders. The possibility of the stolen data being used to target the ill with spear phishing attacks is a major concern.

These kinds of breaches will have long-lasting effects on the public.

Never disclose personal information or login credentials in response to an unsolicited email. Never click links in an unsolicited email. Instead, use your bookmarks menu or type the address into your browser’s address bar. If your email address has been compromised, consider switching to a new address. Create new, unique passwords, without repeating the same password for multiple accounts.

With more than 11 million victims just last year identity theft is a serious concern.  McAfee Identity Protection offers proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your financial accounts. Educate and protect yourself – please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com.

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee consultant and identity theft expert. See him explain how a person becomes an identity theft victim on CounterIdentityTheft.com (Disclosures)

TechNewsWorld reports LastPass, the password manager was under attack last week. “Users rely on it to store the myriad user names and passwords they inevitably collect as they go about their business on the Web. With LastPass, they only have to remember one single master password. LastPass handles the rest — including, presumably, security.”

Simon Cowells X-Factor show was hit too. The Daily Star reports “Closely guarded secrets about media mogul Simon Cowell and his new US ­ X Factor show have been “stolen” by sneaky cyber crooks. The personal information and act ­details of more than 250,000 wannabes have also been exposed”.

In an email to the victims of the breach it stated: “This week, we learned that computer hackers illegally accessed information you and others submitted to us to receive information about The X Factor auditions It is possible, however, that the information you did provide to us, which included your name, email address, zip code, phone number (which was optional), date of birth, and gender, may have been accessed”.

Cybercrooks are jumping on the news of Osama Bin Laden’s demise. Spam campaigns and malware that piggy back on the news and seek to trick unwitting computer users into clicking links or opening attachments are making the rounds and McAfee Labs expects to see more over the coming days. Computer users should be cautious and especially on guard when they receive messages that purport to offer photos of Bin Laden’s body, funeral at sea or any additional details.

It is important to observe basic security precautions to protect your identity. However, the safety of your information with corporations and other entities that you transact business with is very often beyond your control. Consumers should consider an identity theft protection product that offer daily credit monitoring, proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts. McAfee Identity Protection includes all these features in addition to live help from fraud resolution agents if your identity is ever compromised. For more tips on protecting yourself, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee Consultant and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing how a person becomes an identity theft victim on CounterIdentityTheft.com (Disclosures)

Pauly the Pickpocket & Sally Sticky Fingers work as a team to lift wallets and mobile devices from pockets and purses, often in broad daylight. Sally creates a distraction by dropping a shopping bag, crying for help, or stopping suddenly in your path, and then Pauly bumps into you from behind and picks your pocket.

To avoid having your pocket picked, keep your wallet in your front pocket, or keep your purse closed and hold it in front of you. Thin out your wallet and skip the backpack. Lock your cell phone with a password. And consider investing in McAfee’s Lost Wallet Protection service.

Trojan Sea Biscuit is a two-faced liar who sneaks malicious files into emails and hides viruses in PDFs and other downloadable files. He’s the champion ringleader in the ultimate identity theft derby of phishers, hackers, botmasters, and keyloggers.

To avoid a Trojan infiltration, use comprehensive security software, and be sure it’s set to update automatically. If a popup window prompts you to update software, hit escape or shut down the program. Go directly to the manufacturer’s website for the update.

Tim “The Skim” McCash is known for installing skimming devices and tiny cameras that can read your card data and PIN code. He targets ATMs at banks, concerts, arenas, convenience stores, and gas stations with the goal of draining your account of cash or credit before you or your bank recognizes the fraud.

To avoid having your credit or debit card data skimmed, use the same, familiar ATM whenever possible, and beware of ATMs with devices covering the card slot. Look for external devices like mirrors, brochure holders, or light bars that may hide a camera. Always cover the keypad with your other hand as you enter your PIN. And check your bank and credit card statements online at least once a week.

McAfee, the most trusted name in digital security includes proactive identity surveillance to monitor subscribers’ credit and personal information and access to live fraud resolution agents who can help subscribers work through the process of resolving identity theft issues. For additional tips, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee consultant and identity theft expert. See him explain how to protect yourself from identity theft on CounterIdentityTheft.com. (Disclosures)

Whether you are alive or even if you are dead, as long as you have a Social Security number, you are a potential identity theft victim.

Reporters tend to be fairly savvy and well informed. Identity theft, however, is a complicated issue, and anyone can be stumped, regardless of your level of security intelligence.

One reporter received an alert about “irregular check card activity.” It was sent late one weeknight, and she didn’t see the email until the following night. At first, she couldn’t believe her bank account could have been compromised, and suspected it was a phishing email designed to trick her into disclosing her account information. But when she called her bank, she learned that nearly all her money had already been stolen.

“I soon discovered I was a victim of identity theft and that a woman posing as me in California was allowed to spend and withdraw all of my family’s money in two linked accounts from my bank, without stealing my debit or credit cards. She took more than $40,000.”

The thief used a fake driver’s license, which replaced the victim’s ID in the bank’s computer, signed documents with a signature that looked nothing like the victim’s, and gave the bank a new phone number and address. She took over and cleaned out two accounts, one of which was a checking account used for family expenses, and the other was an investment account.

After a great deal of stress and aggravation, the victim and her husband managed to get their stolen savings reimbursed by their bank. She still doesn’t know how the thief managed to steal her identity, or if she was ever caught.

Identity theft can happen to anyone. McAfee Identity Protection offers proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts. McAfee puts victims first and provides live access to fraud resolution agents who work with victims to help restore stolen identities, even from thefts that occurred prior to subscribing to McAfee’s service.

For additional tips, visit CounterIdentityTheft.com.

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee consultant and identity theft expert. See him discuss scambaiting on Fox News. (Disclosures)

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a reliable method for predicting Social Security numbers, including the first five digits, using information from social networking sites, data brokers, voter registration lists, online white pages, and the publicly available Social Security Administration’s Death Master File. This, of course, makes the last four digits vulnerable.

NBC 10 Rhode Island reports, “The lawmakers say identity thieves can often determine an entire Social Security number from just a few digits. They called the bill ‘a seemingly small, but vitally important way for government to further protect its citizens from the financial and emotional devastation of identity theft.’”

The nine-digit Social Security number is composed of three parts. The first set of three digits is the Area Number. The second set of two digits is the Group Number. The final set of four digits is the Serial Number.

The Area Number is assigned by geographical region. Prior to 1972, when cards were issued in local Social Security offices around the country, the Area Number represented the State in which the card was issued, but not necessarily the applicant’s state of residence.

The Group Number ranges from 01 to 99, but numbers are not assigned in consecutive order. For administrative reasons, odd numbers from 01 through 09 are issued first, followed by even numbers from 10 through 98.

Serial Numbers run consecutively from 0001 through 9999.

This numbering scheme was designed in 1936, before the existence of computers, primarily for the purpose of tracking Social Security benefits. It was not designed to be used as a national identification number, as it arguably is used today. And once a criminal gets your Social Security number, he has extensive access to your identity.

To avoid becoming an identity theft victim, consider subscribing to an identity theft protection service that offers proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts.

For additional tips, visit CounterIdentityTheft.com.

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee consultant and identity theft expert. See him discuss Social Security numbers as national identification on Fox News. (Disclosures)

This is all perfectly legal as long as the PC’s owner installs the software. It is illegal to install spyware on a computer that is not your own.

Spyware can be great if, for example, you want to monitor your twelve-year-old daughter who obsessively chats online, or your employees whose lack of productivity has you wondering if they’re watching YouTube all day.

Spyware also comes in the form of a virus, which essentially does the same thing. When you click a malicious link or install a program that is infected with malicious software, several different types of spyware can be installed as well.

Spyware can also take the form of a keylogger or keycatcher, a USB device similar to a USB flash drive, which can connect to a PC and piggyback the keyboard connection. Keycatchers have a made a splash in schools, where students plug them into the back of teachers’ PCs, trying to get test information ahead of time.

In England, two keyloggers were found plugged into public library computers. This would have allowed whoever planted the USB devices to access a record of activity on the compromised computers. “It’s unclear who placed the snooping devices on the machines but the likely purpose was to capture banking login credentials on the devices prior to their retrieval and use in banking fraud.”

Keep in mind that anyone with special access to a computer, including friends, family, and employees, poses the main threat. A cleaning person or security guard could always be paid to install spyware in order to record sensitive data.

Check your USB ports to make sure there are no mysterious devices attached to your PC. Prevent unauthorized password installation by password protecting the administrator account on your PC.

Only download files from trusted websites, and avoid torrents and software cracks, which are often seeded with spyware.

Never click “Agree,” “OK,” “No,” or “Yes” in a popup. Instead, hit the red X or shut down your browser by hitting Ctrl-Alt-Delete.

Keep your operating system’s security patches updated, and be sure to install the latest, most secure version of your browser. And Run McAfee Total Protection, including spyware removal.

McAfee Identity Protection includes proactive identity surveillance to monitor subscribers’ credit and personal information and access to live fraud resolution agents who can help subscribers work through the process of resolving identity theft issues. For additional tips, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee Consultant and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing spyware on Fox Boston (Disclosures)

The little girl isn’t a signer on the account, but the bank cashed the check for $29.95 made out to a porn company in her name.

“Somebody took money from me, somebody took my account number, somebody used my daughter’s name for porn,” the mother says.

According to the Colorado Banker’s Association, “any company you send a check to has enough information to steal from you… Online bill pay isn’t any safer because criminals have been known to hack into computers.”

That’s a serious statement from a bank representative. I can’t help but wonder if it was translated correctly? She went on to note that many checks were being cashed for small amounts, which doesn’t send a red flag to banks.

Consumers often overlook these smaller transactions, or “microcharges,” which are fraudulent charges ranging from 20 cents to $10. The victims of this particular scam would see the fictional merchant’s name and toll-free number on their debit or credit card statements. If they called to dispute a charge, the phone numbers would be disconnected or go straight to voicemail. Many frustrated consumers don’t even bother to dispute the charges.

This scam can often be fixed by paying attention to your statements and refuting charges within a specified time frame. You have up to 60 days, at most, depending on the nature of the card. Check with your bank.

McAfee Identity Protection includes proactive identity surveillance to monitor subscribers’ credit and personal information and access to live fraud resolution agents who can help subscribers work through the process of resolving identity theft issues. For additional tips, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee Consultant and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing child identity theft on NBC Boston (Disclosures)

He did all this using Smith’s name, which means that Smith has had to deal with the imposter’s actions from afar, as if he himself had a criminal record, was married, and on welfare. While the real Smith has no criminal record, he spent eight days in jail because of Kidd’s crimes. The real Smith has had liens placed on his home, was denied medical care, and lost his driver’s license, all because Kidd stole his identity.

When people ask, “Why would anyone steal my identity? I have no money,” I point to Kidd. When they say, “But I have bad credit,” I point to Kidd. When they say, “I don’t have a computer or credit cards. I pay cash and I don’t bank online,” I point to Kidd.

This is what identity theft looks like. Identity theft goes way beyond your computer being hacked or your credit card number being used without your permission. What happened to Larry Smith is identity theft.

Identity theft can happen to anyone.  McAfee Identity Protection, offers proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts. McAfee Identity Protection puts victims first and provides live access to fraud resolution agents who work with the victim to help restore their identity even from past theft events. For additional tips, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com.

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee Consultant and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing an identity theft pandemic on CNBC. (Disclosures)

His eight accomplices, who used the fraudulent credit accounts to spend more than $250,000, recently pled guilty to charges related to identity thefts.

This type of organized crime ring is made up of many players, including:

Kingpin: This ringleader intimidates those on the outside into acting on his behalf while he’s behind bars. His associates are primarily motivated by money, but the kingpin often relies on violence to keep them in line.

Insiders: Department store employees had access to account data. These insiders violated the trust of their employer and fed the information to the ringleader in prison.

Mules: Street level criminals who don’t mind being recorded on surveillance cameras will often use the stolen accounts to make big-ticket purchases in stores.

Store clerks: Mules often need a cohort at the register who allows a purchase to be made without checking the mule’s ID.

Fences: The fraudulently purchased merchandise end up being handled by a fence, who sells the items on the black market or trades them for drugs. Fences often interact with drug dealers, who tend to have the money for purchases.

A similar group targeted Apple stores, obtaining stolen account numbers, which they used to forge credit cards and buy laptops, iPhones, and other items. Again, a ringleader orchestrated the scheme from behind bars.

This is what we are up against: organized criminals with no consideration for the law, working in trusted positions with access to our information. You can shred all day and limit the amount of information you give out. But your identity is at risk, no matter what.

It is important to observe basic security precautions to protect your identity. However, the safety of your information with corporations and other entities that you transact business with is very often beyond your control. Consumers should consider an identity theft protection product that offer daily credit monitoring, proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts. McAfee Identity Protection includes all these features in addition to live help from fraud resolution agents if your identity is ever compromised. For more tips on protecting yourself, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee Consultant and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing identity theft on YouTube. (Disclosures)

Local identity thieves understand all too well that the money is in your mailbox. They simply open your mailbox and steal any mail that could provide an opportunity for identity theft.

Think about what comes in the mail. Bank, credit card, and financial statements. Utility, mobile phone, and membership statements. Pension, Social Security, and benefit statements. Employment, tax, and income statements. Checks, disbursements, and credit card offers.

These sensitive documents contain enough information for an identity thief to take over your existing accounts or open new accounts in your name. While some data is left off paper statements for privacy’s sake, they generally contain enough sensitive details for a thief to impersonate you over the phone in order to obtain even more details, enough to fill in the puzzle pieces of your identity.

Protect yourself by getting rid of paper statements. Electronic statements in your email inbox are eco-friendly and more manageable and secure than paper statements.

Get a mailbox with a lock. You can get a chain for under $60 at most hardware stores, which allow the carrier to put mail in the box, but requires a key to get mail out.

Get a P.O. box. Any sensitive mail that I can’t receive digitally goes to my P.O. box. A P.O. box is locked, and the only one with access is the postal carrier.

If you go more than a few days without receiving new mail, it may be getting stolen, so call the post office.

Pay attention to the delivery dates of all bills. You should know when to expect recurring mailings, so you’ll notice if they don’t arrive on schedule.

Have yourself removed from the Direct Marketing Association’s lists. Eliminate all unnecessary solicitation to minimize mail that creates a risk.

Opt out of preapproved credit card offers. Go to OptOutPrescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) and get removed now. 

McAfee Identity Protection includes proactive identity surveillance to monitor subscribers’ credit and personal information and access to live fraud resolution agents who can help subscribers work through the process of resolving identity theft issues. For additional tips, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee Consultant and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing how a person becomes an identity theft victim on CounterIdentityTheft.com (Disclosures)