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Identity Theft

Gotchas / Consumer

IRS warns tax return ID theft a ‘growth industry’

January 8, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

The IRS tries very hard to send out tax refunds quickly, so it sometimes sends them to the wrong person. Criminals have figured this out, and increasingly try to jump between you and your tax refund. They do this by filing a tax return before you do.  Your solution: File [Keep reading]

Cybercrime / Privacy

A credit freeze? Bad advice — and everything else you need to know about Target hack, day 2

December 20, 2013 Bob Sullivan 1

Not so fast, everyone: Boiling water doesn’t help a woman giving birth, and putting a credit freeze on your credit report won’t stop a hacker from buying things with a credit card stolen from Target. Here’s an update on what we know, what you should do, and some ideas about [Keep reading]

Identity Theft

How many people would give up their SSN for a good deal?

December 12, 2013 Bob Sullivan 0

Online shopping growth continues to defy gravity, with an estimated $1.7 billion spent on Cyber Monday last week — an 18% jump from 2012. And why not? Digital shoppers beat the crowds, never fight for parking, usually get the best prices, and often escape sales tax. But if you’re going to be [Keep reading]

Identity Theft

One-quarter of Millennials say their smartphone is their bank

December 5, 2013 Bob Sullivan 0

Nearly one-quarter of young Americans bank primarily by smartphone, claims a new survey released by Ally Bank. In a telephone poll taken in September, 23 percent of Americans aged 18-34 said they were “primarily using mobile devices” to do their banking, up from 15 percent last year.  Add in other [Keep reading]

Identity Theft

What does the NSA think of your personal life? =) Why Uncle Sam is just another hacker now

October 31, 2013 Bob Sullivan 1

If you want to know what some folks in the federal government think of your privacy, just look at that smiley face. If you want to know what stands between your personal life becoming public — well, it’s that smiley face. And when future generations scream at us because we [Keep reading]

Identity Theft

Major ID crime ring mastermind bought data from broker recently acquired by credit bureau Experian

October 21, 2013 Bob Sullivan 0

When the Justice Department announced last week that it had indicted a Vietnamese national for allegedly masterminding an identity theft marketplace, it left out a crucial detail — where suspect Hieu Minh Ngo obtained the data dossiers he sold on 500,000 victims during a five-year crime spree. Thanks to security [Keep reading]

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About me

BOB SULLIVAN is a veteran journalist and the author of four books, including the 2008 New York Times Best-Seller, Gotcha Capitalism, and the 2010 New York Times Best Seller, Stop Getting Ripped Off! His latest, The Plateau Effect, was published in 2013, and as a paperback, called Getting Unstuck in 2014. He has won the Society of Professional Journalists prestigious Public Service award, a Peabody award, and The Consumer Federation of America Betty Furness award, and been given Consumer Action’s Consumer Excellence Award.

Bob Sullivan