Recent data leaks have everyone spooked, especially celebrities. There’s so much worry that I had a brief exchange with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban last night on Twitter. Cuban, it turns out, tells me he did a bit of self “penetration test” (or pentesting as its also known) on his [Keep reading]
A new, brazen fraud begins with a twist: Instead of losing money, consumers get money, which is unexpectedly deposited into their checking account. But the surprise windfall turns into a big headache, and even bigger bills, the CFPB says in a lawsuit disclosed Wednesday. The cash comes from a payday lender owned [Keep reading]
Home Depot announced Thursday afternoon that hackers who stole data from the chain managed to steal 56 million credit and debit card account numbers before they were discovered. The criminals used never-before-seen, custom-made malware, the firm said in a statement. It’s now completed cleaning the malicious software from its systems, [Keep reading]
WASHINGTON D.C. — What if we treated data with the same scrutiny as people? When a consumer applies for a loan or a job, firms uses massive databases and can consider thousands of data points when they assess the integrity of that person. But what if consumers could, in equal [Keep reading]
I was on the TODAY show this morning and didn’t even know it. Neat! it was taped months ago, but better late than never. The tips and topics are all still relevant, maybe moreso in the post Home-Depot world. Would you walk into a coffee shop wearing a sign with [Keep reading]
Credit or debit? The answer is credit. Always, whenever possible. And by credit, I mean put away that piece of plastic you can use to get money at the ATM and pull out your credit card. We’re about to find out why this is so important. Criminals are using debit [Keep reading]
If technology exists that could stop scammy robocalls before they pester and cheat Americans, why don’t phone companies use it? That’s the crux of a letter sent today by 38 state attorneys general to the Federal Communications Commission. Software with names like NoMoRobo, Call Control, and Telemarketing Guard is capable of [Keep reading]
Home Depot shoppers, check your credit card bills. The home improvement giant confirmed Monday it was hit by credit card hackers. While information is still scarce, it’s clear the hack will have a huge footprint. Here’s the relevant part of the firm’s statement: “Last Tuesday, September 2, we disclosed that [Keep reading]
There is a long, long, history of tragedy around not believing victims of domestic violence. I could pick a million data points, but one should suffice: Here is testimony from a woman named Amy Castillo who couldn’t get a protective order against her estranged husband even after he threatened to [Keep reading]
I love when scammers call or write to me. I wish they’d do it more often; it feels kind of like Christmas. I finally got the faux Windows support call just now. I got a *little* bit more detail from the unsuspecting scammer (and his manager) which I’ll happily share. [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan