Identity Theft Blog Category

Latest Blog Posts

  • 72% of U.S. Adults Fear Online Identity Theft
    A recent ABC News / Washington Post poll found that seven in 10 adults are worried about falling victim to online identity theft.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 10/23/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag! Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit, personal finance, and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • Unconditional Love & Identity Theft – Would You Put Your Parent in Prison?
    "Friendly identity theft" happens when someone you know uses your personal information to apply for credit and loans in your name. Sadly, this happens more than you may think. Here's Sara's story of how her dad stole her identity and ruined her credit.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 10/9/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag! Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • Friday Grab Bag - The Evil Edition
    Some of the more interesting tidbits from the world of personal finance served up with a side of the macabre. Take a walk on the dark side of credit, debt, and identity theft with us. Just make sure to leave breadcrumbs...
  • 6 Cool iPhone Apps for Controlling Credit and Debt
    The six best credit- and debt-related apps to help you pay down debt, protect you from identity theft, and even occasionally rescue your credit card from the dinner bill.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 9/11/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag! Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit, debt, and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • 7 Advantages of Credit Cards
    We hear a lot of negative things about credit cards and why we don’t need them – but here are seven advantages that make them worth keeping in your wallet.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 8/28/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag post. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • 10 Simple, Free Ways to Protect Your Identity
    Identity theft is a real and serious problem. Fortunately, there are several basic things that you could do to reduce your chance of becoming an identity theft victim.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 8/21/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag! Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of personal finance and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • Friday Grab Bag - 8/14/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag post. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of personal finance and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • Friday Grab Bag - 8/7/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SPENDonLIFE grab bag post. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of personal finance and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • Round-Up of FTC Consumer Resources
    The Federal Trade Commission is the government agency designed to "protect America's consumers." It was created in 1914, and has gained greater and greater authority through the years. Here's a round-up of the key online resources the FTC offers you.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 7/31/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • Does Identity Theft Cause Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
    The anxiety and stress of trying to recover from identity theft can be horrific. So it’s not really a surprise to hear that some psychologists are labeling the emotional effects of severe identity theft cases as post-traumatic stress disorder.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 7/24/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SPENDonLIFE grab bag post. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of personal finance and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • When a Credit Search Hurts You
    Does shopping around for the best rate during your search for a new credit card, auto loan, or mortgage hurt you? Learn when credit inquiries affect your credit score here.
  • Beware! 15 Common Scams That Can Steal Your Money
    One of the worst things that can happen to you financially is to become the victim of a scam. The good news is that you can do a lot to protect yourself. Knowing what the most common scams are can help you to avoid becoming a victim. Here’s a look at fifteen scams that you should know about.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 7/10/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag post. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • Like a Scene From Psycho: Man Steals Dead Mom's Identity
    Irene Prusik died six years ago, but the Social Security Administration wouldn't know it, because they were never notified. Instead, Irene's son—49-year-old Thomas Prusik-Parkin—just let the Social Security payments keep on coming.
  • Identity Theft Impacts Women More Than Men
    Women lose a higher amount of money from identity theft than men, and it takes them more time to recover from the crime, says a new Affinion Security Center survey.
  • Catching the Identity Thief Doesn't Stop the Crime
    Only 1 in 700 identity thieves is ever caught. So imagine Karen’s surprise when she encountered the woman who had stolen her identity – in a Starbucks, no less.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 6/12/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag post. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • Friday Grab Bag - 6/5/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag post. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • Court Ruling: Can LifeLock Still Legally Provide Identity Theft Protection?
    A new ruling just came down this week ending (for now, at least) the legal battle between credit bureau Experian and ID theft protection company LifeLock.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 5/29/2009
    It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SpendOnLife grab bag post. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit and identity theft. Enjoy!
  • "Twitter Porn Names": Fun Social Networking Game? Or Something Darker?
    One of the latest trends to hit Twitter has been chain-mail games such as the latest "Twitter porn names" game. Seemingly innocuous, the game will gather things like your mother’s maiden name, the street where you grew up, and your first pet’s name and spit out a "porn name." Take a look at those pieces of information. What do they have in common? Look a little closer.
  • A "Self-Destruct" Option to Protect Your Personal Information
    It’s bad enough when a laptop is stolen, but the problem becomes exponentially worse if the laptop contains the sensitive information of customers or employees. A data breach can be very expensive for both the company involved and for those whose information was stolen. Luckily, though, Fujitsu/Willcom is creating a product that could ease a lot of stress for consumers.
  • Identity Thieves Now Targeting Companies, Not Just Consumers
    You may know all about personal identity theft, in which scammers pretend to be you so they can buy stuff or take out loans in your name. But identity thieves have taken the crime to the next level: corporate identity theft. Fraudsters are now stealing money by impersonating companies, not just consumers.
  • Supreme Court Ruling: ID Theft Law Can't Be Used against Illegal Immigrants
    Are illegal immigrants who use stolen and forged identification documents also identity thieves? The unanimous answer of "no" came down from the Supreme Court on Monday.
  • Round-up: Dateline Investigates Identity Theft (Part II)
    This is the second part of the NBC Dateline investigation, in which Chris Hansen and team travel to Africa and Europe in search of the real people behind the online scams.
  • Round-up: Dateline Investigates Identity Theft (Part I)
    Ever wonder who is out there selling, buying, and using stolen credit card information? These video segments show Chris Hansen and the Dateline team following the money (or the XBOX, plasma TV, or MP3 player, as the case may be). See how criminals play on innocent (though extremely gullible) people's emotions to make them links in intricate ID theft chains.
  • Is Your Business "Red Flag Rules" Compliant?
    Beginning tomorrow, May the 1st, any business that extends money, goods, or services on credit will be required to follow the Red Flag Rules. These Rules, part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, require businesses to take the lead in preventing the rampant crime of identity theft.
  • Friday Grab Bag - 4/24/2009
    Every Friday we round up interesting news tidbits, personal finance advice, and scam alerts we think you’ll find interesting or helpful. Check here each week for informative and slightly off-the-wall stories related to the economy, credit, and identity theft. You never know what you’ll find in the Friday grab bag. Enjoy!
  • What You Should Know About Medical Identity Theft
    Medical identity theft can ruin your credit and harm your health. Discover how this crime can happen, and what you should do to make sure you're not a victim.
  • Friday Grab Bag: Sign of the Times Edition
    Here's where we get to all the cool stuff that we discovered this week, from interesting news tidbits to sweet technology that we never knew existed. This week's theme is "Sign of the Times"....that is, you know you're living in 2009 if you're hearing phrases like "Saver's Remorse" and "8.9% unemployment rate," and cool items like woolly mammoths and English villages are up for sale but no one can afford them.
  • New Study: Financial Fraud Affects 7.5% of U.S. Adults
    A recent Gartner study surveyed 5,000 U.S. adults to gauge identity and financial fraud in this country, and the results were pretty astounding. Here are some of the key findings.
  • The Spend On Life Identity Theft Kit is Here!
    It’s finally here! The ultimate resource for identity theft victims is ready for download at SpendOnLife.com/idtheftkit. It contains all the crucial information that an ID theft victim needs to get over the crime and get on with their life.
  • Are Illegal Immigrants also Identity Thieves?
    Many illegal immigrants in this country are also identity thieves, at least in the eyes of the law. Ignacio Flores-Figueroa and his team of defense lawyers hope to change that.
  • Remember Those Funny Identity Theft Ads from Citi?
    Here's a round-up of those funny Citi Identity Theft commercials. Who can forget Chinese lady with a voice of a creepy bachelor, or the pair of old ladies talking like motorcycle-driving hicks?
  • Friday Grab Bag
    Here's where we get to all the cool stuff that we discovered this week, from interesting news tidbits to sweet technology that we never knew existed. You never know what you'll find in the SpendOnLife weekly grab bag. Enjoy!
  • Bypassing Biometric Security Devices
    Biometrics - the science of using our unique personal characteristics to confirm our identities - is no doubt cool. The slick technology has captured our imaginations in movies like Minority Report, Gattaca, and National Treasure, to name a few. But these same movies also point out biometrics’ vulnerabilities.
  • Real-World Biometrics
    Biometric technology isn’t quite as advanced or as accurate as Hollywood makes it out to be, but that doesn’t stop it from being used in a variety of interesting and practical ways.
  • How Much of Your Information Footprint is Left Online?
    You probably go through a lot to make sure your personal identifying information doesn’t fall into the hands of the wrong person. Your efforts may be in vain. If you’ve ever bought a house, gotten married, gotten divorced, or had a tax lien, your Social Security number could be on the internet waiting for a smart thief to come find it.
  • All about Check Washing

    Check washing is a form of identity theft that can quickly drain your bank account. Learn more about this curious and surprisingly common crime, and discover ways to protect yourself from it.

  • Latest Study Shows Identity Theft on the Rise

    The Javelin Strategy & Research Institute released its fifth annual report on identity theft this week. The results were a mixed bag...Read on for the overview.

  • Security Breach Costs at All-time High
    The cost of dealing with a company security breach is on the rise. It now takes an average of $6.6 million to repair the damage.
  • Credit Card Processor Announces Huge Data Breach

    Cybercriminals successfully hacked into Heartland Payment Systems; millions of customer records were breached.

  • Big Surprise: The IRS Doesn't Fully Protect Sensitive Taxpayer Information

    Don't assume that your personal information is safe with the IRS and other large data institutions. Start monitoring your credit today to make sure your information hasn't gotten into the wrong hands.

  • Aspiring Financial Advisor Wins $2000 SpendOnLife.com Scholarship

    Joseph McClellan, an ASU business student and personal finance blogger, wins the SpendOnLife.com $2000 blogging scholarship.

  • Visa Cards Go Hi-Tech
    To Visa, staying one step ahead of credit card fraud means developing a James-Bond-like gadget to keep in our wallets. Who knew credit cards could be more fun than they already are?
  • Raise the Red Flag: Businesses Now Required to Prevent Identity Theft
    The government is about to release its latest attack in the battle against identity theft. Find out what the Red Flag Rules are and how they benefit you.
  • Fed’s Annual Report on Identity Theft: Effective Enough?
    What is being done to protect you from America’s fastest growing crime? The 2008 Identity Theft Task Force Report reveals the government’s latest tactics against identity theft.
  • Nobody Cares if Someone Borrows Your Social Security Number
    The Federal government doesn't care. Employers don't care. Creditors don't care. Social security numbers are the "gateway drug" of identity theft. Once a thief has your digits, a world of wicked possibilities open up. So, why doesn't anyone care if you are not the only one using your SSN?