I've Been Mugged

Have A Safe, Enjoyable July 4th Holiday Weekend

2009-07-03T08:58:00-04:00

I'm taking a break. Posts will resume sometime next week. Meanwhile, feel free to read some of my favorite I've Been Mugged posts: Identity Fraud Threat and Impacts Continue For Decades Are Facebook and Twitter Really Changing Data Privacy Rules? 10 Things You Should Know To Protect Yourself From Identity...

Too Big To Fail

2009-07-02T08:58:00-04:00

This blog has covered the abuses by banks of consumers. Banks and companies that are too big to fail are simply too big. Enjoy the music video below from the Austin (Texas) Lounge Lizards:

Celebrating Two Years Online!

2009-07-01T08:58:00-04:00

Two years ago today, I started the I've Been Mugged blog. Since then, I've learned a lot about identity theft, fraud, privacy, and data breaches. This blog has been a good tool to organize my thoughts, learnings, and the online resources I've found. During the past year, a new Twitter...

Effort Vs. Security

2009-06-30T08:58:00-04:00

How To Protect Yourself Against A Rental Scam

2009-06-29T08:58:00-04:00

You've probably heard about in on the news. It is a variation of the Craig's List check scam I wrote about previously, but this scam affects both landlords and renters. I encourage you to watch this ABC News video (an advertisement plays first): To avoid getting "mugged" via a rental...

Log-in Credentials Breach At Several Corporations

2009-06-28T17:58:00-04:00

Who said banks' web sites are bullet-proof? SC Magazine reported: "A trojan has reportedly been uncovered that is harvesting FTP login data of major corporations, including the Bank of America, BBC, Amazon, Cisco, Monster.com, Symantec and McAfee. According to a report in the Friday edition of The Register, Jacques Erasmus,...

Michael Jackson: A Life of Great Creativity & Very Human Challenges

2009-06-27T23:10:07-04:00

[Editor's Note: today's blog post is by guest author William Seebeck. During the 1980's, Bill and I worked together at Lexis-Nexis in Dayton, Ohio. Bill has a wealth of experience in online systems, banking, publishing, and public relations. Bill also blogs at Seebeck's View.] By Bill Seebeck I can still...

Identity Theft Humor

2009-06-26T08:58:00-04:00

The identity theft and data breach topics I write about can be scary at times. It is not all doom and gloom though: c

Are Defaults On Student Loans The Next Financial Bubble to Burst?

2009-06-25T08:58:00-04:00

There are several posts in this blog about how banks are "mugging" consumers with higher credit card interest rates, lower card limits, increased minimums, and other fees. There is a debate about whether these changes, the high cost of college, and the recession will push many consumers to default on...

Are Facebook And Twitter Really Changing Data Privacy Rules?

2009-06-24T08:58:00-04:00

There's a pretty good commentary by Michael Fitzgerald in ComputerWorld Norway: "CIOs generally don't care about privacy," says Peter Milla, former CIO and chief privacy officer at Survey Sampling International (SSI). Milla says most CIOs either focus on technology, or regard privacy as outside their domain, the province of a...

10 Things You Should Know To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

2009-06-23T08:58:00-04:00

Over at WalletPop, there's a good list of tips for consumers about how to avoid identity theft and fraud: 1. Thieves don't need your credit card number in order to steal it. Conversely, they don't need your credit card in order to steal your identity. 2. The non-financial personal information...

The NAI Behavioral Advertising Opt-out Mechanism: Good or Bad?

2009-06-22T08:58:00-04:00

Thanks to rcalo for alerting me to this site. If you have read this blog over the past year, then you know that I have written a lot about behavioral advertising (BA). My interest in BA is partly because some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have attempt to use a form...