I've Been Mugged

South Shore Hospital To Pay $750,000 In 2010 Breach Settlement

2012-05-25T12:50:01-04:00

Yesterday, South Shore Hospital and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office both announced a settlement agreement regarding the hospital's 2010 data breach. the breach exposed the sensitive personal and medical information of 800,000 current and former patients, plus patients at Harbor Medical Associates and South Shore Physician Hospital Organization. In February...

Data Breach At Experian Credit Reporting Service

2012-05-21T09:58:00-04:00

Experian has notified the New Hampshire Department of Justice of data breach where unauthorized third parties may have obtained consumers credit reports. The company discovered the breach in February 2012 and began notifying affected consumers on May 17, 2012. The breach notice did not disclose the number of consumers affected....

Data Breach At Pantone.com

2012-05-18T09:58:00-04:00

In an April 10, 2012 letter, X-Rite Inc. notified the State of California Attorney General of a data breach where hackers accessed a Pantone.com website server on or about February 6, 2012.The breach notice did not disclose the number of records accessed/stolen, nor the exact method the hackers used. The...

5 Things You Should Know About Prepaid Cards

2012-05-17T09:58:00-04:00

Right now, there probably are three different types of plastic in your wallet or purse. Each type has different rules, disclosures, government regulations, and fees. So, wise consumers use the best type of plastic instead of cash. Most consumers are familiar with credit cards and debit cards -- the first...

Data Breach At Choice Hotels

2012-05-15T09:58:00-04:00

Since I started this blog almost five years ago, I've written about a variety of data breaches, where sensitive customer and employee information was stolen. Sometimes, the breach involved hackers breaking into a company's website server. Often, it included the theft of a laptop computer or flash drive left in...

Data Breach At Opening Ceremony

2012-05-14T09:58:00-04:00

BankInfo Security reported details of a data breach at Opening Ceremony, a New York-based clothing and shoe retailer. Hackers inserted malicious software on the company's website server. The data stolen included the payment card information of customers who purchased products online between Feb. 16 and March 21. the company has...

Consumer Reports Reviews Facebook And How To Use It Safely

2012-05-10T09:58:00-04:00

If you haven't read it, there is a good review by Consumer Reports of the Facebook social networking website. The news media has focused on some of the controversial aspects of the report. For example, CNN reported, like many other news organizations, the survey finding that about 25 percent of...

6 Threats That Target Consumers' Mobile Devices

2012-05-09T09:58:00-04:00

If you think that identity thieves and scam aartists have not already targeted your favorite mobile devices, then think again. Dark Reading reported about siz specific threats that target popular mobile devices: "1. Zitmo - One of the most successful banking Trojans of all time, Zeus, made the jump from...

FTC Seeks Information From The Public About How Identity Theft Impacts Elders

2012-05-07T09:58:00-04:00

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seeks information from the public about how identity theft and fraud impact senior citizens. According to the Bureau of Justice statistics, 11.7 million people, about 5 percent of the population ages 16 or older, were victims of identity theft between 2006 and 2008. The...

The 3 Horsemen Of the Apocalypse

2012-05-04T09:58:00-04:00

Learn more about the impacts of "Big Money."

Report Analyzes Breach Notifications Affecting Massachusetts Residents

2012-04-30T08:58:00-04:00

Last week, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR) released its findings from an analysis of four years of data breach notifications reported to the state. A chief finding was that sensitive data often was not encrypted. Any businesses or entities storing consumers' personal information has been...

Slamming And Your Home Energy Bills

2012-04-25T09:58:00-04:00

Recently, an I've Been Mugged reader wrote asking me about what to do with their home energy bill. The reader was concerned that they had been "slammed" -- their energy supplier had been switched without their approval. When thinking about situations like this, it is important for consumers to understand...