Security

Identity Theft

 

Privacy and the Google PhoneBook

    Do you know that your phone number can often be used to find your name, your address, and even directions to your house, including a map (by Yahoo and MapQuest)?!

    To determine if your number is listed, go to Google, enter your full telephone number (including area code) separated by hyphens (e.g. 555-555-5555), and click on "Google Search". If your phone number is listed in telephone directories or other public records available elsewhere on the web, there is a good chance it will be in Google's database. (Usually, unlisted phone numbers and cell phone numbers are not available online.)

    To learn more about the Google PhoneBook, go to: Google's PhoneBook feature

    To be removed from the Google PhoneBook, go to: Google Phonebook removal

 

Privacy Resources:

 

Identity Theft - What to Do If It Happens To You:

 

Money Mules

    Perpetrators of online fraud (such as Phishing scams) need to cover their tracks to keep from being exposed and captured. So they find a money transfer agent, or Money Mule, to launder their stolen funds. Hiding behind sham companies, they find gillible individuals to act as their Money Mule by sending out mass email solicitations, placing newspaper ads, posting to job search websites, and responding to resumes posted online. They offer to have you act as their agent, a financial intermediary, receiving payments for them and transferring the money to their (typically overseas) account, less your commission. It all sounds too good to be true: there’s no investment, no money required, and you maintain control over all incoming and outgoing payments. For this small effort you keep a very attractive 6-7% of everything you receive. Unfortunately, when the authorities trace the trail of money, the Money Mule, having been the receiver of the stolen funds, takes the fall, and the real criminals escape.

    More Information:

    What is a Money Mule? from Bank Safe Online

    Sample Money Mule recruitment emails from Bank Safe Online

    Funds Transfer Scams from FSA's Consumer Information website

 

Anti-Fraud Organizations:

 

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