Study: ID Theft Spurs Web Privacy Concerns

Survey Finds Increase In Concerns About Internet Privacy After Years Of Decline

(AP)  Privacy concerns stemming from online shopping rose in 2007, a new study finds, as the loss or theft of credit card information and other personal data soared to unprecedented levels.

Sixty-one percent of adult Americans said they were very or extremely concerned about the privacy of personal information when buying online, an increase from 47 percent in 2006. Before last year, that figure had largely been dropping since 2001.

People who do not shop online tend to be more worried, as are newer Internet users, regardless of whether they buy things on the Internet, according to the survey from the University of Southern California's Center for the Digital Future.

The study, to be released Thursday, comes as privacy and security groups report that an increasing number of personal records are being compromised because of data breaches at online retailers, banks, government agencies and corporations.

The Identity Theft Resource Center, for instance, listed more than 125 million records reported compromised in the United States last year. That's a sixfold increase from the nearly 20 million records reported in 2006.

Data breaches often result from lost or stolen computer equipment such as laptops, though the single largest breach was a case of online hacking. Early last year, TJX Cos. disclosed that a data theft had exposed tens of millions of credit and debit cards to potential fraud.

The card numbers were typically collected during brick-and-mortar retail transactions at T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and other TJX chains. The breach is believed to have started when hackers intercepted wireless transfers of customer information at two Marshalls stores in Miami - an entry point that led the hackers to eventually break into TJX's central databases.

Nonetheless, concerns about credit card security have largely stabilized, with 57 percent very or extremely concerned last year. It was 53 percent in 2006, a difference within the survey's margin of sampling error of 3 percentage points in either direction.

As of 2007, two-thirds of adult Internet users shop online, compared with just half a year earlier. Most spend $100 or less a month, and two-thirds of online shoppers have reduced buying at brick-and-mortar stores.

"You'd think the logical attitude would be to look at this level of concern and say I'm not going to shop on the Web, but it's not happening," said Jeff Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future. "The advantages, the conveniences are so extraordinary."

With credit card fraud, a customer's liability is capped at $50, and even that amount is often waived. Customers often know of fraudulent charges quickly if they check their accounts online or are notified by their banks, which have security measures in place to flag suspicious transactions.

Identity theft, on the other hand, can take months and sometimes years to find out about and resolve, Cole said, possibly explaining the greater concern over privacy.

Among other findings in the annual survey, online parents are more likely than ever to withhold Internet use as punishment - 62 percent in 2007, compared with 47 percent a year earlier and 32 percent in 2000. For the first time, denying Internet access is on par with banning television for bad behavior.

"What we've seen over those seven years is parents really now seeing that the Internet has lots of great stuff on it and can be really important, but also can be a time waster," Cole said. "They view it much closer to the way they see television."

Nearly two-thirds of parents, meanwhile, worry about kids participating in online communities and about half believe online predators to be a threat, notwithstanding other research showing fewer youths receiving sexual solicitations over the Internet as they become smarter about where they hang out and with whom they communicate online.

"The perception is higher than reality, but the perception is significant and leads to how much access you give your kids and whether you let them (surf) unsupervised," Cole said.

Internet penetration continues to show signs of plateauing. The percentage of former users who say they have no intention of going back online continues to increase, and less than half of those who have never used the Internet plan to log on in the coming year.

Newer users are more likely than veterans to access the Internet through a dial-up connection, and newer users tend to spend an average of 1.2 hours a week more than veterans playing online games. Veterans are more likely to read a newspaper or listen to the radio over the Internet.

Twenty-one percent of Internet users have stopped a newspaper or magazine subscription because they could get it online, while half of the Americans who read a print edition of the paper said they would miss it if it were to go away.

The study of 2,021 Americans was conducted Feb. 28 to Aug. 6, with participants selected randomly by telephone.

[jjp735i]

To me shopping on line or directly at the store is a huge risk anymore (think TJ Max & others). Companies are so worried about tracking what we buy so they can sell the information for profit that they store it for long periods of time and yet do not want to spend the money needed to safe guard that information. Even our own government has shown it cannot keep peoples personal information secure. Use cash if you want privacey. Other wise your screwed.

[iceman_1960]

For information on freezing your credit, see:

http://www.consumersunion.org/campaigns//learn_more/003484indiv.html

[iceman_1960]

"Please help? What are the Websites for the Credit Agencies? How can a person contact them?"
- Posted by r9119111 at 07:33 AM : Jan 17, 2008


http://www.equifax.com/home/

http://www.transunion.com/

http://www.experiangroup.com/

[r9119111]

Please help?

What are the Websites for the Credit Agencies? How can a person contact them?

[iceman_1960]

Also, never give out personal information to "pollsters" over the phone.

"What time in the morning do you typically go to work ?"

"Is someone in your home during the day ?"

That information could be useful to a burglar.

[iceman_1960]

"There is no sure way to prevent identity theft. However, there are ways to exercise caution and spot theft.

Probably the best is a credit freeze. Using this, you close the information at the credit-reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Creditors cannot see it, so they are less likely to issue credit to a thief. You can lift the freeze temporarily if you need credit.

According to Consumer Reports, consumers in the District of Columbia and 20 states can freeze their credit reports. Those states are:

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.

In five states, only victims of identity theft can freeze their reports. Those states are:

Hawaii, Kansas, South Dakota, Texas and Washington.

Finally, consumers in Utah can freeze their reports as of Sept. 1, 2008."


- from previously posted article

[iceman_1960]

"Free reports may also be requested by phone. Call 1-877-322-8228."

Any phone number posted at an Internet website should be verified before you call it.

I recommend calling Information (411) and asking them what business or organization the number calls.

("Phishers" these days are increasingly tricky.)

[iceman_1960]

"Free credit reports

The credit-monitoring services also give you access to your credit reports. The value of even that is questionable. Under federal law, you''re entitled to a free yearly report at AnnualCreditReport.com. You do not need to sign up for credit monitoring to get those free reports.

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer advocacy organization, recommends staggering your requests from the three agencies. For example, request a report from one agency today. Then request from another agency four months later. Cycle through the agencies for a total of three free reports each year.

Free reports may also be requested by phone. Call 1-877-322-8228."

From previously posted article.

[iceman_1960]

"Tools to prevent identity theft"

http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=3017

[iceman_1960]

Complete personal credit checks are free once a year.

If someone has stolen your identity, it will show up there - e.g. credit card applications you know nothing about.

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

[alphaa10-2009]

Concerned about ID and financial theft? Worried about leaving your financial information on the computer of an internet-based seller?

Try this-- write or phone your prospective seller and demand (as a prospective customer) you be allowed the option of NOT leaving your credit card and/or other financial data with the seller. That information does not belong with anybody after the sale but the credit/debit card issuer and you.

Unfortunately, unless we consumers tell them, many credit/debit card-based internet businesses will go on blithely storing our data on their computers-- and risking attack by organized criminal groups.

Change is coming, thankfully. Local services providers like the power and telephone company are beginning to provide the "Do Not Store My Financial Data" option for their online customers. Sustained pressure from consumers will make better security happen earlier.

[bobnjersey]

[Get a proper virtualization program (e.g. vmware) and put on a free OS like FreeBSD, Linux, et al.

Install any antivirus software for it (you can never have enough security!)

Disallow file transfer capability between host OS and guest (virtualized) OS.

Use the web browser in the Linux (or whatever) session solely for sensitive needs and no aimless browsing to random sites!!

Keep passwords separated and not stored in your computer, if possible. ]
[posted by hypnotoad72 at 05:23 PM : Jan 16, 2008]

just pull the network cable out of the wall ... much easier and the network is now impenetrable.

[inventagod]

Next time some clerk asks for personal data - phone number/address/ WHISPER!

If they don''t understand, tell them you don''t want PERSONAL information shouted thru the store.

Identity theft isn''t the only danger, thirty strangers now know your home number!

[hypnotoad72]

Get a proper virtualization program (e.g. vmware) and put on a free OS like FreeBSD, Linux, et al.

Install any antivirus software for it (you can never have enough security!)

Disallow file transfer capability between host OS and guest (virtualized) OS.

Use the web browser in the Linux (or whatever) session solely for sensitive needs and no aimless browsing to random sites!!

Keep passwords separated and not stored in your computer, if possible.

No computer platform is immune, don''t let any zealot tell you their platform is safe from hackers (they''re naive fools), but avoiding human temptation and making decisions helps immensely to avoid any chances, on your computer, of getting hacked.