Which firms have the most ID theft victims?
Posted: Friday, February 29 at 05:00 am CT by Bob Sullivan
Who's to blame for the ID theft epidemic? Surprisingly, given all the attention the subject receives, we know strikingly little about the root causes of the problem. ID theft is often called the fastest-growing crime in America, but there's precious little research into which companies have the worst security measures and which suffer the most data leaks.
Researcher Chris Hoofnagle thinks it's high time we started pointing fingers.
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Want a better credit card rate? Just ask
Posted: Tuesday, February 26 at 05:00 am CT by Bob Sullivan
If interest rates are going down, why are credit card rates going up? Consumers around the country are undoubtedly asking that question after receiving notices from many major issuers with some very bad news: their credit card rates are about to rise -- in some cases more than tripling.
But consumers don’t have to put up with it. Kevin McPhail of Austin got his Texas-sized rate increase lowered recently by calling to complain -- but only through old-fashioned persistence. His story, experts say, highlights an important lesson for credit card users: If at first you don't succeed, try, try to lower your rate again.
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Do rental car firms profit from unpaid tolls?
Posted: Friday, February 22 at 05:00 am CT by Bob Sullivan
Add this to the list of hidden fees you need to worry about when renting a car: an unpaid tolls collection charge. Rental car companies are collecting hefty fees from consumers who drive through electronic toll collection booths without paying -- in some cases nearly 10 times the amount of the original toll.
For example, Advantage Rent A Car customers who accidentally drive through electronic toll booths on roads like the new Texas Highway 121, which has no human toll collectors, without the proper equipment can expect to eventually receive a bill stating that they owe the state 60 cents – and $5 to a company named Violation Management Services. At Avis, drivers who do the same can be billed $25 for each transgression, in addition to the toll charge.
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Experian sues LifeLock, alleges fraud
Posted: Wednesday, February 20 at 04:01 pm CT by Bob Sullivan
Credit bureau Experian is suing the identity theft prevention firm LifeLock, accusing it of deception and fraud in its familiar advertising campaign, which includes a spot in which CEO Todd Davis reveals his Social Security number and then brags about the effectiveness of the company’s protections.
In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on Feb. 13, Experian contends that LifeLock's advertising is misleading and that the firm is breaking federal law in the way it goes about protecting consumers.
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A lost laptop, a $54 million lawsuit
Posted: Friday, February 15 at 10:28 am CT by Bob Sullivan
How much compensation does a consumer deserve for the loss of a laptop computer loaded with personal information? Raelyn Campbell figures it’s $54 million -- if you throw in a little extra for lost time and frustration.
Six months after bringing a damaged laptop computer into a Best Buy electronics store for repairs, and three months after the firm admitted losing it, Campbell filed the whopper of a lawsuit recently in Washington, D.C., Superior Court.
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A lost laptop, a $54 million lawsuit: part 2
Posted: Friday, February 15 at 10:25 am CT by Bob Sullivan
Raelyn Campbell's tale of frustration over her lost laptop has generated a high volume of comments, so the original story and the comments it solicited have been moved to this page to provide readers with easier access.
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Beware unexpected e-Valentines, FBI says
Posted: Wednesday, February 13 at 05:33 pm CT by Bob Sullivan
When the FBI issues a press release about Valentine's Day, you can guess it’s not good news.
The feds are warning Internet users about electronic Valentines that are booby-trapped with a computer virus. Computer security firms confirm that they have seen many variations of the virus, which often arrives in e-mail bearing loving subject lines like ‘You Stay In My Heart" and "Hugs And Kisses." The e-mail instructs users to follow a link and pick up an electronic greeting card.
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New cyber-trick: search engine spam
Posted: Friday, February 8 at 05:00 am CT by Bob Sullivan
Some e-mail and Google users might not feel quite so lucky right now. Search engine spam is the latest technique for getting unwanted online advertisements in front of Internet users’ eyes, and it appears to be an overnight success. The key to this new trick, researchers say, is outwitting Google’s “I’m Feeling Lucky” feature.
With traditional spam finally losing traction among e-mail users, spammers have stepped up their pace of innovation. Last year, they adopted new techniques like image spam, .pdf spam and even audio spam. These disappeared as quickly as they came. But starting in January, spammers began flooding inboxes with a new kind of spam that uses a much simpler form of deception. In the body of these e-mails, recipients see what looks like a link to Google search results -- and in fact, that's what it is. There's trouble, however, on the other side of that link.
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