| Q: I recently received an email that supposedly came | | | | asking the person to provide it through fraudulent |
| from eBay that said someone had attempted to log | | | | means, like a fake email. |
| into my eBay business account without authorization | | | | While most people are familiar with identity theft, most |
| (whatever that means). The email instructed me to | | | | business men and women never think about it |
| click a link to re-enter and confirm my account | | | | happening to them, at least on a professional level. |
| information to make sure that my account had not | | | | Consider this: if a criminal can learn your business |
| been hacked. Being naturally paranoid I contacted | | | | checking account number or the number of your |
| eBay directly and found that my account had not been | | | | company credit card, they can steal far more from |
| hacked and that this email was actually from someone | | | | your business than if they had simply knocked down |
| trying to steal my eBay account information. Is there | | | | the door and carted off your desk. |
| nothing that can be done about this kind of thing? -- | | | | Here are a few ways to protect you from business |
| Wesley C. | | | | and personal identity theft. |
| A: The only thing you can do, Wesley, is be thankful | | | | ? Never give out your first name, last name, business |
| that your paranoia kicked in because you were about | | | | name, email address, account passwords, credit card |
| to fall victim to just one of the latest attempts by | | | | numbers, bank account information, PIN number, social |
| thieves to steal your personal and credit card | | | | security number, or driver?s license number. |
| information. | | | | ? Change your online account passwords every 30 |
| As you discovered, the email you received was not | | | | days. Believe it or not, a hacker who steals your |
| from eBay, but from someone using a forged email | | | | personal information can often guess your online |
| address that gave the impression that the email was | | | | account passwords in about two minutes. If your |
| really from eBay. If you had clicked the link to ?re-enter | | | | Charles Schwab online account password is your |
| and confirm? your personal and credit card information, | | | | birthday or the name of your first born or family pet, |
| you would have been taken to a website that | | | | count on a hacker cracking that code faster than you |
| probably looked a lot like eBay, but was really a fake | | | | can say ?Open Sesame.? |
| site created for the sole purpose of stealing your | | | | ? Never provide personal information in response to an |
| information. You would have been instructed to enter | | | | email or telephone call. Just because someone calls |
| your eBay account information and other personal | | | | and says they are from Dunn & Bradstreet and |
| information, including your social security number, | | | | need to confirm your business information does not |
| checking and savings account information, driver?s | | | | mean they are really from Dunn & Bradstreet. |
| license number, and credit card number. In the end you | | | | ? Never give your business credit card number over |
| would have supplied the thieves with everything they | | | | the phone to place an order with someone who has |
| need to steal your identity. | | | | called you unsolicited. If you are interested in what they |
| The eBay scam is just the latest in a long line of | | | | are selling get their number, check out their company, |
| sophisticated attempts to steal personal information | | | | then call them back to place the order. |
| through online means. Customers of PayPal, Amazon, | | | | If you think that you have become the victim of identity |
| Dell Computer, eTrade, Bank One, and many other | | | | theft or think someone is trying to steal your identity or |
| online merchants have been the target of such scams | | | | personal information you should report them |
| in recent years. | | | | immediately to the Federal Trade Commission. You will |
| The shear number of eBay customers is the main | | | | find more information on their website at |
| reason that eBay has become the most popular | | | | For more information on what to do if identity theft |
| target of scam artists trying to steal personal | | | | happens to you visit |
| information from individuals and businesses alike. | | | | You should also remember that no reputable online |
| As we talked about way back in 2003, thanks to the | | | | company will ever ask you to log in and completely |
| Internet, stealing someone?s identity has never been | | | | re-enter your account information. Think about it. They |
| easier. At any given moment, there are thousands of | | | | already have this information. Why would they ask you |
| Internet thieves using all manner of high tech wizardry | | | | to provide it again? The answer is: they wouldn?t. |
| in an attempt to steal personal and business | | | | Be careful out there. |
| information from unsuspecting souls, and many times | | | | Here? |
| they can gain access to this information simply by | | | | |