What's several thousand credit card numbers between friends?
Filed under: Fraud, Identity Theft
I've always believed that Google is your friend, and it is especially friendly when it's telling you that 19,000 credit card numbers are freely available on the internet. That's what happened to someone in Australia, who received a strange-looking Google Alert.
The alert was triggered by a name that was within a list of about 19,000 credit card numbers and personal information. When the person realized that thousands of credit card numbers were there for the taking on the world wide web, he tried to report it to Visa and Mastercard. Their response? None.
Again and again we hear stories of poor security leading to the compromise of thousands of credit card numbers, along with vital information. This data breach didn't just include credit card numbers, it also offered names, addresses, expiration dates, and the CVV numbers from the backs of the credit cards.
Identity theft is a rapidly growing crime, and those entrusted with our data don't seem all that bothered by the fact that our personal details are floating around out there. It's clear that we can't trust companies to watch out for us, so we need to watch out for ourselves. My advice is to keep tabs on your bank accounts and credit cards, checking them online at least once a week to make sure there's no unauthorized activity.
In addition, you should take advantage of the free credit reports you can get at annualcreditreport.com. These are truly free (and not part of some clever gimmick by a company wanting to profit from identity theft paranoia) and you can space out ordering the three reports you're entitled to during the year. Be as proactive as possible in monitoring your credit so that if your identity is stolen, you'll find out quickly and minimize the damage that you have to clean up.
Forensic accountant Tracy Coenen investigates corporate fraud and consumer scams, and is the author of Expert Fraud Investigation and Essentials of Corporate Fraud.
The alert was triggered by a name that was within a list of about 19,000 credit card numbers and personal information. When the person realized that thousands of credit card numbers were there for the taking on the world wide web, he tried to report it to Visa and Mastercard. Their response? None.
Again and again we hear stories of poor security leading to the compromise of thousands of credit card numbers, along with vital information. This data breach didn't just include credit card numbers, it also offered names, addresses, expiration dates, and the CVV numbers from the backs of the credit cards.
In addition, you should take advantage of the free credit reports you can get at annualcreditreport.com. These are truly free (and not part of some clever gimmick by a company wanting to profit from identity theft paranoia) and you can space out ordering the three reports you're entitled to during the year. Be as proactive as possible in monitoring your credit so that if your identity is stolen, you'll find out quickly and minimize the damage that you have to clean up.
Forensic accountant Tracy Coenen investigates corporate fraud and consumer scams, and is the author of Expert Fraud Investigation and Essentials of Corporate Fraud.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
3-24-2009 @ 6:08AM
Greg Gebhardt said...
Your three credit reports should be available FREE and online at all times with no fees!
Alot of these article are just scare tactics by the credit provider and AOL to get you to pay $20 a month!
This should be free for the asking!
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 8:10AM
Anita said...
Do NOT get roped into freecreditreport.com which is cleverly advertised on TV with catchy songs. This service will charge your credit card every month for the rest of your days! They want you to think it is the report you are entitled to.
The credit report you are entitled to every year free of charge is at annualcreditreport.com
Signed,
Been there, done that
3-24-2009 @ 8:17AM
Anita said...
PS- By the way, if you make the mistake of falling for this,
your credit card statement will have a fee from "Triple Advantage".
3-24-2009 @ 9:08AM
Tracy Coenen said...
Greg - This isn't any sort of scare tactic, nor is this article written to get you to buy anything. I strongly advise AGAINST purchasing any of these credit monitoring services or other gimmicks being sold. They're not worth anything!
3-24-2009 @ 10:57AM
Lin said...
To Greg,...I didn't feel this article was a scare tactic, as this is what our world has come to. The article did say too, that you can contact the credit bureaus for your Free report. It was not promoting to buy anything. To B..that works in a dpt store & asks for ID. Thank you for doing so. and though I don't get asked enough, I do thank the person for doing so, when done.
3-24-2009 @ 12:21PM
Kathy said...
I agree... they should be free..
3-24-2009 @ 12:56PM
krissi said...
hey greg,
yes credit reports should be free. and they are if you have been turned down for a loan in about ten states. mine state isn't one of those 10. my identity was stolen 5 yrs ago before i even had a computer. my mortgage company saw them but since i was putting down more than half the price of the home they hide the bad credit cards report from me and gave me a loan for 30yrs and unfixed and now tells me no for any equity loans because of bad credit cards. i was told to wait them out. i used free credit report and you get only one report not all three and cancel with in 10 days which i did.
4-09-2009 @ 9:27AM
honestlyfarmer said...
Hello
3-24-2009 @ 6:21AM
GB said...
Watch your statements like a hawk. Don't put your info. out there. Don't even trust family, so called "friends" or workman in your home, unless everything is under lock and key AND you are there to monitor them. SAD BUT TRUE.
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 6:38AM
jessica said...
you can go to annualcreditreport.com and get free credit reports once a year from all 3 bureaus completely free of charge. i get mine every year. it is the only one completely free with no strings attached.
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 6:45AM
Hugh said...
A commercial to sell you a credit reporting service, posing as a news item. This is what AOL has come to - yellow journalism. It's disgusting and we should all boycott AOL until they stop with the misleading headlines. Also, for all the "pop" this site contains, it should be called Wallet Poop! F U, AOL.
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 8:46AM
Babs said...
I agree! I am so tired of clicking on things aol puts on the welcome screen only to find I have to click on yet another page and each of these pages takes forever to come up waiting for their ads to upload and finally, there's really nothing there that says any more than the original hype line. This one for example, it does mention the name of the company, but says nothing about what it is, does or how this breach happened or any other info about it. And that's what I wanted to know.
3-24-2009 @ 9:33AM
Tracy Coenen said...
Sorry Hugh, but it's not a commercial for anything. If you read carefully, you'll see I advise consumers to monitor their own credit FOR FREE. The stupid credit monitoring services are worthless, and therefore not mentioned or endorsed in this article.
3-24-2009 @ 2:58PM
Heather said...
Did you READ the article? There is nothing in the article that says to PAY for your credit report. EVERYONE can get a free credit report once a year. Pay attention and read closely before you make a stupid comment.
3-24-2009 @ 3:29PM
kim said...
Well aol hit right on the nose i should know visa told me i was one of the people on that list. so if aol puts a add in there story so what there just trying to help. you dont have to us aol but to let you know all internet companys puts one type or another in there storys.
3-24-2009 @ 7:36AM
seawitch1313 said...
Yes you can get a free credit report once a year, but if you are worried or you want to check more often, just go to the seperate sites (Trans Union, Equifax, Experian) and use any company name and say youve been denied credit. The 3 dont check or dont have a way to check before you get a free report for denial of credit. I do it all the time it works. Altho I think its Equifax that will send it snail mail.
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 9:20AM
Mini said...
Lifelock!
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 8:25AM
DanInDixie said...
Lifelock? You gotta be kidding me. Read the details of the contract.
Get a book called "The Silent Crime" or one called "If You are Me, then Who Am I?" written by experts on the subject.
The president of Experian said on national TV that checking your credit report once a year was like using your smoke alarm only on the weekends - a good idea, but nothing close to complete protection.
Lifelock is a joke and a ripoff.
3-24-2009 @ 8:43AM
b said...
I work in a dept. store and 95% of people who pay with credit cards throw a shit fit when you ask to verify their I.D. Even if you tell them it's for both the safety of the store and them they don't care. So people, wise up. Eventually you are gonna get what you deserve. Also, a lot of people get ripped of because they are too lazy to balance their checking statement every month. It's very easy for fraudulent bank charges to go unnoticed when they are small enough to fly under the radar. They add up to a lot of money after a while. Make the effort to protect yourself. Don't be so lazy and pony up your I.D. when asked, and check your bank statement monthly.
Reply
3-24-2009 @ 10:57AM
Gordon said...
Next to my signature on all of my credit cards I have printed the statement "Request ID". I used to get onto retailers who did not do so LOL! ;-)