9 clever ways thieves steal your identity

By Mark Jones  December 13, 2019

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In the increasingly connected digital world, the threat of having your identity stolen is greater than ever. Things are really bad out there.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen every year. It’s one of the fastest-growing crimes in the U.S. today.

Identity theft isn’t just someone stealing your credit card or rifling through your mail. Criminals are getting more sophisticated and have come up with plenty of ways to rip us off.

That’s why we found nine clever ways thieves can steal your identity. Use this information to avoid these pitfalls and stay protected.

1. Be careful what you share

We live in a generation of oversharing. People have been oversharing the details of their personal lives on reality TV shows for years.

These days, it seems everyone shares everything on social media platforms like Facebook. It’s often innocent oversharing, like your friend who “checks in” to every restaurant so you always know where she is and what she’s eating.

Unfortunately, it’s easy to overshare with hackers, too. How often do you mindlessly click through buttons that say, “Allow Access?” If you’re playing an online game or entering a contest, it’s understandable because you want a chance to win.

But stop and think about what you’re doing before you give away your information. Plus, you should NEVER post your address or other personal information on social media sites. Platforms like Facebook are too careless with our privacy as it is, and you don’t want your sensitive information in the wrong hands.

2. Do you remember MySpace?

Remember MySpace accounts? From about 2005 to 2008 it was the most popular social media site in the world. Not so much anymore.

Most MySpace users have moved on to newer, more popular sites. Unfortunately, many forgot to delete their accounts.

Leaving old accounts active like this can be a security nightmare. Think about all the personal information you have just sitting there, waiting to be scavenged by cybercriminals. Let’s face it, Tom from MySpace probably isn’t keeping up with security protocols.

MySpace isn’t the only old account to worry about, there are many others as well. It’s critical to be proactive and delete all of your old accounts you no longer use.

Thankfully, there is a site that can help make the process easy. It’s called AccountKiller and will help you wipe the slate clean. Tap or click here to learn more about AccountKiller and easily get rid of those old accounts.

3. Some things are supposed to stay between you and your doctor

According to a survey by security company Carbon Black, a frightening 84% of healthcare organizations say they have seen an increase of cyberattacks over the past year. Cybercriminals have been targeting hospitals and clinics due to the sheer amount of data these places store.

It’s not all just patient information, either. There’s also data on doctors and insurance companies. Stolen information is sold on the Dark Web and ranges mostly from forgeries to health insurance credentials.

4. Do you know where that email came from?

When criminals first started sending phishing emails, they were pretty easy to spot. Tons of grammatical and spelling errors tipped us off to the fact that no, our banks couldn’t possibly have sent that message.

However, today’s crooks have learned that lesson and are now sending professional looking messages. They spoof logos that look so real they can be difficult for even experts to spot.

The most important rule to outsmarting phishing scams is to avoid clicking malicious links. That means you shouldn’t click on web links or open PDF attachments found in unsolicited email messages — ever. 

If you need to conduct business with a company, it’s always best to type its web address directly into your browser. Never trust a link inside a message.

5. Sometimes easier doesn’t mean safer

Shopping online is super convenient and takes out all the hassles associated with heading to the mall. But, have you ever heard of e-skimming?

It’s when your credit card information is skimmed by a criminal while you’re buying stuff online. You don’t even know it’s happening until it’s too late.

This epidemic is getting worse as hackers have figured out how to skim credit cards from ordinary online retailers without being detected. They do this by using tricky bits of code while they lie in wait and capture your data as you’re typing it in. Tap or click here to learn more about this type of scam.

6. Stay off those unsecured networks

One of the biggest mistakes people make is connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Sure, everyone wants to save on data, but joining a public Wi-Fi network at the coffee shop or airport is a terrible idea.

Crooks are always trolling these public networks, watching and waiting for new victims to can rip off. If you must use a public network, always use a VPN when you connect.

7. Saving money on tech could cost you more in the long run

Shelling out over a grand for the latest and greatest smartphone isn’t very economical. But if you are using a super old device that can’t support updates, you could be putting your personal data at risk.

That’s because many operating system updates come with critical security patches that keep crooks from stealing your information. Without these patches, you’re a serious contender for identity theft, which could wind up costing you more than what you’d pay for a new phone.

If you don’t need the top of the line smartphone, there are less expensive options. Tap or click here to learn about the 7 best phones that cost under $400.

8. Old school tricks still work

Though criminal have sophisticated hacking tools at their disposal, there are old-fashioned spying tricks that still work to this day.

We’re talking about the common thief rummaging through your trash, hoping to find personal information you may have written down and thrown away. Take the time to shred any sensitive documents before carelessly throwing them in the trash.

Also, be careful of what you say out loud. If you’re in public making a payment over the phone and reading your credit card information out loud can lead to eavesdroppers stealing that data.

9. Can you really trust Uncle Phil?

It’s sad we have to mention this, but unfortunately we must. It’s not just hackers who could steal your identity. It could be a family member or friend.

That’s why it’s very important to keep passwords and important documents in a safe place. Don’t just leave things with information like Social Security numbers and banking information sitting around the house. Always hide your information to protect your bank accounts and identity.

Do ELDs Improve Safety?

The research says that the ELD mandate does not currently improve safety – this is according to Alex Scott of Northeastern University, Andre Balthop of the University of Arkansas, and Jason Miller of Michigan State University.

Alex Scott led a team that evaluated inspection and crash data from the FMCSA. The research shows that the widespread adoption of ELDs had no measurable impact on the number of accidents. In that same 2 year timeframe, Hours of Service violations decreased by 51.7%.

Unsafe driving infractions have increased for small carriers and owner operators.

“Our research also provides another example of how policy interventions are fraught with uncertainty in complex systems with many interconnections and possible feedbacks,” the report states.

These offsetting results, the researchers say, could have been predicted. The authors found that even before the ELD mandate, drivers were heavily incentivized to avoid accidents, and this didn’t change after the ELD mandate. The ELD mandate was designed to reduce driver fatigue, a cause of some accidents, but it failed to encourage other safe driving behaviors, and may have actually increased unsafe driving behaviors.

“Given the legal liabilities involved with being in a crash when outside hours-of-service limits, drivers are incentivized to be extra cautious when driving beyond limits. The ELD mandate has not done much to change the driver calculus in this respect, and so it is perhaps not surprising that we fail to uncover significant accident reductions,” the paper concludes.

Read the research paper in its entirety here; https://jbatelematics.com/didtheelectronicloggingdevicemandatereduceaccidents/

What Now?

You’ve installed an Electronic Logging Device (ELD) that you think best fit your needs. Maybe you wanted low cost. Maybe you wanted to leverage your drivers’ phones. Maybe you saw some cool feature. We are now a year in to this new ELD mandate. Perhaps you’ve seen no change. Compliance is the same but the administration seems to takes more time. Safety is the same. Dispatch is the same. Costs are higher.

You are not alone. We now know that in spite of the increased Hours of Service compliance with mandatory ELDs, accident rates are trending in the wrong direction.

You’ve checked the box for “ELD compliance”. Now let’s consider what comes next.

Fleet technology is nothing new. I’ve been involved in fleet technology since 1988, and there were those before me. Rockwell International started the movement in 1978 when they presented a National Academy of Sciences paper on a new device called a Tripmaster. By 1981, telematics was a product – even if it wasn’t called that. If you read “The Long Haul to Success” by JB Hunt, he credits this technology with growing his business. He took advantage of the chaos in the wake of the 1980’s deregulation environment. He found a way to cut costs and create predictability in his operations. I was there, as an owner-operator that lost business to JB Hunt. Once I figured out why I was losing my good loads, I decided to change careers and join the new telematics movement.

Can you do the same thing today? We have a disrupted environment. ELDs have changed operations more than expected. Good drivers are hard to find. Is this an opportunity or a reason to hunker down and pretend it’s all OK?

With the right information, it’s not as difficult as you might think to improve your operations. One of my clients and good friends looked at a long haul route from the east cost to the midwest. Drivers were driving as fast as the trucks would allow – 70 MPH. They were stopping for fuel, stopping again for breaks, and taking long breaks when they stopped. He incentivized his drivers to slow down 10 MPH and added approved fuel stops as part of their digital route – building in rest time at each fuel stop. The result was an increase of 1 MPG, and an increase in on time deliveries.

Let’s discuss how the right technology can give you good information. Some areas to look at for return on investment;

Fuel. Alternative fuels are not just about being green or pure fuel cost per mile – although both are important. It’s also about down time. Many of our customers report lower maintenance costs with the absence of diesel engines’ aftertreatment systems. How do you measure down time? What is the impact on your operations in terms of time and miles when a truck goes down?

Fuel consumption. Even with lower fuel costs, the 2018 ATRI report tells us fuel costs are 22% of an average fleet’s total operational costs. Even in today’s electronic trucks, the ATA’s Technology and Maintenance Council tells us a driver can affect fuel economy by up to 35% based in his or her driving habits.

• Efficient Routing. ATRI (the American Transportation Research Institute) tells us the average trucking fleet burns 15% of their fuel traveling out of route.
• Engine idle. The Argonne National Laboratory tells us that the average truck wastes 1830 gallons of diesel annually idling, an average of 6 hours a day. This 6 hours of idle equals 42 miles of engine wear, and contributes $4.41/day to engine overhaul costs. The average diesel engine pulling 10 HP in accessories at 800 RPM burns 1 gallon per hour.
• Speed control. Every 1 MPH in excess of 55 MPH increases fuel consumption 2.2%.
• Rapid accelerations and decelerations. It takes energy measured in BTUs to accelerate. This energy is scrubbed off as heat every time the brakes are applied. Efficient drivers are gentle on both acceleration and deceleration.
• The productivity costs of slowing down your fleet is not linear. An ATA study tells us that slowing your trucks allowed top speed by 10 MPH only results in a 7 MPH decrease in average speed.

Environmental. Idling trucks in the US emit annually an estimated 10 million tons of CO2, 50,000 tons of NOX, and 2000 tons of particulates. Plus – more fuel equals more emissions. Increase fuel efficiency, decrease emissions. A 10 MPH average speed decrease results in an 18% decrease in NOX emissions.

Routing and Dispatching. Routing and dispatching must be joined. Planning is great, but not if the drivers don’t know about it. Great dispatch is good – but what if the drivers are not given the best plan? Do you need all those trucks? Are you keeping your customers happy, while minimizing time and distance. Are you staying on time, minimizing out of route stops?

• We estimate the average fleet has 15% more trucks than needed on a daily basis. The costs of owning a truck contribute up to 40% of overall operating costs for a fleet.
• Efficient routing and dispatching maximizes your drivers’ productive time. Help your drivers plan and maximize their 13.5 hour workday.
• Efficient and predictable dispatch keeps drivers happy, and reduces turnover. The more drivers’ schedules are flipped, less quality rest.

Maintenance. Vehicle maintenance costs are directly correlated to speed. When increasing average speed from 55 MPH to 65 MPH;

• Tire wear increases 5% – 16%, depending on GVW.
• Engine time to overhaul decreases 10% – 15%.
• 15% increase in oil consumption.
• 15% decrease in brake life.

Safety. It is hard to measure the savings of accidents that you don’t have. But it is clear that efficient operations improve safety. Minimizing unnecessary time and distance on the road also reduces exposure. Driving for fuel efficiency is also safe driving. Efficient and predictable dispatch increases rest and improves morale. When you start to monitor drivers’ top speed, they can sometimes try to make it up in towns and construction zones. Measuring actual speed versus posted speed limits lets you know how your trucks are being operated when lots of eyes are on your vehicles. Event Analysis can help defend your drivers and your company if an incident does happen.

What are your thoughts?  Looking for the right technology for your fleet?  Let me know.