FTC - Update your software now

June 13, 2019, by Ari Lazarus

Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

We secure our valuables – our wallets, keys, and homes. We know that, if left unsecured, they can easily be a target for criminals. So it makes sense to think the same way about the information stored on all our devices.

Computers, tablets, phones and other personal devices hold your emails and your financial and tax documents (with your Social Security numbers). Criminals who get access to this valuable information can commit identity theft, put harmful software on your devices, or both.

What’s one easy way to help protect all of this sensitive information? Update your software regularly, and as soon as possible when a newer version comes out. What’s an even easier way? Set the updates to happen automatically. Don’t ignore reminders to update. Criminals look to exploit vulnerabilities before the software companies can fix it. Delaying gives hackers time to access your information – even when a patch is out there to lock them out.

So what software should you be updating?

Security software. Whether you use antivirus or firewall programs that were pre-installed on your device or that you bought on your own, make sure they’re up to date.
Operating system software. Your operating system could be Windows, Apple OS, etc. If you’re not sure how to update your operating system, go to the website of your device manufacturer for help.
Internet browsers and apps. Both are access points for criminals to enter your devices, so it’s important to keep them secure.

Looking for more tips on how to stay safe online? Check out FTC.gov/OnGuardOnline.

US Postal Service program " Informed Delivery" - Protect your address from mail theft

R. Coleman, PSCC, Pittsfield Twp. MI .,DPS, Crime Prevention observation of " Informed Delivery".

Over the last two weeks "Informed Delivery" has been in the news based on the ID Theft and the November 2018, report by the Secret Service of the arrest of seven (7) individuals in West Michigan involved with stealing ID information and creating credit cards to commit fraud.

It's reported that the individuals used Informed Delivery notification (digitally preview of mail online) for notification of the mail being delivered to the box before the homeowner retrieved their mail.

KrebsOnlineSecurity (https://krebsonsecurity.com/tag/informed-delivery/) has done extensive research on this issue .

While doing the research I went online to sign up to protect my address. There are several concerns I noticed on the site they ask for you to ID your self and respond to basic security questions that answers can be found on social media sites and for your personal "cell number" to verify that its you.

I wouldn't recommend putting your cell number in this program, in the fine print they advise that they will sell it to 3rd party vendors which means unwanted calls to buy products or services. I opted for the hard copy to be mailed to my home with the code which came one week later.

Attached is one of several articles on this concern and there are others publish by cyber security experts that can be found online. I've also attached a link to the UPS website with details. I would recommend that homeowners speak with their local Post Master about this program but most of all "protect your address".

Scammers using USPS ‘Informed Delivery’ service to assist in Identity Theft and Fraud

November 18, 2018

By privacyrights.org

A little known service offered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) is helping criminals commit identity theft. USPS’s Informed Delivery service enables most residential postal customers to digitally preview their mail online on the morning of delivery.

Signing up for USPS’s Informed Delivery service requires providing your name, address and email. To validate your identity, you must answer four multiple-choice knowledge-based authentication (KBA) questions. Unfortunately, KBA is an unreliable method for authentication because the answers to many of these questions are available through data broker and social networking sites or from information leaked in data breaches. This provides an opportunity for criminals to create an account in your name.

According to an internal U.S. Secret Service Alert, Informed Delivery is being used by criminals “to identify and intercept mail, and to further their identity theft fraud schemes.” In addition to monitoring your mailbox for other important and valuable mail to steal, this means a thief could.

1. apply for a credit card in your name

2. have it sent to your home address

3. steal it before you are able to retrieve your mail by using Informed Delivery to find out when the credit card will be delivered to your home

Here are some steps you can take to help prevent this from happening:

· either sign up for Informed Delivery so you can monitor your own mail or request that it be blocked by sending an email to eSAFE@usps.gov with your name, address, phone number and email address

· use a locked mailbox

· freeze your credit reports to prevent the opening of new credit accounts in your name

US Postal Service - Informed-Delivery-The-Basics