Kai Vaughn

Identity theft is all around us, even in Joliet and Will County. It seems that almost every week, we read about an identity theft arrest or a warning on the latest scam. From an unsolicited phone call requesting financial information to an email seeking your Social Security number to claim a prize, it’s likely that many of us have experienced an attempt at identity theft or financial fraud. Make sure to regularly scan statements for any unusual charges, as that can help with early detection. In addition, take advantage of requesting the three free credit reports you are entitled to each year.

There is no doubt we live in an age of technology. Almost everything can be done from the comfort of our own computers or on a smartphone, but keeping up with all the advances can be difficult, and technology can also represent new points of access for identity thieves. It is not uncommon for identity thieves to get creative in locating personal information. How many of us think twice before throwing away a paper statement or bill? It may not seem like a big deal, but these types of documents contain a wealth of personal information that can be used to perpetuate fraud.

The warning follows several incidents in which hackers sent company officials what appeared to be legitimate requests for copies of their workers’ W-2s. Renovate America, a solar financing company in Rancho Bernardo, inadvertently gave a hacker sensitive tax information for about 800 current and former employees. Such “phishing” attacks are increasing — and can be avoided, said Kevin O’Brien, chief executive of GreatHorn, a Boston-based security company. O’Brien discussed the problem and what to do about it during an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune.

If you read the IRS' advice, it’s largely about what to do when a business user recognizes one of these attacks. Sadly, relying on folks who are just doing their jobs — and who are likely under pressure as tax season rolls around — to somehow identify sophisticated spoofing attacks and then flag them is a fool’s errand. The reality is that even with strong, foundational security in place, nearly 1 percent of all emails that get around existing security tools businesses invest in have indicators of fraud within them. That sounds small until you realize that by the end of this year, over 132 billion emails will be sent every single day. That’s a lot of malicious messages that could trick someone into giving up your family’s most private data.

We must remember a mind-boggling array of passwords and PINs to survive the technological challenges of the 21st Century. According to credit-checking agency Experian most of us use at least two dozen of these online codes on a daily basis. They are required not just for regular tasks, such as getting in to a computer, paying a utility bill and online shopping. But they are also necessary for using mobile phones, chatting on social media, club memberships and watching online TV. It is not surprising a majority of us struggle to juggle different passwords in our head. Indeed, a quarter of us forget at least one login detail every day. This means we often adopt easy-to-remember ‘weak’ passwords that use familiar names such as a beloved pet or a family member.

Security experts believe this is a dangerous strategy and a relatively easy one for criminals to crack. It is suggested ‘strong’ passwords of up to a dozen characters randomly chosen – letters, numbers and even symbols – offer much better security. Three-quarters of us also use the same password for more than one account. But to stop fraudsters getting hold of your details it is recommended each service you use has its own password. There are ways you can create and remember secure passwords – in imaginative ways that will not leave you worried or with a headache.

The police have made some headway in beating online scams that cheat victims of their money, but some Internet cons are proving stubbornly resistant. While commercial crime decreased by 0.6 per cent overall, Internet love scams hit an all-time high last year with 636 cases, up from 385 in 2015. The total amount cheated was also the highest by far at $24 million - double the $12 million victims were fooled into giving in 2015. The largest amount from a single victim was $1.7 million. In most Internet love scams, offenders befriended their victims on social media or online chat apps, charming their way into these strangers' lives before making off with their money.

Commercial crime, which counts Internet love scams, e-commerce cheating and other impersonation scams, are crimes that deceive victims into handing over goods or money through forgery and impersonation. But with public education and cooperation from international agencies, anti-scam efforts bore fruit in other areas, the police said in a press conference yesterday. E-commerce cheating decreased from 2,239 cases in 2015 to 2,105 last year. Victims lost $1.5 million compared with at least $1.9 million in 2015. A scam which surfaced in April last year in which conmen pose as officials from China to dupe victims into remitting money has also tapered off.