Wednesday, October 31 2012 4:07 PM EDT2012-10-31 20:07:16 GMT
A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday says Gov. Nikki Haley and other state officials failed to protect millions of South Carolina residents victimized by a recent security breach.More >>
A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday says Gov. Nikki Haley and other state officials failed to protect millions of South Carolina residents victimized by a recent security breach.More >>
Wednesday, October 31 2012 11:24 AM EDT2012-10-31 15:24:13 GMT
Gov. Nikki Haley and other state officials are scheduled to give an update on a hacking incident it's believed may have compromised millions of South Carolina tax returns.More >>
Gov. Nikki Haley released more details in the South Carolina Department of Revenue security breach that exposed millions of taxpayers' personal information.More >>
Monday, October 29 2012 9:41 PM EDT2012-10-30 01:41:50 GMT
An expert says the state did well in getting a program for affected residents, but should've warned people sooner about the breach. He says protect your information by checking credit statements and shredding documents.More >>
An expert says the state did well in getting a program for affected residents, but should've warned people sooner about the breach. He says protect your information by checking credit statements and shredding documents.More >>
Saturday, October 27 2012 7:47 AM EDT2012-10-27 11:47:38 GMT
The S.C. Department of Revenue today announced that approximately 3.6 million Social Security numbers and 387,000 credit and debit card numbers have been exposed in a cyber attack.More >>
Millions of Social Security numbers belonging to South Carolina residents who filed taxes over the last 14 years may have been compromised by a hacker, state officials announced Friday.More >>
Friday, October 26 2012 5:52 PM EDT2012-10-26 21:52:18 GMT
To protect against identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission urges Americans to follow the "three D's" - deter, detect and defend.More >>
To protect against identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission urges Americans to follow the "three D's" - deter, detect and defend.More >>
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) -- The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) has issued a warning to
be on the lookout for phishing emails that appear to be from the credit bureaus.
In a release sent Tuesday, the SCDCA said this latest phishing trend is taking advantage of the fear caused by the Department of
Revenue (DOR) security breach.
"It is well
known that many consumers have signed up for the free credit report monitoring
service offered by DOR through Experian," the release read. "In an attempt to separate consumers
from their personal information, scammers are now sending fake emails, posing as
Equifax. The e-mails attempt to grab the consumer's attention by using words
like 'Identity Theft Alert,' or 'Your score has dropped,' in the subject line.
Once opened, the consumer is urged to check their declining credit score through
an embedded link"
SCDCA said scammers will also pose as
government agencies and that these scam
attempts can come via letter, e-mail and fax and typically say that funds are
being held by Bank of America and can only be released if a mandatory service
charge is paid.
Consumers should follow these tips to keep their
information safe:
Verify the
message. When a business contacts you, especially by e-mail, verify the
validity of the message by following up with the business directly—using contact
information you know is correct;
Do not
click on any links in the message or cut and paste links into your browser.
Phishing e-mails may contain software that can harm your computer or track
your activity online;
Check the legitimacy of the domain or sender's
address. Be suspicious if there are many letters and numbers in the web
address or e-mail address. i.e. admin@m78mail.com.
This does not resemble gmail.com or yahoo.com, etc.
Note the
grammar: "You might be having Identity Theft issue," is broken English and
reputable companies will never email consumers with such verbiage.
Pay
attention to the website link given in the e-mail. Please visit HERE
does not show the actual link you will be visiting.
Use
antivirus software and a firewall. Make sure to update them regularly.
Evangelist Franklin Graham prayed on a sidewalk outside the Pentagon Thursday after his invitation to a prayer service inside was withdrawn because of comments that insulted people of other religions. More>>
