...and they've set their sights on vulnerable, financially distressed-and-desperate consumers!  (View KHOU's "Great Day Houston" on line here.)

[Scroll to the bottom of this section for links to view Great Day Houston/KHOU] 

(You can even listen to the first two chapters on line, too!  Click here for Chapter 1 or here for Chapter 2.)

2. Computer-related ID theft and other financial crimes…coming to a Starbucks near you? Actually, I’m not pickin’ on Starbucks—I’m a fan and utilize their just announced-and-much-hyped “free WiFi” offer on a daily basis. (Click here to read all about the offer on Starbucks’ website.) 

Actually, I'm picking on Starbucks and AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile's HotSpots, as well as all of the thousands of ‘free' or paid hotspots being offered by communities, shopping malls, airports...even cities are getting into the act of being WiFi-friendly for anyone with a computer and a pulse.

Which is why I'm going to give you this tip that'll save you a ton of heartache:

Public WiFi = BIG Headaches

Why am I raining on the free WiFi or laptop mobility parade?  Simple.  Because the vast majority of consumers recklessly use these hotspots and ignore the sign-on warnings telling wireless users that they're signing on to unsecured/public networks that could easily hacked.  Most people ignore the warning because:

a.  They don't understand the full extent of the exposure to bad guys that they're about to engage in and,

b.  They don't know how to use these WiFi hotspots-free or otherwise-safely. 

Of course I know how to use them safely...and you will too if you read this terrific (recent) article from  The Wall Street Journal.

Don’t believe me yet? Fine…it’s your life, you hand it over to the bad guys. Wanna read more about this very real threat? Here are two articles that’ll slap you across your cyber-face (you can thank me later): USA Today   LA Daily News

3. Your mailbox could be your biggest security gap! Wake up and save yourself some serious financial heartache, courtesy of the U.S. Post Office. Okay, it's not really their fault...but anything connected to the mails can spell doom for easy targets that are the rule-not the exception.

   a. Have you ever watched someone get their mail out of their post office box-located at the U.S. Post Office or a postal center like The UPS Store? They'll stand there-oblivious to the world around them-and sort through their mail, tossing unwanted ‘junk' mail into the trash. How hard is it for the bad guys to sort through these trash cans? Piece-o-cake...and don't let some postal inspector or worker tell you that:

• These trash receptacles are closely monitored or,
• It's illegal to take trash from them or,
• The trash that's discarded at the post office is safely shredded/destroyed. Bull****. Don't take anyone's word for it when it comes your personal identity and financial security.

Dover's Rule? Unless you personally shred unwanted mail, expect it to end up in the hands of the bad guys. Don't be lazy...the identity thieves aren't.

   b. Your personal mailbox at home/Part I: Need to mail your bills or other personal correspondence? Drop them in a secure and official U.S. Post Office mailbox/receptacle. Thank Osama bin Laden for the scarcity of mail boxes: Since 9/11, terrorist-related Anthrax mailings and other anti-consumer brain damage, the Post Office has dramatically reduced the number of mailboxes...a fact that the bad guys have noticed. Think twice about leaving your outgoing mail on your home/apartment mailbox.

   c. Your personal mailbox at home/Part II: If your mailbox lacks a locking mechanism, you're a disaster waiting to happen. The bad guys aren't stupid-they'll follow the mail carriers on their routes and watch them deliver the mail to sitting targets too lazy to buy/upgrade their old style ‘open' mailbox with one from the new generation, U.S. Post Office approved locking boxes. Wake up and fix this gaping hole in your personal identity security...or be prepared for the expensive and time-consuming consequences.

I've used a mail drop service-like that provided by national chain The UPS Store-for years: Yeah, it's more expensive than a box at your neighborhood U.S. Post Office, but there are some distinct advantages to be had for consumers of these types of services:

• You get a street address, not just a P.O. Box;
• Companies like UPS or FedEx will deliver to mail drop services but not to P.O. Boxes;
• Better, consumer-friendly hours than the U.S. Post Office;
• Terrific protection against package theft: You've seen the crappy service during the holidays from major gift shipping companies like UPS, haven't you? They throw the box on the front porch, ring the doorbell and run...or leave it with a neighbor you've never met. You won't have to put up with this nonsense if you've gotta mail drop, plus...
• ...most of these companies allow you to call them to see if you have any mail or packages, something that will never happen for U.S. Post Office boxholders.

4. Computers & Cellphones = ID Theft Timebombs: What now? Is nothing safe? Actually, no, it's not. (That's why I've gotta job.)

What do you do with an old computer or cellphone when you've decided to upgrade? Oh sure...you got your ‘computer expert' brother in law to "delete" all of your old data before you donated your old laptop or sold it on e-Bay. Penny-wise and pound dollar-foolish is almost always the undoing of naïve do-gooders.

   a. Computers: There are programs you can purchase that'll make sure all of your sensitive data is properly destroyed or ‘wiped.' There's no such thing as permanently deleting files, as this blog post from ZDNet points out.

• Wanna use one of those free programs you can download online? Go ahead, Big Shot: You get what you pay for...don't be just cheap!  Be cheap and stupid by relying on one of these ‘free' programs that pop up in a Google search.
• You can plan on spending anywhere from $20-$50 on software that'll wipe your drive before you get rid of it, or...
• You can use this free program to do it at the right price. Wait a second...I think I just contradicted myself. Not really...I warned you about using ‘free' programs that you'll find on a Google search.

What I'm about to tell you about it is the real deal: A free program called DBAN. Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction. They're supported by the environmental do-gooders at GEEP: Global Electric Electronic Processing. They appear to be the real deal and intent on doing the right thing for consumers, as well as the environment. And did I mention the program is free? Check it out...

   b.  Cellphones:  I've got at least 3 or 4 old cellphone in a box in storage, and the only reason I still have them is simple: I haven't made the time to properly erase their memory before donating them to a good cause.  You've read stories that bring out that latent philanthropic side of yours: "Donate your old cellphone to the battered women's shelter and help someone in need!" 

Yeah...sounds good and is (probably) a legitimate cause, but like any cyber-donation, you'd better know what you're doing before you give away a  list of all of the phone numbers you've called or received calls from...or a history of your text messages: 

• Getting a new phone?  Make the guy trying to sell you a new phone work for the sale...have them completely clear/erase/wipe your old phone once you've transferred all of your information from it to your new toy.  The personnel at authorized cellphone stores-not resellers, but authorized AT&T, Sprint, Verizon stores-either know how to do it properly or will direct you to their lead tech guy that does.
• Do it yourself!  Go to the website of the manufacturer of your soon-to-be-old cellphone and locate information on erasing your old phone.  The newer and more sophisticated phones are easier to clear than the old ones, but no matter what, do it before you let loose of your old phone, or risk embarrassment and potential identity theft for your laziness.

Do I seem or sound paranoid?  Perhaps...but I've also covered this front for over 16 years and have seen and heard too many stories about under-informed or lazy consumers who became victims that spent years to clear their good names and repair the financial damage resulting from these types of silent crimes.

You've been warned.

Didja like what you just read? E-mail it to someone in need...

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