Third-Party Data Breaches: An Unavoidable Threat for All Businesses

February 24, 2020 | By: Steve Turner
Posted in: Breach and Scam News

Corporate data breaches are nearly a daily occurrence, and it’s not only the largest, most visible companies that are exposed to the risk. Often, data vulnerabilities can stem from relationships that companies have with vendors, suppliers, partners, and other third parties. Small- and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) are especially vulnerable to data theft. They typically have …

My Business Has a Credit Score?

February 18, 2020 | By: John Burcham
Posted in: Business Protection

*Originally posted August 24, 2018. Updated February 18, 2020.*What is business credit?  – When’s the last time you checked your business credit score? If you’ve never checked it before, you’re not alone – nearly half of small business owners don’t even know they have one. Like personal credit, business credit is used to determine a business’ borrowing …

Romance Scammers Want Your Money, Not Your Heart

February 12, 2020 | By: Donna Parent
Posted in: Personal Protection

Romance or sweetheart scams trick people all year round, but they are particularly effective leading up to Valentine’s Day because they prey on people’s yearning for love. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), romance scams jumped 40 percent from 2018 to 2019, costing 25,000 reported victims a total of $201 million.

Website Selling Access to Personal Data Seized by FBI

January 27, 2020 | By: Steve Turner
Posted in: Breach and Scam News

Ever wonder what happens to your information once it is exposed in a data breach? In most cases, the data is put up for sale to cybercriminals operating in the dark web — the black market of the internet where individuals can act privately and anonymously, and which requires specific “dark web browsers” to access. …

Did You Know Your Business Is Targeted in Tax Scams?

January 21, 2020 | By: John Burcham
Posted in: Business Protection

*Originally posted March 27, 2017. Updated January 21, 2020.*Business tax scams are big business for criminals looking to make a financial gain using your employees’ and business information. Being aware of the schemes criminals are carrying out and the tactics they use to employ them can give your business the best chance to deflect such …

New Year’s Resolution: Protect Your Family’s Digital Footprint

January 13, 2020 | By: Angela Murphy
Posted in: Personal Protection

*Originally posted January 14, 2019. Updated January 12, 2020.*Fostering a Familial Digital Resilience – Our constant internet usage empowers cybercriminals to formulate countless methods for hijacking our personal information and then use it to commit identity theft and fraud. And, although different generations within a household may have different priorities online, all generations within the …

Landry’s Suffers Malware Attack, Payment Data Exposed

January 3, 2020 | By: Steve Turner
Posted in: Breach and Scam News

What Happened? – On January 2, 2020, dining and entertainment conglomerate, Landry’s, announced a point-of-sale malware attack that targeted customers’ payment card data – the company’s second data breach since 2015. Landry’s owns over 600 popular American restaurants across the U.S., including Del Frisco’s Grill, Joe’s Crab Shack, Bubba Gump, Rainforest Café and more; 63 …

Want to Keep Your Small Business Going Strong? Avoid Tax Identity Theft

December 30, 2019 | By: John Burcham
Posted in: Business Protection

*Originally posted March 21, 2016. Updated December 30, 2019*As the calendar turns to another year, businesses and individuals will soon be facing the inevitability of yet another tax season. And, while filing taxes isn’t something entirely avoidable, the risk of business tax identity theft can easily be minimized. According to the IRS Security Summit, businesses …

Facebook Exposes 267 Million User Credentials, Wawa Payment Systems Breached

December 20, 2019 | By: Steve Turner
Posted in: Breach and Scam News

What Happened? – On December 19, 2019, Facebook came under fire once again, when over 267 million records belonging to the social site were found on an unsecured webpage. This is at least the third time in 2019 that Facebook has been in the news for leaving its users’ data unprotected. The exposed database disclosed …