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Middleboro Review 2

NEW CONTENT MOVED TO MIDDLEBORO REVIEW 2

Toyota

Since the Dilly, Dally, Delay & Stall Law Firms are adding their billable hours, the Toyota U.S.A. and Route 44 Toyota posts have been separated here:

Route 44 Toyota Sold Me A Lemon



Monday, January 13, 2014

MASSPIRG: Tips for Target's data breach

The great folks at MASSPIRG have provided this list to assist in protecting consumers.

Consider joining their mailing list and supporting their efforts.


From MASSPIRG:

Target now admits it wasn't 40 million consumers who had their credit and debit card numbers stolen in December -- it was between 70 and 110 million consumers.[1]

And it wasn't just credit card or debit card numbers and their security codes and expiration dates that were taken. Target now admits that the heist included names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

Passwords were also taken from Target customers, but they were encrypted, so you shouldn't have to worry about thieves cloning your card to use in ATM machines.[2]

Companies need to do a better job protecting our personal information. That’s clear. And we will help make sure Target is held accountable.

But what should you do now to help protect yourself? Here are tips from our expert on fraud and identity theft, consumer program director Deirdre Cummings:

(1) Don't panic. Do check your credit card and bank account statements regularly for fraudulent transactions and report them immediately to your provider. The most likely use of the card numbers will be to attempt fraud on your existing accounts. You have strong anti-fraud protections by law.

(2) Beware of "phishing." Now that we know that email addresses and phone numbers were also taken, be aware of "phishing" emails or phone calls, even calls or emails purporting to be from your bank's fraud department. When a thief has some of the information needed to commit identity theft, he will call or email you to try to get the additional information needed to open new accounts in your name.

Never click on any links in emails, even if they appear to be from your bank. Never give any information to anyone who calls you, even if the caller says something like: "I am going to tell you your account number to verify that this is a legitimate call."

If you are concerned about information from a call or email, don't reply directly. Instead, call the number on the back of your card and ask for the fraud department.

(3) Don't pay for expensive credit monitoring services. You have the right under federal law to look at each of your three credit reports once a year for free at annualcreditreport.com. You can stagger these requests -- one every four months -- to do your own credit monitoring at no cost.

If you suspect you are a victim of identity theft, you can call each bureau directly for an additional free credit report. And because you live here in MA, under state law you are eligible for yet another free report annually by calling each of the three major credit bureaus. You can also choose to set up a security freeze, preventing credit bureaus from giving creditors access to your report.

(4) So long as you can avoid running up credit card debt, always use credit cards in stores or online. Your rights are stronger by law with credit cards than debit cards, and you don't run the risk of missing funds from your checking account for weeks while the bank conducts a fraud investigation.

You can find more detailed tips on identity theft here.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help.

Sincerely,



Janet S. Domenitz
MASSPIRG Executive Director

[1] Elizabeth A. Harris and Nicole Perlroth, "For Target, the Breach Numbers Grow," New York Times, January 10, 2014.
[2] Aaron Katersky and Susanna Kim, "Target Admits Customer PIN Data Removed but Says It's 'Secure'," ABC News, December 27, 2013.



Support MASSPIRG. Contributions by people just like you make our advocacy possible. Your contribution supports a staff of organizers, attorneys, scientists and other professionals who monitor government and corporate decisions and advocate on the public’s behalf.

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