Note: This post has been updated. We have added our tips for immediate steps victims (or potential victims) of the Equifax data breach can take. In this updated version of our tips, we have added information for individuals in the UK who want to check and see if they have ...
Have you ever filled out an application online for a “loan matching service”? If so, you have to hope that you didn’t fill out an application on one of the websites operated by a company called Blue Global. They ran websites like autoloansusa.com, loanmarketplace.com, moneytoday.com, 247loan.com, 100dayloans.com, and others. Court documents released this week by the US Federal Trade Commission reveal that after the company collected consumers' financial information, it sold most of that information to non-lenders, including SSNs, bank account numbers, and ...
The Global Risk Report 2017 from the World Economic Forum cites threats to global economic wellbeing ranging from natural disasters and large scale involuntary migration to -- this year -- risks arising from a "growing cyberdependency." Specific risks the report calls out in this category are cyberattacks, data fraud and ...
This coming Thursday, WPF Executive Director Pam Dixon will give a keynote speech on health privacy and security, "The New Healthcare Fraud Continuum." Based on her latest research in health privacy, this talk will be Dixon's first talk about the new fraud continuum, what it is, how it operates, what ...
At the World Privacy Forum, consumers frequently approach us and ask us where they can complain about privacy and security issues. It is not unusual for us to hear about issues like online scams and phishing schemes that cross country borders. The Econsumer.gov website is designed to help consumers with ...
The World Privacy Forum filed technical comments on the IDPV National Standard Project today, offering key privacy recommendations on the proposed standard, Requirements and Implementation Guidelines for Assertion, Resolution, Evidence, and Verification of Personal Identity, version 5.3.1. WPF analyzed the proposed standard carefully, and sees the need for several changes to the standard to improve consumer privacy. In our comments, the intent is to help create a standard that increases security, trustworthiness of identities, and identity credentials while protecting individual privacy.
International Privacy Day -- The World Privacy Forum celebrated International Privacy Day by joining other privacy and civil liberties organizations in encouraging the U.S. Senate to adopt the Council of Europe Privacy Convention. The U.S. has already ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime. International Privacy Day was founded three years ago by the Council of Europe, and is celebrated by privacy, civil liberties, and consumer groups in Europe, North America and elsewhere.
Information about job scams.
Medical identity theft | Best practice responses -- The World Privacy Forum has outlined 8 best practice responses to medical identity theft for the health care sector. The best practice responses are based on research the Forum is conducting for its second report on medical identity theft, and is a work in progress. The 8 best practice responses were presented to AHIMA delegates October 9; the Forum is soliciting and accepting feedback on the 8 best practices.
Consumer alert update -- Monster.com posted a warning on its site stating that all users of Monster.com may have been impacted by the data breach of its systems by hackers. All job seekers need to be aware of potential phishing attacks that are sophisticated and highly targeted, and job seekers with safety considerations need to be aware that their information has likely been compromised. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has announced that the Federal job site USAJobs (which is outsourced to Monster.com) has also been impacted by the breach. The World Privacy Forum has updated its job seeking tips, and its consumer alert.
Consumer Alert | Internet privacy | Job search safety and privacy -- The World Privacy Forum issued a consumer alert today warning about a data breach at Monster.com. Security firms that analyzed the breach have stated the breach impacts hundreds of thousands of job seekers. The immediate information that was stolen included job seekers' home address, phone numbers, email address, and resume IDs. Some victims may have received further phishing emails. Job seekers who have safety concerns such as law enforcement professionals, victims of domestic violence and other victims of crimes such as stalking -- who typically do not make their home addresses or personal phone numbers public -- have an immediate need to know if their personal information may be in the hands of criminals. The consumer alert contains tips for victims and links to resources and more information.
e-Government /CIPSEA -- The World Privacy Forum submitted comments to the Office of Management and Budget regarding proposed guidance on Title V of the e-Government Act. The proposed guidance did not address the relationship between CIPSEA and the USA PATRIOT Act Section 215, and guidance regarding identifiability and the Privacy Act of 1974 needs to be further refined. WPF suggests that OMB consider developing a formal statistical confidentiality seal controlled by a federal agency. The purpose would be to provide an identifiable marker that would tell individuals if the information they provide will receive the highest degree of confidentiality protection available under law.