Denise Richardson, credit, identity theft, consumer protection

Beware of New Twists on Old Scams

By Denise Richardson on May 11, 2012 7:01 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

At some point or another you've probably heard the phrase "everything old is new again." Unfortunately, that goes just as well for scams and identity theft as it does for fashion and design. Old scams that you'd think had gone...

4 Dangerous Places to Swipe Your Debit Card

By Denise Richardson on May 7, 2012 11:57 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Even though you might think you are doing your best to safeguard your finances, you might be doing the exact opposite by regularly using your debit card to complete transactions. Despite the fact that debit cards look identical to credit...

Identity Theft Protection Services Reviewed

By Denise Richardson on May 1, 2012 4:15 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The Consumer Federation of America recently released a report that reviewed 20 of the major identity theft protection services that are available today. The review was a follow-up to a set of voluntary "best practices" guidelines that the CFA created last...

Key Features of a Good Spyware Removal Program

By Denise Richardson on April 28, 2012 6:48 PM | 2 Comments | No TrackBacks

If you're a regular surfer of the web, chances are you've come across a very annoying (and potentially dangerous) thing called spyware. Spyware, a cousin of viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other malware, is a type of malicious code that...

Oops! $10 Million Reasons Debt Collectors Shouldn't Break Laws

By Denise Richardson on April 26, 2012 10:37 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Never underestimate the depths to which some debt collectors will sink when it comes to finding new ways to collect on a debt --whether it's owed or not. They will harrass, intimidate and levy threats all in an attempt to instill enough fear in...

New Smartphone Malware Underscores Importance of Mobile Security

By Denise Richardson on April 24, 2012 4:08 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Instagram has made a lot of headlines lately, mostly in regard to Facebook's purchase of the company for a reported $1 billion. What has gotten considerably less coverage, however, is the fact that cybercriminals have started using the Instagram name to...

Census Data Released | A Gift to Identity Thieves, Cyber Scammers?

By Denise Richardson on April 17, 2012 11:59 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

If you haven't heard, the National Archives recently released the full record of the 1940 US Census. The release was so popular that the 1940 Census page set up by the Archives received 22.5 million hits within three hours of...

New Facebook Threat

By Denise Richardson on April 7, 2012 11:46 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Love it or hate it, Facebook has become a major part of life for many. Unfortunately, whenever anything becomes as popular as Facebook is there are always going to be new scams and identity theft tactics developed to take advantage...

Financial Predators and your Children

By Denise Richardson on April 4, 2012 10:23 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Children face many dangers when surfing the internet. Most parental concerns center on the child's physical safety. Of course that is the number one concern, but parents should also take care to speak with their children about the financial dangers...

A Personal Experience: Seniors Find it Difficult to Report Fraud

By Denise Richardson on March 28, 2012 9:38 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I often try to draw attention to real stories of fraud and identity theft whenever I can. I think that it helps to drive home the point that financial harm, fraud and identity theft can happen to anyone. By sharing our personal stories, we expose...

Report Reveals Experiences of ID Theft Victims

By Denise Richardson on March 26, 2012 5:07 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The Federal Trade Commission issued a staff report summarizing the results of a survey of identity theft victims who were asked to describe their experiences dealing with consumer reporting agencies and, more generally, exercising their rights under the Fair Credit...

March Madness 2012: New Types of Malware & Scams

By Denise Richardson on March 23, 2012 11:24 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

It's March Madness time, and that means that everybody's making brackets. The folks over at GCN.com are deep into an event they're calling "Malware Madness 2012", ranking the vilest and most malicious malware programs of all time. While the voting...

A memoir exposing the steep price consumers pay when facing mortgage servicing errors, inaccurate credit reporting, illegal debt collection practices, identity theft and weak consumer protection laws. THE BOOK » DENISE'S STORY »