[credit provider=””Identity Thief””] Hold on to your passwords.Identity theft was the most prevalent problem plaguing consumers in 2012, according to data released from the Federal Trade Commission.

[credit provider=”via CBS5″ url=”http://www.kpho.com/story/20962442/thieves-swipe-sheriff-arpaios-credit-card”] Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio is claiming someone stole his credit card and spent nearly $300 at a grocery store in Chicago, CBS5 reported Monday.Arpaio, who has made headlines for his hardline stance on immigration, told the TV station someone used his Discover card to buy $291 […]

[credit provider=”Rocky X via Flickr” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockyx/4131102854/sizes/z/in/photostream/”] You’ve got to hand it to scam artists. They often succeed in spite of themselves.If I had a nickel for every time I retrieved a message from my inbox warning me that my PayPal account has been limited, or that my credit card has […]

[credit provider=”University of Cambridge” url=”http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/Papers/unattack.pdf”] With identity theft fast becoming one of the most common crimes in the U.S., major lenders and banks are pushing to adopt the same EMV anti-fraud technology that’s been used widely overseas over the last decade. Unlike the typical magnetic strip cards we’re used to in […]

[credit provider=”flickr/[email protected]″ url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5015343129/”] A federal investigation spelled bad news for consumers and Discover alike when it determined the bank had duped people into signing up for payment protection plans and other add-ons they didn’t need.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. have ordered Discover to cough up […]

[credit provider=”Uwe Herman via flickr” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwehermann/5434171135/sizes/z/in/photostream/”] Bank of America is the latest big bank to wave goodbye to traditional magnetic strip credit cards, reports to Bill Hardekopf from LowCards.com.The change applies to the bank’s Merrill Lynch, BankAmericard Travel Rewards, BankAmericard Privileges, and Virgin Atlantic Travel credit cards will all begin to […]

[credit provider=”Flickr / vazzz” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/vazzz/561761420/in/photostream/”] Pearl Jam is in the news again, this time for choosing a lousy financial advisor. According to Seattle Time’s Sara Jean Green, the grunge group’s former chief financial officer, Rickey Goodrich, allegedly bilked $380,000 from the band between October 2007 and June 2010. 

The idea that you could be pick-pocketed without anyone actually picking your pocket at all is frightening enough. Seeing it in action is a whole different story. 

Somewhere just under the elderly and all the shredder-phobes out there, dead people rank as one of identity thieves’ favourite targets.

As far as criminal genius goes, physically stealing a credit card ranks somewhere between attempting to rob an armoured car and stealing ice cream from kids in the park. It’s extraordinarily risky, but the payoff is usually about as rewarding as brain freeze.

[credit provider=”Flickr / CarbonNYC” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/57280140/sizes/o/in/photostream/”] When it comes to shopping around for a credit card, companies know exactly where to lay the bait: It’s all about putting sexy offers like low (or no) interest rates and cash-back rewards upfront and centre.There’s no denying those perks are one of the many […]

[credit provider=”Professor Bop on flickr” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/professorbop/1395131748/”] At a recent conference, hacker-turned-consultant Kristen Paget showed how easy it is to read a credit card’s data through clothes and wallets.Using a $50 reader purchased on eBay, Paget quickly captured an RFID-enabled, or contactless credit card’s number, expiration date and CVV code, according […]

[credit provider=”By Marco Arment on Flickr” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcoarment/1956292424/sizes/z/in/photostream/”] Increasingly, consumers are beginning to trust mobile payment options over run-of-the-mill credit and debit card transactions, but new research shows you might be putting your faith in the wrong hands.Javelin Strategy & Research’s 2011 Consumer Payment Poll found that consumers believe paying for purchases by […]

As millions of shoppers get ready to descend on Black Friday deals like locusts on an open prairie, more than a third of the U.S. population will be at risk for identity theft, according to consumer advocate group ID Watchdog.

[credit provider=”www.flickr.com” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_j_hearts_you/4662141822/sizes/l/in/photostream/”] A new paper in The Nilson report dubbed the U.S. the world’s credit fraud leader, with 47% of the world’s debit and credit fraud occurring on our shores.This is despite the fact that America only generates 27% of the world’s “total volume of purchases and cash,” according […]

[credit provider=”By trawin on Flickr” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/trawin/3275241472/sizes/z/in/photostream/”] Always be on the lookout for credit card fraud because if it happens to you, it could really hammer your credit score.Good thieves usually apply for a bunch of other credit cards and loan applications under your name. Each hard inquiry—i.e., pulling your report […]

[credit provider=”Wikicommons”] Data breaches and identity theft are becoming more common and widespread. This month 111 suspects were indicted in New York’s Operation Swiper to take down a $13 million identity theft ring — possibly the biggest in U.S. history — that used a network of skimmers posing as restaurant […]