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  • Merry Christmas… to whom?

     

    I have been listening all year to news reports of identity theft. Porch piracy. City, state, and federal governments being hacked into. The thieves are local hackers or from another country.  What people don’t seem to understand is that the Internet made us a small world. We are all connected.

    The thing is the Internet made the world smaller. But it also made everybody anonymous. You don’t have to look into the face of the person you steal from. Maybe a mother who bought a coat for her daughter who outgrew the one she had. She can’t afford to buy another coat.

    Those big box stores that you steal from pass on the loss to all consumers, resulting in much higher prices for everything. It hurts the economy for everyone when milk is $10 a gallon.

    The economy suffers when people are laid off because of piracy. Then everyone has to pay for Medicaid and unemployment for the laid off worker.

    When the government is hacked, those million dollar losses are passed on to all citizens because there’s less money for social programs, such as free school lunches for kids and Social Security for the seniors and disabled population. It also means we have less money to send overseas for things such as food and medical supplies for the poor.

    Think about that the next time you pat yourself on the back for your ingenuity. Because you just stole from your parents, your neighbor, your child. Look at them in the face, and tell yourself it doesn’t matter.

    Happy holidays to all!

    Deborah E. Joyce

    Author of “Identity Theft: A Victim’s Search for Justice” (DB 103152)

  • Information and Resources for Maui Wildfire Victims

     

    Some info and resources I found for Maui residents needing help. It was in a news article and I thought I would pass it on. Please forward to those who need it.

    Our thoughts and prayers will continue for Maui, and its residents affected by the fires. It doesn’t matter now how it happened. It matters how we move forward.
    Thank you, Deb

     

    Aloha,

    Fyi: Source was NFB newsline article

    FEMA call/Wildfire Recovery and Resilience Resource Guide from AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence

     

    Some important info if you don’t have it already:

    For those with damages and losses due to the fires, contact FEMA. There are several ways to do this:

    • Call 1-800-621-3362. Pro: you can speak to a live person. Con: long wait times are possible.
    • Go online at disasterassistance.gov
    • FEMA app for smartphones
    • Go to a Disaster recovery center in the community.

    After applying, an inspector will come to your home to assess, and then you will receive a letter or email with the decision, or a request for more information.

    Those with disabilities who receive FEMA grants will not have their benefits (SSI/SSDI) affected. The FEMA benefits will not be taxed.

    When asked for your income, you should enter your income PRIOR to the disaster (if you lost your job due to the fires, don’t put “$0” as your income).

    Those who lost durable medical equipment may be able to get funding.

    Kathleen Kenney at Maui’s Aloha Independent Living Center is maintaining an inventory of supplies for those with disabilities who need them. They are also assisting those who have lost personal identification documents, assisting folks with completing applications and other paperwork, advocacy, and replacement of durable medical equipment. Please contact her for more information.

    Mental Health crisis counselors are available 24/7 at shelters.

    Finally, the link below is for a really good website with many Maui-specific valuable resources. It includes information on a Disaster Distress Helpline – Call or Text 1-800 985-5990. Click on “Wildfire Recovery and Resilience Resource Guide”.

     

    https://aanhpi-ohana.org/resources/

  • Inferno

     

                              INFERNO 

                                                                                                        By Deborah E. Joyce

     

    You’re at work. The high wind (red flag warning) was announced, it was just another day. It’s hurricane season, after all. If it’s really bad, everyone will hear the sirens, and you will go home.

    It was unclear why the sirens never sounded the alarm. Authorities sent messages via text, cell. Cell phones won’t work when the towers are blown down.

    Minutes, seconds. That’s all they had. The smell of smoke reached their nostrils first. Looking outside, and Inferno was raging.

    Run. But the car was burning up. Run. Where?   Some made it to the ocean, diving in. Surrounding boats were ablaze, oil was floating in the water. Hold on.

    Of course, thugs were looting. But the town of Lahaina was gone. Literally burned to ashes

    They heard the screams of the animals burning up in the locked homes. Charred remains of people in their car. It was a war zone.

    Lahaina is a small town. One of many picturesque towns on the island of Maui. Makawao, Keihei, even upcountry.

    If this happened in a large city, it would be more of a disaster.

    Unless copies were made of personal identification, birth certificate, Social Security card, and the like, nothing can be proved. Even the town hall is burned to the ground.

    Visit Hawaiinewsnow.com to get list of legit donation sites.

    Call 1-800-Red -Cross (1-800-733-2767) to donate money.

    Visit Red Cross.org/donate put Hawaii wildfires so that money will go there.

    Text “Hawaii” to 90999 to donate $10

    DEJ

     

  • Ending The Same Way We Began

     

    Read below for another installment of “We Don’t Care” by the State Dept and ICE.
    Reported in NY Times, it’s just another day…

    On December 14, 2022, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency admitted a security breach released the identities of thousands of migrants.

    This was reported in the NY times on December 14, 2022 by reporters  Livia Albeck-Ripka and Miriam Jordan.

    Names and other identifying details of 6,252 migrants seeking protection in the United States were released on ICE’s website, this week, the agency said Wednesday.

    The list, posted on the ICE.gov website for several hours Monday and reviewed by The New York Times before it was deleted, contained the migrants’ dates of birth, identification numbers, the detention center where they were being held and when they were booked there.

    Sixty-three Russians were identified. Chinese, Iranians, Mexicans and Venezuelans were among others. More than 30,000 immigrants are being held in detention, and a substantial share are seeking asylum after fleeing persecution in their home countries.

    Although not all names were released, it is the policy of the US State Dept to not release personal information on asylum seekers/immigrants.

    Immigration officials ‘generally’ are prohibited from disclosing any information about asylum-seekers and their applications with third parties, largely to protect the migrants and their families from retaliation by government authorities and others in their home countries.

    These immigrants placed their trust in our Federal Government to keep them safe from repercussions we can’t even imagine.

    When people come to the United States seeking protection, they are putting their trust in the U.S. government. When a breach like this happens, it shows a reckless disregard for their safety,’ said Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of Immigrant Defenders, a nonprofit law firm in California that serves asylum-seekers. ‘It puts people at grave risk if they are returned back to countries where their persecutors may have seen that information,’ she said. Lawyers who represent asylum-seekers said that the data breach could have a chilling effect, with those who merit protection less willing to trust the U.S. government with sensitive information. Ally Bolour, an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles, said that his clients applying for protection are often traumatized and must be assured repeatedly that their personal information ‘will be shared with the U.S. government and no one else. Elora Mukherjee, a law professor at Columbia University, said that the breach also could result in harm to family members of asylum seekers in their home countries and urged action by the Biden administration to allow the migrants to remain in the United States because the disclosures could have ‘life-or-death consequences’ for them.

    ‘Family members who remain in the home country may face retribution from their government, gangs and other persecutors,’ said Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at the law school. ‘The Biden administration must take swift corrective action ‘ releasing these individuals from detention and offering meaningful protections that would enable them to remain in the U.S.

    We are free in our country. There is no repercussion to our family if disclosure is given to the State Dept regarding a breach of any sort. We don’t worry about torture, persecution, rape, to our family and children.

    However, this is a fact in many foreign countries, leading people to emigrate to our country, which is still viewed by others as free.

    We take our country for granted. No, we aren’t perfect, and have made numerous mistakes. Not only with emigrees, such as Blacks under slavery, Chinese used to build our railways, but also for what was done to the Indigenous people, ie Native Americans, as well as each other.

    We have a long way to go. Let’s not make matters worse by treating identity theft callously. Our reputation is marred by this latest breach.

    The only way to save face is to admit the mistake and fix it. We can’t undo the past. But we can protect our future.

    Deborah E Joyce

     

  • A Tribute To A Fellow Advocate

     

     

    It is with great sadness that I say farewell to a fellow advocate.

    Dan Sippl and I met through Alliance for Adults with Vision Loss, an affiliate of American Council for the Blind.

    We collaborated together recently on a community call. Dans expertise as a former Cyber Crime agent with the State of Wisconsin created much anticipation for my listeners.

    Dan graciously gave his time to both Jeff Thom and myself in order to outline what Jeff wanted us to cover in the community call.

    As this was my first community call for ACB, I was motivated to bring the highest level of expertise to the table.

    Dan and I worked  together seamlessly and answered both the listeners and Jeffs questions accurately. Dan also corroborated my facts to the listeners,  which gave me the credibility I would not have had without Dans input.

    This wonderful man helped many listeners that day, and for years to come. Someone like Dan, a gracious and humble human being, will be sorely missed.

    Thank you Dan, rest in peace. You deserve it.

    Deb Joyce

    PS: Dear readers

    Thank you so much for following. My computer is on the fritz, a new one has been ordered. I will write more often after new computer is installed. Until then, stay safe, especially during holidays.

     

     

  • We just don’t get it…

     

    Hi Everyone,

    I  have been  busy as of late  with  preparations  for  intensive  training so for right  now, blogs  may be sparse.

    I  really  miss  putting  them  out, so  here’s  another  one  I  came  across  a  few weeks  ago.

    Remember I  spoke to you about  compromised  information  held by a  business. Cyber  security  is  very  sketchy.

    Notice  in the following  article, the  author  states  that  stolen  passports  will be  reissued. Also, multi  jurisdictional  protection  offered, recall  how  law  enforcement  doesn’t usually  cross  state  lines. I  also  highlight  the  2.8  million  drivers  licenses  that  were  compromised.

    Licenses  may also  show  date of birth, address, which  can then be used to look up more info on the net.

    When  you read  these  stories, please be aware of the  damage  the stolen  info can do to the victim.

    Stay Safe.

    Thank you,  Deb

     

    Police say hacker concealed ID in Australian privacy breach. By: Associated Press. CANBERRA, Australia >> The computer hacker who stole personal data of almost 10 million customers of a telecommunications company in one of Australia’s worst privacy breaches used techniques to conceal their identity, actions and whereabouts, police said on Friday.  Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough, who heads cyber investigations, said the international probe, that includes the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, into the Optus cyberattack last week would be “long and complex.”  “You can be assured that our very clever and dedicated cyber investigators are focused on delivering justice for those whose personal information has been compromised,” Gough said. The government blames lax cybersecurity at Optus, Australia’s second-largest wireless carrier, for the theft of current and former customers’ personal information.  Cybersecurity Minister Clare O’Neil described the crime as “quite a basic hack. She said Optus, a subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., also known as Singtel, had “effectively left the window open for data of this nature to be stolen.” Optus maintains it was the target of a sophisticated cyberattack that penetrated several layers of security. Gough declined to say whether the crime fitted the description of “sophisticated” or “basic”. “I’m not going to go into the details as to the attack because … it is subject of our ongoing investigation,” Gough said. “But I would say that whoever is behind this attack has used obfuscation techniques to conceal their identity, their location and their activity,” she added. While details of 9.8 million Optus customers were stolen, authorities are most concerned for more than 10,000 customers whose records were dumped on the dark web on Tuesday as part of an extortion attempt. The hacker later withdrew a $1 million ransom demand in a post that apologized for the crime and claimed that all the stolen data had been destroyed. Experts are skeptical.  Gough declined to say whether any further extortion attempt had been made, but she announced police forces throughout Australia had combined resources to “supercharge” the protection of the 10,000 who are most vulnerable to identify theft and fraud. Police are also working with the finance and services sectors to detect fraud. “Customers affected by the breach will receive multijurisdictional and multilayered protection from identity crime and financial fraud,” Gough said. Operation Guardian will eventually extend to the next-most vulnerable tier of customers, the 2.8 million who have had their driver’s license and passport numbers stolen. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Optus had agreed to pay to replace the passports of compromised customers. “I think that’s entirely appropriate,” Albanese said.

    Deborah E Joyce 

    #AARPDigitalFraudFighters

     

  • Cybersecurity Awareness Month

     

     

    Dear readers,

    The following is an excerpt from an article I found regarding cybersecurity awareness month. There’s some good information here,  I hope that you take a look and follow some of this advice. I just heard that the city of Chicago computer system was hacked. They’re saying Russia didn’t do it but are unsure who did. Please be ever vigilant, and staysafe.

    Deborah E. Joyce

     

    October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month.  This is a reminder to protect accounts. Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an opportunity for me to reach out and remind people of the things that everyone can do to protect themselves from being a victim of cybercrime.. October will be the 19th observance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which was created thanks to a partnership between the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. Instead of having a weekly theme, the focus for the month will be on four key behaviors to protect yourself while online. These behaviors are:. >> Enabling multifactor authentication.. >> Using strong passwords and a password manager.. >> Updating software.. >> Recognizing and reporting phishing..

    Enabling multifactor authentication, or MFA, is a great way to protect your accounts. An example of MFA is the text with a one-time code or a code shown in an application like Google authenticator that you enter when logging into a website. This extra step increases security by adding a second authentication method that is something you have (a specific device that generates a code for you) to something you know (a password). If an attacker manages to get your password, this extra step still makes it difficult to access your account.

    Everyone should use strong and unique passwords for every site, but how can we do this when we access dozens of websites? The answer is a password manager. This software can remember your passwords and assign unique, random passwords for every site. The best thing is that you only need to remember one strong password to use the software, and it does the rest.

    Vulnerabilities are weaknesses or flaws in software that attackers can take advantage of to take control of a system or access sensitive or financial data. When manufacturers find these flaws, they send out software updates to fix them. Updating software is critical to protect anything connected to the internet, including phones, computers, routers, smart devices and more.

    The final critical behavior is recognizing and reporting phishing attempts. Phishing emails remain one of the primary ways attackers gain access to networks. There are many articles written about how to identify suspicious emails, but in addition to identifying them, reporting them to your security team or email provider is equally important. Reporting them allows your security team to improve the detection of malicious emails and also to find similar emails that may have tricked other users. By reporting these emails, you may be saving others from falling victim. 

    In October, detailed information will be available on the National Cyber Security Alliance website ( staysafe online.org ), the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency website ( cisa.gov ), and by following the hashtag #BeCyberSmart on your favorite social media platform.. ———. Mike Kober is the senior manager of security service operations at Hawaiian Telcom. Reach him at mike.kober@hawaiiantel.com. .

     

    Deborah E Joyce 

    #AARPDigitalFraudFighters

  • A Sad Day

    Today, the world mourns the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. She was admired by all, and loved by the citizens in her reign.

    It’s times like these when one must reflect on what’s important. People are important. Family and friends are important. Wealth, money, possessions will not follow you after you are gone. But the destruction that a thief leaves in his wake can be devastating. The thief doesn’t care, the government doesn’t care, laws don’t care. It’s we, the people, who care.

    The loss of one’s life savings can turn your life around – from a middle-class life to homelessness. The thief doesn’t care about that ring that he stole. But you care, because that ring was left to you by a beloved relative who may not have had much of value. This thief sees with dollars, not the heart.

    If we can come together to mourn a queen from another country, why can’t we come together for each other? The next time you vote, think of how the lack of law places all of us in a vulnerable situation. Money isn’t important, but it does let us live.

    My condolences to the people of Great Britain on their loss. While not everyone may agree, we must say Long live the King.

    Deborah E Joyce

  • Grandparents Day

    Grandparents Day is September 11. Seems like a good time to bring up the Grandparents scam. (https://www.fbi.gov/grandparent-scam.)  This old scam  has  resurfaced, or maybe it never  went away. Here is some info for you to use to protect yourself and fight back. Nothing is safe from those who want to separate  us from our hard earned money, much less our Social  Security  and  retirement.

     

    Report it to the Federal Trade Commission by phone 877-382-4357, or  ftc.gov. 

     

    Learn about common scams and how to recover from them at ftc.gov/scams.

    To file a report online, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

    Follow  these  steps- 

    • They  use reports to investigate and bring cases against fraud, scams, and bad business practices, but they can’t resolve reports on behalf of individuals.
    • They will share your report with law enforcement partners.
    • They use reports to spot trends, educate the public, and provide data about what is happening in your community. You can check out what is going on in your state or metro area by visiting ftc.gov/exploredata.

    When they bring cases, they try to get money back for people. Check out ftc.gov/refunds to see recent FTC cases that resulted in refunds.

    Additional Information

    Family Emergency Scams

     

    Thanks  to  Jeff Tom from  Alliance  for Adults with Vision Loss for sharing this information.

    There are  many people who are looking out for us. Be informed, and fore armed!

     

    Deborah E.  Joyce

    Author of “Identity Theft:  A  Victims  Search For Justice” DB  103152

    Check out my  new webinar at acb.org.  Look for “Scams” under podcasts. I am  grateful to Jeff Tom and  Dan Sippl  for hosting  the event on August  29th.

    Dan is  a  retired  criminal  investigator  for  the  State  of Wisconsin. Jeff, an Attorney, is the President  of  Alliance  for Adults  with Vision Loss, an affiliate  of  the American  Council for the Blind. acb.org

     

  • School Days

     

    It’s time to get ready to pack those lunches, get the school supplies in order, and put your kid’s name and everything – sneakers, coat, books and book bags. Well… Think about it. Your kid’s name can be found on the Internet these days. And I know that most of you have to put your kid’s name on everything. Kids misplace things all the time, right? And you need to identify who the owner is. May I offer a few suggestions?

    Maybe you could use your kid’s initials, or make something up that can be easily remembered. Let’s say, “Den’s strawberries” or something that your child will remember. If the item is found, it can be easily identified by the owner.

    You can use anything – colors, food, even a foreign language. Make a game of it, create your own special code. Every other letter, prime numbers for consonants, even numbers for vowels? Make sure you keep a copy of your special code – not on the Internet – in case your hacked.

    While you’re at it, you can use this project to teach your children about identity theft, helping them to understand why social media information should be limited. Why they shouldn’t believe everything on the Internet. Most important of all, that you are just watching out for their own best interest because you love them.

    Because of this crazy world, we have to be extra diligent not only for ourselves, but for our kids as well. They are so impressionable, and they never think anything bad will happen to them.

    Oh, to be a kid again… Please be safe.

     

    I’m excited to share with you some great news – I will be co-hosting a live zoom event on Monday, August 29, 2022 at 2:00 PM EST.  Jeff Tom, President  of  Alliance  on Adults with Vision Loss (AAVL), Dan Sippl, former  Consumer  Fraud  Investigator, State  of Wisconsin, and yours truly will host this live event for our listeners. There will be time for Q&A after our presentation. I am not sure if it will be available on ACB media. I will post more information as I get it.

    In the meantime, mark your calendars, write down a few good questions, and take advantage of this free expertise offered to you, and everyone else you know!

     

    Be vigilant, and safe,

    Deb Joyce,

    Author of “Identity Theft:  A  Victim’s Search For Justice”  DB  103152

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