Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Tax Time Makes Laptop Computers Especially Valuable to Identity Thieves

Phishers' websites, feigning to represent the Internal Revenue Service, threaten—as similar sites have in the past—to dupe citizens this tax season into divulging personal information.

Tax season is a frenetic time for most Americans. When we're extra busy, we run the risk of being extra careless—something identity thieves like. And with the growing number of taxpayers completing their IRS paperwork online, many from their laptop computers, the risk for foul play increases ever more. Guard your belongings, particularly any computer equipment containing your tax information, and never give your personal identifying information to an unknown source. Never to trust online messages that purport to be from the IRS, which never initiates communication with taxpayers via e-mail.

But the problem isn't just phishing sites. With more and more consumers doing their taxes online, and with research from various sources showing a marked increase in laptop computer sales, this means lots of laptop computers, machines that are prone to theft, are home to their owners' sensitive tax-related information. Consider use of MyLaptopGPS™, a product that combines Internet-based GPS tracking, which is more affordable and user-friendly than other types of GPS tracking, with encryption and additional technologies to put laptop owners' minds at ease when theft occurs.

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Fallout from recent breach of data at major U.S. retailer will continue for a while

A data breach at TJX Companies Inc. last month reportedly affected millions of past customers of the U.S. retailer, which operates numerous well-known department stores. Consumers need to remain vigilant and guard their financial records statements against wide-scale, related credit card fraud.

Last month I discussed the TJX data breach on WBZ NewsRadio 1030 in Boston, Mass., and WCBS NewsRadio 880 in New York City. First and foremost, make sure nothing is awry with your credit card statements. Watch your bank statements, too, and contact the credit bureaus to keep an eye on your records.

Identity thieves and fraudsters can do a lot with the kind of information typically lost in the type of data breach we've seen unfold these past couple weeks, and organizations that suffer massive data breaches like this often have little idea how many records of data are indeed in jeopardy. That kind of uncertainty is dangerous not just for customers, the obvious victims. Burglarized institutions then face their constituents' ire. The possibility of towering expenses related to easily justified class action suits, not to mention the hefty public relations retainer fees for crisis communication, can leave an organizations very survival in question.

Anyone possibly affected by the any large datas breach should obtain tools that help citizens to monitor their own information in the wake of such breaches. Arlington, VA-based MyPublicInfo provides such a tool, the Public Information Profile (PIP), which enables view public records connected to his name and see information accessible to other people performing background checks. This tool provides consumers with user-friendly, complete, and legally conforming personal profiles of aggregated public information.

Vigilance is the best recourse not only for the short-term, but for the long-term. Customers must take their financial information—their very identities, in fact—into their own hands. As we've seen all too often in the wake countless data breaches these past few years, when it comes to identity theft, we can ultimately count on nobody to protect us but ourselves.

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Desktop computer use is down, but laptop use is up

End-of-year reporting in 2006 suggested that desktop computer use is on the way down, in favor of the ever-more-prevalent laptop. Organizations that store sensitive data on theft-prone mobile computing devices must understand the implications: Mobile computers demand teh technology of security measures such as GPS tracking, encryption, and more, or data breach–associated costs will occur with growing frequency.

IDC research reported by Computerworld in September of 2005 suggested that business use of laptop computers would spread to more than 50 percent of employees within a few years, with shipments of laptops surpassing those for desktops by 2008. An article in the Dec. 18, 2006 edition of BusinessWeekOnline reported findings from the firm Current Analysis showing that laptop sales rose by 25 percent for the week ending Nov. 25, 2006; desktop PC sales dropped 2 percent for that week, and, in October 2006, were down 5 percent for the year.

Sales of laptop security technology need to increase in parallel. We must combat—and ward off—the thefts that will inevitably accompany the growing prevalence of laptop computers. The alternatives, lawsuits and recovery costs, are prohibitively expensive. We're already seeing companies paying thousands of dollars just to stop official inquiries into their laptop security practices. No organization is immune. Install simple technology, like GPS, instead. Avoid the security nightmare before it even happens.

A December 2006 article in The Boston Globe article reported a $25,000 settlement paid by Ameriprise Financial Services Inc. to settle a probe into the loss of a laptop that housed personal data on thousands of Massachusetts residents.

Imagine losing a laptop computer and only having to press a button to make the whole problem go away. That's what GPS tracking can do—no more public relations crises, no more litigious probes, and no more lost customers. Your organization has done its job, and the thief goes to jail.

Indeed, nightmares like those described above can easily be avoided with technology such as MyLaptopGPS's: GPS tracking and encryption technology as security for mobile computers. Internet-based GPS, the technology this company's product of the same name uses, is more affordable and user-friendly than other types of GPS tracking and effectively tracks lost machines.

Laptop computer security can at once be simple, inexpensive, and highly effective. The alternative is theft and its attendant, often unknown consequences, such as lawsuits and soaring recovery costs. Smart organizations expect the worst and insulate themselves for it up-front. MyLaptopGPS provides the solution these companies want, and need.

MyLaptopGPS not only tracks lost laptops with Internet-based GPS, but also installs software that encrypts and silently removes and retrieves files from the machines—at once returning the data to its rightful owner and deleting it on the stolen computer. Users can invoke MyLaptopGPS's functions remotely.

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Recent research and the threat of lawsuits should spur initiatives to equip laptop computers with GPS

Laptop theft is on the rise, and the research into mobile computing security reveals findings that are daunting and irrefutable: Laptop computers stand to be stolen in large numbers over the next few years, and the associated costs, including lawsuits, threaten to be a major source of frustration.

According to legal experts whose article appeared on Tech News World in mid-December of last year, California Senate Bill 1386, passed into law in July 2003 and now emulated in about 30 states, provides consumers and employees, under some circumstances, the legal basis to sue companies that have suffered data breaches. On Nov. 27 of last year Investor's Business Daily reported research from Kahn Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in the legal, compliance, and policy issues of information technology: Only 35 percent of the 80 percent of companies that equip their workers with wireless devices secure the machines.

Also cited in the Investor's Business Daily article was research from IDC, a firm headquartered in Framingham, Mass. IDC predicted that the number of mobile workers will increase by 30 percent by the year 2009, and that these added workers will see, rising along with them, the security threat to mobile computers.

Symantec has found that a laptop computer is stolen every 53 seconds, and that 97 percent of these machines lost to theft are never recovered. And research from Gartner Group has revealed that the financial price tag of laptop computer theft can exceed $6,000 for even just one machine.

I predict that more and more organizations will come to the logical conclusion: Turn to simple, effective, countermeasures such as GPS tracking and encryption technologies.

Anyone who loses a laptop computer wishes their machine had the functionalities MyLaptopGPS provides. Rather than deal with the thousands of dollars and pure headaches that come with lost mobile computing devices, smart organizations are looking at companies such as MyLaptopGPS, which offers GPS tracking and encryption technology as security for mobile computers. Internet-based GPS, the technology MyLaptopGPS™ uses, is more affordable and user-friendly than other types of GPS tracking and effectively tracks lost machines. MyLaptopGPS not only tracks lost laptops with Internet-based GPS, but also installs software that encrypts and silently removes and retrieves files from the machines—at once returning the data to its rightful owner and deleting it on the stolen computer. Users can invoke MyLaptopGPS’s functions remotely.

Peace of mind is hard to come by. For a fraction of the cost of a lost laptop computer, GPS and other technologies provide an all-encompassing solution to laptop theft so that even if your computer is stolen, it won't matter.

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Rising tide of targeted mobile computer thefts is grounds for equipping laptops with GPS tracking technology

A laptop computer is a potentially lucrative acquisition for any thief. In some cases they’re seeking these machines because they're determined to obtain identifiable information that facilitates identity theft, account takeover, or medical fraud. Owners need to be aware of the information on their laptops and its worth to criminals. Organizations whose proprietary and sensitive data reside on laptop computers should install on these machines affordable antitheft safeguards such as Internet-based GPS tracking, encryption technology, and systems to remotely retrieve and delete data.

One briefly unattended machine sitting on a coffee table in an Internet café may contain data worth hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars to a savvy criminal. But companies like MyLaptopGPS's, whose product of the same name uses Internet-based GPS (a technology more affordable and user-friendly than other types of GPS tracking), offer hope by not only tracking lost laptops with Internet-based GPS, but also encrypting and silently removing and retrieving files from the machines—at once returning the data to its rightful owner and deleting it on the stolen computer. Users can invoke MyLaptopGPS’s functions remotely.

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Laptop computers bereft of GPS tracking technology are easy targets for criminals

The unsecured laptop computer is easily stolen and a goldmine for identity thieves. Owners indiscriminately store personal data of all kinds on them. The portable computer is the thief’s fantasy, but effective, and inexpensive, security exists. Anyone who owns a laptop computer should install on it affordable safeguards such as GPS tracking, encryption technology, and systems to remotely retrieve and delete data.

According to Symantec, a laptop computer is stolen every 53 seconds, and 97 percent of these machines lost to theft are never recovered. The numbers are hardly surprising. The recent statistics and ongoing news of more and more mobile computer thefts speak for themselves. The data breaches continue unabated. And now laptops are quickly becoming the item of choice for identity thieves conspiring with gangs and organized criminals everywhere. Smart organizations and individuals are protecting themselves with commonsense, affordable security that blocks the loss of personal information to theft.

MyLaptopGPS, an Oklahoma-based firm, offers just that commonsense opportunity: security for laptop computers at a cost that pales in comparison to the financial price tag of laptop theft, which can exceed $6,000 for even just one machine, according to research from Gartner Group.

Internet-based GPS, the technology MyLaptopGPS™ uses, is more affordable and user-friendly than other types of GPS tracking and effectively tracks lost machines. And MyLaptopGPS also installs software that encrypts and silently removes and retrieves files from lost laptops—at once returning the data to its rightful owner and deleting it on the stolen machine. Users can invoke MyLaptopGPS’s functions remotely.

The market is awash with an array of less-than-effective laptop computer security products. MyLaptopGPS gives a user a host of functionalities all rolled into one product, plus the peace of mind that comes from silently retrieving a laptop’s data from a remote location.

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Educators should to equip laptop computers with GPS tracking technology

Identity thieves will steal anyone’s identity. They especially like to prey on young people, whose credit records are still clean and useful for new car loans, mortgages, and more under fake auspices. With so much theft of laptop computers storing Social Security numbers and all sorts of other information on students everywhere, GPS tracking and other safeguards for these machines must become a priority.

MyLaptopGPS is a firm that offers a product of the same name that uses GPS to track the whereabouts of misplaced and stolen laptops. MyLaptopGPS™ employs Internet-based GPS, a system characterized by affordability and user-friendliness. Going a step further, MyLaptopGPS™ also installs software that encrypts and remotely removes and retrieves files from lost laptops—at once returning the data to its rightful owner and deleting it on the stolen machine. MyLaptopGPS does what it’s designed to do remotely, covertly, and inexpensively.

Products such as MyLaptopGPS's bring enormous piece of mind to any organization, especially one with perhaps limited financial resources, such as an educational institution. MyLaptopGPS allows responsible and conscientious educators and administrators to track stolen laptops—and protect their students’ wellbeing.

Last fall, numerous laptop computer thefts affected college and high school students:

According to Gartner Group research, just one laptop lost to theft can result in costs that exceed $6,000. Laptop theft is a potentially catastrophic expense for educators. Anticipating worst-case scenarios, smart educational administrators are turning to GPS technology so that they’ll be able to track laptop computers once these devices are stolen. And, as we have seen with the rash of laptop computer thefts affecting students, a laptop computer is easy to lose.

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Laptop Security Products Must Provide All-in-One Functionality

Research has continually revealed the high cost of laptop computer theft. Gartner Group research has found that just one laptop lost to theft can result in costs related to lost productivity, as well as hardware and software replacement, that exceed $6,000. Often, organizations spend much more, with untold additional funds covering the loss of data.

That's why it's heartening to see the high technology industry responding with novel ways to secure lost machines and recover the data on them. All-in-one technologies that employ Internet-based GPS tracking as well as systems for remote recovery and retrieval of data are among the best of these offerings. The financial impact of laptop loss far outweighs the nominal costs of these security alternatives.

One all-inclusive solution comes from MyLaptopGPS, a firm whose product of the same name uses GPS to track the whereabouts of misplaced and stolen laptops. MyLaptopGPS™ employs Internet-based GPS, which is affordable and user-friendly. And, going a step further, MyLaptopGPS™ also installs software that encrypts and silently removes and retrieves important files from lost laptops—at once returning the data to its rightful owner and deleting it on the stolen machine.

The market offers a number of partial answers to laptop security concerns, but GPS tracking technology needs to go hand-in-hand with the ability to remotely destroy data on stolen machines—and nobody wants to destroy the data on that laptop without first being able to retrieve the files. These are the reasons why MyLaptopGPS™ provides all three options in one package for organizations keen on improving the security of their laptops.

Laptop computers containing sensitive, identifying information on high school students and ROTC scholarship candidates. Some teaching institutions, such as a Fenland, England school that lost £20,000 computing equipment, some of it mobile have installed tracking technology on all computers, including laptops.

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