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Thursday, March 29, 2001 By David Radin
I've always wondered what it would be like to be Steven Spielberg or Ted Turner. I wondered, but I never did anything about it. Yet a busboy in New York City did. He used the Internet and other means to steal the identities of these and other famous people -- and made a fortune doing it -- before he was caught.
It's really not that hard. Most banks use similar types of information to safeguard client accounts -- Social Security numbers, maiden names, addresses and a few other consistent data points. But they rarely do any more than just go through the motions with this data in their attempts to protect us.
You don't need the Internet to steal an identity. The Net just makes it easier and faster to do. Some identity thieves use discarded papers. Others, like Mr. Spielberg-Turner-etc. (actually Abdallah) in New York use the phone to pry information from unsuspecting victims.
Here's a multimedia approach: Pick up the telephone to call the office of the person whose identity you want to steal. Tell the target's assistant that you're from the I.T. department and want to test so-and-so's password. If you reach a careless associate who has such private information, he or she is all too likely to go along with your request. So you can now log onto your victim's computer. All you need to find is any computer on the network that hasn't been secured properly. In many small businesses, and even in some large organizations, it isn't hard -- especially if those organizations allow their employees to log in from home. Security is only as good as the weakest security point.
Have a question for David Radin? Contact him at his Web site
Several years ago, my friend's identity was stolen. A thief got hold of his credit cards and changed the addresses to which their statements were mailed. That way, he couldn't see the bogus charges being tacked on. This eventually turned my friend's life upside down -- financially and logistically. It took an inordinate amount of his personal time to track down the problem charges, and for years, he has had to keep tabs on his credit report. He still tells tales about how much time and effort went into fixing the situation.
Your personal and financial information is now woven into a huge network of databases. They're compiled, bought & sold, enhanced and exchanged again. This isn't new with the Internet. But the growth of the Net has raised the visibility of this hidden market. And it's increased the number of ways you can be hurt. So be wary when you give out your personal data -- on or off the Net. It may reach people not involved in your current transaction.
Q: I have Real Player on my home and business computers, but they look and work differently. Why?
A: You probably have two different rev levels of Real Player. In their efforts to provide a better user experience, Real Networks has been changing their interface fairly dramatically in their last few major releases. Most noticeably, they change the way the pre-sets are organized and the way the files are displayed graphically. Since it costs nothing, you should consider bringing them both up to current release levels. If your Real Player says "Check for Upgrade," click on it while you're connected to the Net. If not, select [Help]; then click on "Check for Upgrade" on the Help menu. At this point, you'll probably see a dizzying array of choices, most of which are independent applications related to audio, video or download management. Choose the applications you want. However, notice first how many megabytes each option is -- because the size of the file affects how long it takes to finish the download and upgrade.
David Radin is host of the nationally syndicated radio show Internet Insider, a local version of which is aired on KDKA AM 1020 at noon Saturdays. You can ask him a computer or Internet question by following the instructions at www.post-gazette.com/interact, where you also can find an archive of his previous Q&A columns.
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