Other LanguagesNearly 11,000 Washington seniors were on the phone last month with Attorney General Rob McKenna as part of a TeleTown Hall sponsored by AARP Washington. Public radio station KSER (90.7 AM) in Everett will broadcast a 30-minute edited version starting at 6:30 p.m. tonight. If you're outside the signal range, you can listen online at www.kser.org. ...
Thousands of personal e-mail passwords belonging to Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink and Comcast users were posted online after a phishing sceme targeted users of Gmail, Hotmail and others, according to news reports. You can check if your account was on the list.
You may have heard of cookies. They’re delicious morsels that come in flavors like chocolate chip and gingerbread, right? In this case, however, I’m talking about the itsy bitsy files that are deposited on your hard drive as you browse the Web. Some are harmless. Some are sleuths, tracking your every virtual move, then reporting that information to marketing companies. And apparently, many consumers who think they know how to delete cookies, are failing to sweep up some important crumbs...
We’ve repeatedly told consumers to protect their Social Security numbers. Those nine-digit combinations, unique for each of us, are a goldmine for identity thieves who would like to hack your bank account or open credit in your name.
It’s your worst nightmare: having files with personal information available for anybody to see, including identity thieves. As time has gone on and awareness of the potential exploitation of this personal information has increased, individuals and companies have become increasingly vigilant. Occasionally, however, the neglect to safeguard personal information has resulted in catastrophe. One local incident particularly underscores the inherent danger in preserving documents with personal information. KIRO TV's Amy Clancy reports:
Are you in need of an adrenalin boost? Whatever the reason, the AG's office is here to help.
How, you ask? By offering reading material that is sure to spark your "fight or flight" response. Specifically, you should note the claims recently filed by our Consumer Protection Division against Rent-A-Center, Inc. The press release can be found here. For a more intense experience, however, you should read the sworn statements by some of the victims, which document a consistent pattern of terrorizing children, trespassing, attempted home invasion, and all-around intimidation. Rent-A-Center employees would even spread misinformation to third-parties, such as coworkers, bosses, neighbors, clients, and babysitters. In one instance, the employees would falsely claim to have a court order to gain access to a house; in another, they would pretend to call the police and tell children that Child Protective Services would come to take them away from their families.
TJX agreed to pay $9.75 million to 41 attorneys general as a part of settlement that follows the states’ investigation concerning the retailer’s data security practices. ... Info on the new "Red Flags Rule." ...
Seniors reportedly receive more telephone and mail solicitations than any other age group. Those with dementia can write check after check to charities without understanding how much they’re spending or how the money will be used.
The feds are suing satellite TV giant DISH Network for ringing consumers whose numbers are on the Do Not Call list and for using robocalls ...
The season for spring cleaning and filing taxes is a great time to destroy sensitive documents you no longer need. But if the thought of tediously hand-feeding piles of personal papers into your home shredder makes it tough to get motivated, we have a solution. Attend a free community shred party and watch the professionals pulverize your papers into bits in mere minutes.