Fight Identity Theft

good to know. I don't do any of those on any of the games. Just doesn't pay.

The Tech Crunch article he links to is an incredible read. Facebook and game developers are making a killing while ignoring the deception to their users.

The big problem, as described in the article, is that legitimate ads don't convert well. Facebook users are focused on interacting with friends - not clicking ads - so the deceptive ads with high payouts are the ones that generate the most revenue.

Here's a quick quote from the article:... Read More

"A typical scam: users are offered in game currency in exchange for filling out an IQ survey. Four simple questions are asked. The answers are irrelevant. When the user gets to the last question they are told their results will be text messaged to them. They are asked to enter in their mobile phone number, and are texted a pin code to enter on the quiz. Once they’ve done that, they’ve just subscribed to a $9.99/month subscription."

Unbelievable...

That's how many of the electronic scams work. People trust content (emails, links, web sites) that are sent to them from a friend. It creates a negative viral effect where more and more friends are pulled into the scam.

It's effective and that's why scammers use it.

Another tactic is to hijack an email or Facebook account and then send out a sad story about illness or financial difficulties and ask for money (sent via wire, usually, so it's not recoverable).... Read More

Unfortunately, you can't trust your friends online any more than you can trust a stranger. Just the way it works.

It actually took almost six years to get everything resolved with the different accounts that were fraudulanlty opened in my name. There was over $30,000 in bogus charges at one time. Credit cards, gas cards, Cell phones, department store cards.

Sounds like you're doing everything right, John.

It's amazing to me that some people trivialize what happens when someone has their identity stolen. For example, I read this article in the WSJ a few weeks ago and couldn't believe my eyes: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125537784669480983.html - "The Fallacy of Identity Theft"

There are a number of ways to get your credit reports. The best way would be to use the Annual Credit Report service. They have a web site and a phone number - I recommend using the phone number.

Info on how to do that here - http://fightidentitytheft.com/fact_act.html

You could also sign up for one of those free credit report offers. You can access all of your reports & credit scores (something you won't get for free using the Annual Credit Report service) for free, but they come with a catch.... Read More

You have to remember to cancel the service before the end of their free service period. More info on how to sign up for a quality 30 day free service here:

http://fightidentitytheft.com/credit-monitoring.html

Best regards,

Dave Nielsen

Thinking there is alot of them out there ,,lol getm'' please

Unfortunately you're right. I have 5 or 6 "Facebook Account Update" phishing emails in my Spam folder right now.

never mind that doesnt work for everyone....I dont have cr.cards anymore, I go off of strictly cash and the rest will be handled by a non prof. org. with a living trust in my name....the corp. are all wealthy investers and family I can trust....If I need emerg. cash I just have to ask for it..no one will ever embessl its something I just know....... Read Morecant explain why its so secure, cause it would give away the secret.....I'dont now have to worry about id theft, not even in a homicide....cause I have that witness 24-7 on rotation...believe me,the person you dont think would try, will try the hardest to bury u....I have plenty of friends...in large numbers.... they have al passed a history of things, and we all have the backs of everyone in our groups....the rest is Gods grace...It can only get more powerful after that...

It's probably nothing to worry about. You did the right thing by changing your passwords and settings.

I would take a look at this blog post for more detailed advice on Facebook privacy settings: http://www.fightidentitytheft.com/blog/facebook-quizzes-sharing-your-private-data