The most important takeaway I'd like y'all to get from me posting about Frank here aside from the fact that he was beyond genius and had king Kong sized gonads is this. There are millions of asshats out there out to scam you. I had my gmail account hacked which in doing so allowed all my gmail accounts to get hacked as I stored my passwords in my browser and they happened to get into my main gmail account..It took weeks to get my accounts back and had I not had a "paid for business account" I very likely would not have gotten the information or help I needed ...on that note one of the security questions that most of us have no clue of with gmail was what year and what MONTH you opened that account ...OH FOR CRIPES SAKE! and if you don't have that forget it you are not getting back into your account...no humans just AI and AI don't give a shit if your dear Mothers e-mails are in there or not...
To say the least it was a nightmare and it just happened that they had only just started grabbing my accounts when I woke up and discovered it so it was a race between them and me for me changing passwords..fortunately I got my business one changed before they got their mits on it...Damn
All that said, the take away for all of ya's is try and be as safe as you can on the internets and follow Franks advice below...
After the hack I froze all my credit but as Frank explains all that info that the hackers got from e-mails may lie dormant for 2 ,3 or 4 years or longer before they start trying to use it...SHIT! As per his advice above and beyond freezing my credit which I did..which only last a year at a time... I will now subscribe to a credit monitoring service just for added insurance...@$120 a year...worth it. OK read below and take heed as he knows his shit. I just ordered a replacement micro-shredder to replace my vulnerable strip shredder..
“I worry about children more than I do seniors,” Mr. Abagnale said. “Children’s identities are four times more expensive on the black market. People who steal data warehouse that data. The longer they hold it, the more valuable it becomes.”
4 Ways Frank Abagnale Protects Himself Against Identity Theft
1. Use a shredder, but not just any shredder. Mr. Abagnale showed how fraudsters can recreate shredded documents with cheap software. He denounced straight shredders and criss-cross shredders, instead opting for a security micro-cut shredder — which costs the same as the other two.
2. Use a credit monitoring service. But make certain it monitors all three credit bureaus (Transunion, Equifax and Experian) and notifies you in real time if there is a compromise. If not, it is virtually useless, said Mr. Abagnale, who gave ringing endorsement of Lifelock, which monitors the social security numbers, among many other things, of those in your family.
3. When possible, use a credit card, not a check. A credit card is the bank’s money. A consumer is always protected when using a credit card. Need to write out a check? Find an alternative way to pay. A check sees too many eyes before its final destination.
4. Don’t use debit cards. Some consumers use debit cards unknowing they are a gateway to your bank account. Skimmer attacks – artificial card readers placed over the legitimate reader at an ATM or gas station – have been increasing dramatically in the U.S. When possible, use credit cards.
