ThreatSTOP, the developer of ThreatSTOP Botnet Defense Cloud, a cloud service protecting networks against botnets and malware using IP Reputation, has released ThreatCHECK, a tool to help keep people safe online, in time for the holiday shopping season. ThreatCHECK is a free applet for Windows users to check what ThreatSTOP knows about the IP addresses their computer connects to. This is the most reliable way to determine who the computer is really talking to. ThreatCHECK will provide a report identifying which countries the IPs are in, and call out known botnet and malware sites along with detailed research about them.

ThreatSTOP has the most accurate, continually updated, database of currently active botnet and malware sites. ThreatCHECK is easy to download and can be run in the background. ThreatCHECK enables users to ensure that their computers are talking to who they intend to, and not a cybercriminal gang in Eastern Europe hiding behind a seemingly legitimate website.

As more and more shopping moves on-line, more and more crimes are committed there. The holidays are the busiest days for online merchants as well as for the cybercriminals. Botnets, advanced persistent threats and criminal malware are widely recognized as the most serious information security problem today. The average number of web attacks globally doubled in 2010 from 10 million to 20 million , and the cost to consumers and organizations runs in the billions. Despite $ 20 billion spent annually on network security, 99% of networks are infected by malware. Criminals clearly have the upper hand as they attackand profitwith very little cost and total impunity using victims own computers. No one, from the individual to the largest organizations, is immune.

We are pleased to offer ThreatCHECK, a simple and free tool to help Internet users to find out the true identities of who they are really talking to online, said Tom Byrnes, CEO and Founder of ThreatSTOP. With ThreatCHECK, users can make sure that when they are going to their favorite online retailers, their computer isnt also sending all their keystrokes to criminal syndicates. Simply checking with ThreatCHECK for a few minutes can potentially save a consumer thousands, and businesses millions, of dollars from stolen credit card numbers or credentials, lost data, cost of remediation and even fines for failing to comply with data security regulations.

To download ThreatCHECK: http://www.threatstop.com/threatcheck

About ThreatSTOP

ThreatSTOP is the developer of ThreatSTOP Botnet Defense Cloud, a turnkey cloud service that uses IP reputation to protect networks against botnets and criminal malware. ThreatSTOP enables firewalls to block outbound call homes to command and control hosts as well as incoming attacks. It prevents data theft, increases network goodput, and reduces system load and attack surface. Updated in real-time and automatically distributed via DNS to firewalls, ThreatSTOP is deployed on customers existing equipment and can be activated within an hour without any network reconfigurations, retraining or manual updates. For more information, visit http://www.threatstop.com.

ThreatSTOP Contact:��������������������

Ken Liu, V.P. Organization Development����

kliu(at)threatstop(dot)com����Tel: 760-542-1550 x 4250����Cell: 858-722-0912��������������������

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Reverse Phone Directory, a leading online reverse phone directory, warns that the current open enrollment period of Medicare from October 15th until December 7th also means open season for scammers. Since the 15th, reports of impostor phone calls and door-to-door scams claiming to be Medicare representatives have skyrocketed. The scammers take various forms. ReversePhoneDirectory.com offers warning of frauds to be aware of.

The first version of the scam uses an impostor Medicare employee. Victims are contacted by telephone and asked to verify their Medicare information by someone claiming to be representing Medicare. The caller sometimes claims that a new Medicare card needs to be issued, and claims that the victim has qualified for enhanced benefits. Often times the official sounding phone call intimidates unsuspecting people into giving out sensitive information over the phone to receive the enhanced benefits. Often times the thief will ask to verify identity using social security number or credit card information. This enables the scammer to steal this vital information for use in identity theft.

In the second version the victim is contacted by a caller who informs them that they qualify for a refund from last year. The victim is informed that they simply need to verify identity by giving their social security information. They are told that the refund will be directly deposited into their bank account, and that they simply need to give their bank account information.

Some people have been fooled by fraudsters claiming to be selling supplemental insurance. By claiming association with Medicare, scammers are able to establish trust and sell high priced unnecessary insurance to unsuspecting victims. The victim unknowingly spends hundreds of dollars for non-existent insurance.

ReversePhoneDirectory.com hopes to educate the public to protect Medicare users from falling prey to these scams. If contacted by a person claiming to be a representative of Medicare, or an associated supplemental insurance company Reverse Phone Directory.com suggests the following:

����Never give out sensitive info over the telephone.
����Contact the authorities. If a call appears like a possible fraud contact nearby police immediately and give a detailed description of the call plus the actions took
����Use Reverse Phone Directory. Request a amount where the caller may be reached, employ the amount displayed on caller ID or dial *69. Visit ReversePhoneDirectory.com and run a reverse telephone lookup look. The report can give more info about the individual calling and confirm the identity of the caller.

About ReversePhoneDirectory.com

ReversePhoneDirectory.com is a leading provider of reverse phone lookup services that enable consumers to simply search a number, including cell numbers (where available), landline numbers and VoIP to accurately find the owner of that number. In addition to phone number information, ReversePhoneDirectory.com has search portals for public records services and provides access to the most current information. ReversePhoneDirectory.com is committed to helping people live better during technologically advanced times, believing that information is a powerful currency and people across the country should have easy access to information about everything and everyone they come in contact with.

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More Credit Fraud Protection Press Releases

Many companies provide protection from credit card fraud, including credit card companies, banks and consumer protection agencies. Have credit card activity monitored regularly by a regulated company with tips from acertified public accountant and personal financial planner in this free video on credit cards. Expert: Miranda Chook Bio: Miranda Chook is a CPA with expertise in international operations. Filmmaker: Bing Hu
Video Rating: / 5

Question by Varun: What are the steps being taken by the UK government for curbing incidents of UK online credit fraud?
Are the efforts getting ensuing for bringing down rate of online banking fraud in the UK?

Best answer:

Answer by Shamma
UK has been successful in fighting online fraud malaise and it has registered decline since 2007.The decline has been attributed to increased consumer awareness as well as the fraud detection software being used by banks in the UK.Among the measures getting credit for such a tremendous success in terms of fall in the UK online credit fraud include use of Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode along with collaborations with the retail people for increasing awareness of protecting PIN and chip equipment.

Give your answer to this question below!

Recent article appearing in The Dallas Morning News (DMN) headlined: “Groups push for US to void Texas voter ID law.” – The article states a group called “Advancement Project” has filed a suit stating the voter photo ID law in Texas, signed by Governor Rick Perry (Republican) violates federal civil rights law. They maintain having to show a photo ID to vote “intentionally discriminates against black and Hispanic voters.” How is it showing a photo ID discriminates only against blacks and Hispanics, but not Caucasian, Native Americans or Americans of Asian descent? Is the group “Advancement Project” stating they believe only blacks and Hispanics engage in voter fraud? Is that accusation in itself discriminatory? In recent years Democrats across the nation have governed against the will of the people. To the Democratic leadership, the will of the people, our Constitution, the security of our nation, are all to be subverted for the good of the Party. Many state legislatures trying to enact voter photo ID legislation have been facing opposition from the Democratic Party. Democrats claim it would hurt the poor who do not have nor can afford photo ID. Hooey! Many states have provisions to provide free voter photo ID for those who can not afford to purchase one. The Texas plan is to even allow the poor to show an utility bill. But the Democrats will have none of that. They do not want to do anything that would interfere or threaten their voter base. Which includes dead people …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Answer by know-it-all
A debit card is not a credit card and does not offer the protection an ascribing card offers. Using one puts you at risk – just as you have discovered. You will not get in trouble if you are telling the truth. Is there anyone who has access to your computer? Friend, relative? This would not be the first time some trusted person did this.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Answer by Huntsman
This cannot be done by phoneGet your credit reports at Annual Credit Report.com https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jspYou dispute the item on your reports.That is the very first step – talking on the phone is basically useless – it must be done by mail or online by disputingIf the debt comes back verfied, then you mail a letter to the collection agnecies themselves

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San Jose, CA (PRWEB) November 07, 2011

ThreatMetrix™, the fastest growing provider of cloud-based fraud prevention solutions that do not require personally identifiable information (PII), today announced the deployment of an unexampled multi-layered data encryption architecture feature integrated into the late release of the ThreatMetrix™ Cloud-Based Fraud Prevention Platform.

With the latest product release, ThreatMetrix takes data encryption to a new level. After a major investment in resources, the improved data encryption architecture addresses strict security requirements with minimal impact to customer response times. This means multi-layered encryption of customer-siloed data, as well as global customer data. If any one customer account is compromised, the data loss is limited to that one customer; even if the data center hosting ThreatMetrix services were to be compromised, the encrypted data would remain confidential. This ensures all customer data shared with ThreatMetrix for purposes of fraud protection is maintain secure, while at the same time meets performance concerns.

“It’s our goal to raise the bar for the level of security and privacy of online transactions,” said Alisdair Faulkner, chief products officer, ThreatMetrix. “The question is not if a consumer’s identity will be compromised, but it’s a matter of when it will be compromised. Credit card companies can update their credit cards if they’ve been compromised, but consumers can’t simply recycle their identity. ThreatMetrix is staying one step ahead so fraudulent activity is minimized and our clients can do a better job of protecting their customers.”

ThreatMetrix, in broadening its strategy as a leader in digital cyber identification, views the new data encryption feature as a critical next-step toward protecting privacy and enhancing the security of confidential consumer information during online transactions. Activities associated with hacker group LulzSec and many recent high-profile data breaches like Epsilon and PlayStation — which resulted in millions of compromised accounts — underlines the need for new encryption technology that better protects both online brands as well as consumers, added Faulkner.

While the ThreatMetrix Cloud-Based Fraud Prevention Platform already provides real-time intelligence that automatically detects the reputation of the device in question without relying on PII, the new release introduces several added benefits as well. These include new fraud detection rules, device identification improvements, administrative enhancements, queue management improvements, and changes to the ThreatMetrix Portal around access and data privacy.

“PII is no longer an effective authentication tool by itself, as it can’t authenticate the person behind the transaction,” said Faulkner. “Context is key, which means looking past the device and also considering other factors linking with the device, like phone number and email. We’re looking for anomalies in customer data, in conjunction with the underlining device reputation behavior. It’s whether or not all transactions and customer and device information make sense in the context of that transaction. We then apply this intelligence across a comprehensive global network to stop fraud in real-time and good protect consumers.”

Today, it’s estimated that ThreatMetrix is helping to screen up to one-billion online transactions conducted each month, successfully eliminating the threat of an estimated 300,000 fraudulent attempts occurring on a daily basis.

About ThreatMetrix:

ThreatMetrix helps companies stop net fraud and accelerate e-commerce in real-time so they can significantly reduce online fraud, acquire more customers faster, reduce cost, and increase customer satisfaction. The ThreatMetrix™ Cloud-Based Fraud Prevention Platform, incorporating ThreatMetrix™ SmartID cookieless device identification, provides online businesses with the ability to protect themselves and their customers by verifying new accounts, authorizing payments and transactions and authenticating user logins in real-time. Online businesses can deploy the ThreatMetrix Cloud-based Fraud Prevention Platform, which does not rely on personally identifiable information (PII), for traditional online activity via a personal computer as well as for mobile and tablet devices. The company serves a rapidly growing customer base around the world across a variety of industries including social networks (dating, gaming), financial services, e-commerce, affiliate marketing and payments. For more information, visit http://www.threatmetrix.com or name 1-408-200-5755.

© 2011 ThreatMetrix. All rights reserved. ThreatMetrix, the ThreatMetrix Cloud-Based Fraud Prevention Platform, ThreatMetrix SmartID, ThreatMetrix ExactID, and the ThreatMetrix logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ThreatMetrix in the United States and other countries. All other brand, service or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or owners.

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Question by mike L: I was charged with credit card fraud but the charges were dismissed-what now?
I’ve been worrying that this credit card fraud thing i have on my juvinile record (15 yrs old) is going to kill me. Today I found out that it is on my juvinile record but it says the charged were dissmissed. So it’s on there but the charged were dismissed. I have nothing else on my record. Can this be held against me or am I equitable being paranoid?

Best answer:

Answer by davidmi711
First, most employment background checking and applications are interrogative about convictions and pending charges. An arrest from 15 years ago that was dismissed is neither.Some states allow you to have your juvenile record sealed, expunged or both if you have remained crime free. You may want to discuss with a lawyer or search for information about your state on the Internet.Juvenile records do not get automatically sealed in all states.

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Answer by Loyal B
I recommend you cancel that credit card due to lousy service and tell them why, too. Then they will call you!

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