Brian Thompson

About Brian Thompson

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March 9, 2022

How WiFi Hacks Occur

Imagine these scenarios and you will see how WiFi hacks occur in everyday life: You are on vacation and you open your laptop in your hotel room. You log into the public WiFi network, quickly agree to the Terms and Conditions (without reading them of course), and start your normal Internet activities. For just a second, you have a fleeting thought: “Is my computer at risk?” And then you begin your normal Internet activities and quickly forget all about it. You are waiting to catch your flight in an airport and, after grabbing a cup of coffee and opening your laptop, you see that there’s a “Free Public WiFi” network available. You log in to your banking account to transfer funds. Then you have a vague sense that you might not be doing something safe, but you figure that you’re only going to be online for fifteen minutes, so you’re […]

February 28, 2022

Avoid Ukraine Relief Scams

Brian Thompson General, Identity Theft

As we continue to see the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is natural that we look for ways to help. Donating money is often one of the best and easiest ways to make an impact. Unfortunately, we need to ensure that we avoid Ukraine relief scams popping up which is causing more chaos. Scammers have no shame and will try to lure out money from people like you who are just trying to help. Below are some tips to consider while looking to help. Donation Tips Give to Organizations You Trust: Do your research before giving. Review the charity’s purpose and find out how the charity spends its donations. How much is spent directly on the charitable cause? How much goes to overhead and employee compensation? You should also confirm the charity’s name, address, and nonprofit status. Be Wary of Social Network Fundraising: If you are planning to donate through […]

February 9, 2022

Hackers are coming for you in 2022

Brian Thompson Breach, Identity Theft, Uncategorized

Two years ago I wrote an article asking the question Is Your Digital Identity Safe? Two days ago I read an Infosecurity Magazine article stating Identity Theft Will Get Worse. It appears that Hackers are coming after you in 2022! Specific to your digital identity and today’s threat landscape for consumers and small businesses, cyber thieves and ID theft criminals have evolved to the point where hacking and data breaches will happen at any time and can affect anyone. As for the statement “identity theft will get worse,” the fact is that 2021 surpassed the all-time record for data breaches exposing the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of millions of Americans. As a reminder, examples of PII include: Name: full name, maiden name, mother’s maiden name, or alias Personal identification numbers: social security number (SSN), passport number, driver’s license number, taxpayer identification number, patient identification number, employee or student identification number, financial […]

January 24, 2022

Agents Offer Identity Theft Protection?

Brian Thompson Identity Theft

“I didn’t know Agents offer Identity Theft Protection?”.. this is a statement I often hear when we tell people about identity theft protection as an employee benefit. Most of our partner agents say that many of their clients are unsure of how they are exposed to cybersecurity losses, what cyber services are available as part of an ID theft protection program, or that they underestimate the threat. Also indicating that they just didn’t know Identity Theft Protection was a benefit they could even offer! If we are serious about protecting our clients and their employees we need to first understand why we as agents need to offer this service in the first place. The Problem Your Clients Already Face The reality is that employees are already getting their information stolen and it is impacting employees. We get it though, the costs of benefits seem to constantly increase, and running a […]

December 9, 2021

Cyberdemic Will Continue into 2022

Brian Thompson Breach, Identity Theft

The last two years have created an opportune environment for bad actors ensuring the Cyberdemic will continue into 2022. As we continue to migrate our lives into the digital world with remote workforces and comfort we increase cybercriminals’ opportunity for attack. This year we have seen a significant shift in the focused attacks on supply chains, home networks, and a gigantic increase in healthcare breaches. In its latest Data Breach Industry Forecast released Monday, Experian has 5 predictions that underscore the ongoing impact of the pandemic on cybersecurity. Criminals will continue to focus on the remote workforce, the healthcare system, and will begin to narrow their targets to exploit the weakest technologies. 5 Breach Trends for 2022 Remote Workforce Those working from home will certainly be targets for those looking to hack into your business. According to the report, home wireless networks are more vulnerable than business VPN’s. Businesses will […]

November 17, 2021

Unemployment Benefits Fraud & ID-Theft

Brian Thompson Identity Theft

The pandemic is proving to bring the expected Unemployment Benefits Fraud & ID-Theft increases predicted by experts. There were indications early on that there would be a problem with an increase in fraud during the pandemic. As with most issues of mass concern comes the opportunity for bad actors to take advantage of the system and people. With COVID-19 we have seen exactly that, an increase of fraud at epic levels. Have you been a target? The phone rings, “Hi Jane, this is Bill calling from XYZ Auto Warranty. I see that your auto warranty has expired and I was calling to see…”. Or have you received a debit card in the mail that you never applied for? Have you gotten a letter asking for additional details for the unemployment application that you never filed? If any of these have happened to you, you are likely a target. But why […]

October 11, 2021

VPNs During COVID

Brian Thompson General

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and VPNs During Covid have proved their worth! In the middle of a global pandemic that upended everyone’s lives in a myriad of ways – the world of work changed profoundly. It was a huge shift that was very was hard and it took some time. But, overall, companies learned that “work from home” really works. And while some companies might be heading back to their offices in the near future, many will remain remote or adopt a hybrid model. But working from home means there are entirely new security issues to worry about. In the physical office, we had very strong security protocols, implemented by IT experts. What about our home networks? Are they as strong? How can we protect our communications? Our company information? Our partners’ and clients’ information? Also, we are now using cloud-based applications […]

September 1, 2021

Behavior Can Reduce Hacker Threat

Brian Thompson Breach, Identity Theft

Consumer behavior can help reduce the hacker threat we are all facing. With education and awareness, we can not only protect ourselves but the companies we work with and for. Author (Matt Burgess) of Wired UK Magazine recommends six action items for consumers to help protect themselves including (6 Things You Need to Do to Prevent Getting Hacked | WIRED): The use of multi-factor authentication Password manager Learn how to spot a phishing attack Update/backup everything Encrypt everything and Wipe your digital footprint. 4 Personal Resolutions to help you Nearly three years ago I published a similar article on January 18, 2019, titled 4 Personal Privacy Resolutions to Protect Yourself From ID Theft to help consumers with their privacy concerns, by writing about four resolutions including: Social Media: you should reconsider the data you share on social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and even LinkedIn – as all five […]

July 1, 2021

2021’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ Tax Scams

Brian Thompson General, Identity Theft

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released 2021’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ tax scams list. The list comes with a warning for taxpayers, tax professionals, and financial institutions… Be on the lookout for these 12 schemes and scams! The list is broken down into 4 separate categories: Pandemic-related scams like Economic Impact theft Personal information cons including phishing, ransomware, and phone “fishing” Ploys focusing on unsuspecting victims like fake charities and senior/immigrant fraud Schemes that persuade taxpayers into unscrupulous actions such as Offer In Compromise mills and syndicated conservation easements. The categories are based on who perpetrates the schemes and who they impact. The IRS continues to see ruses by dishonest people who trick others into doing something illegal or causes them harm. Predators encourage otherwise honest people to do things they don’t realize are illegal or prey on their goodwill. Several schemes involve fraudsters targeting groups like seniors or immigrants, posing […]

June 23, 2021

Reality…no company can prevent a breach

Brian Thompson Breach, Identity Theft

Reality…no company can prevent a breach! Earlier this month I was a guest speaker at the 2021 Nebraska Credit Union League Annual Meeting & Convention. One of my talking points was about the reality of data breaches and how the final story for most data breach events rarely reflects the initial news report. Initial reports speak of what is currently known about the breach. But those reports never cover the long-term impact of affected individuals and small businesses. In case you missed it, some of the notable data breaches so far in 2021 include CNA, Experian, Facebook, GEICO, Instagram, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Tesla, and Microsoft. The irony to these data breaches is that these businesses pride themselves on safeguarding PII (Personally Identifiable Information). An additional irony is that these businesses have more financial and information technology resources than most other businesses, and yet they still cannot prevent a data breach event from happening. […]