Ask Slashdot: Identity Theft Attempt In Progress; How To Respond? 239
Posted
by
timothy
from the burrs-on-the-heel-of-the-foot-would-be-mercy dept.
from the burrs-on-the-heel-of-the-foot-would-be-mercy dept.
An anonymous reader writes "It appears that two weeks ago my email address got into the wrong database. Since that time there have been continuing attempts to access my accounts and create new accounts in my name. I have received emails asking me to click the link below to confirm I want to create an account with Twitter, Facebook, Apple Games Center, Facebook mobile account, and numerous pornographic sites. I have not attempted to create accounts on any of these services. I have also received 16 notices from Apple about how to reset my Apple ID. I am guessing these notices are being automatically generated in response to too many failed login attempts. At this point I have no reason to believe any of my accounts have been compromised but I see no good response."
Change your e-mail address (Score:5, Insightful)
Sometimes, it becomes necessary to change your e-mail address.
Don't just sit on your hands... (Score:4, Insightful)
Your options are (Score:5, Insightful)
1) Wait and see if they succeed, then create new online and financial accounts and deal with the personal and financial fallout
2) Create new online accounts, transfer all information to new accounts and delete the old ones before they succeed
Up to you.
Re:Your options are (Score:1, Insightful)
Except in the case of things like an apple account, you lose access to everything you've ever purchased. I'm sure thats not the only example.
Definitely Change the Email You Use for Apple (Score:1, Insightful)
It is a huge PItA to reset an AppleID.
This time, don't use "abcdef123456" as a password, hmm?
I have had my email address compromised (in spam databases) for years, and nothing like this has happened. However, I use non-trivial passwords (I use the Randall Munroe Method [xkcd.com]), so I have yet to have had an email address actually cracked.
It sounds like they got more than just your email address. It looks like they actually cracked it.
I am getting sick to death of all my friends, associates, tech support folks, salespeople, etc. getting their email accounts cracked. I mean, I know scientists, engineers and real highbrow types, and they are constantly (often repeatedly) getting their emails cracked.
When you get your email cracked, you are selling out everyone on your contact list.
Good job!
More Likely (Score:5, Insightful)
Or two weeks ago you pissed someone off and they are just plugging your email address into everything.
How is this identity theft? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Don't just sit on your hands... (Score:5, Insightful)
I would contact my local police force and talk to the financial crimes desk.
You would go to the local police because someone (probably on the other side of the world) knows your email address? If you are lucky, the police will just laugh and hang up. If you are unlucky, they may get pissed at you for wasting their time on something so frivolous. What are expecting the police to do?
Just make sure you have good passwords on all your accounts, install a spam filter, and get on with your life.
Re:Change your e-mail address (Score:5, Insightful)
One does not simply change one's email address...
Re:What would you report? (Score:4, Insightful)
Um... yes... There's this person, probably in another country, that I suspect is trying to gain access to my facebook account. LOL.
Laugh, but the GP is correct. File the paperwork. It's a CYA move, just like you'd do if something fishy was going on at work. Not only does this cover YOU, but it also provides a jumping off point, should some computer crimes force actually stumble on the perp. They can't do a thing against them in many cases unless someone has reported it first. Having a report on file unties all sorts of red tape for their investigations.
That said, reporting it to a local county office isn't going to do much; you need to find the closest computer crimes division that will actually file your report and also add it to the federal/international databases so it can be cross-referenced by other investigators.
Re:Yeah you're right (Score:5, Insightful)
What moron moderated this bullshit "insightful"?
1. Including navigational software in my case it would rather be 300 EUR. How about steam? How about othe electronic goods?
2. You do not have to create new accounts, only the password and the emailaddress associated with it - your initial post was already misleading
3. If you do 2. and not the bullshit you were suggesting, nobody has to rebuy anything
Again: What moron moderated this insightful?
Re:did you change your email password? (Score:4, Insightful)
Password Safe. I let it remember my passwords for me, and only have to remember the one to open the password safe.