Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers, and Identity Thieves

by Adam Levin

Identity fraud happens to everyone. So what do you do when it's your turn?

Increasingly, identity theft is a fact of life. We might once have hoped to protect ourselves from hackers with airtight passwords and aggressive spam filters, and those are good ideas as far as they go. But with the breaches of huge organizations like Target, AshleyMadison.com, JPMorgan Chase, Sony, Anthem, and even the US Office of Personnel Management, more than a billion personal records have already been stolen, and chances are good that you're already in harm's way.

This doesn't mean there's no hope. Your identity may get stolen, but it doesn't have to be a life-changing event. Adam Levin, a longtime consumer advocate and identity fraud expert, provides a method to help you keep hackers, phishers, and spammers from becoming your problem.

Levin has seen every scam under the fake companies selling "credit card insurance"; criminal, medical, and child identity theft; emails that promise untold riches for some personal information; catphishers, tax fraud, fake debt collectors who threaten you with legal action to confirm your account numbers; and much more. As Levin shows, these folks get a lot less scary if you see them coming.

With a clearheaded, practical approach, Swiped is your guide to surviving the identity theft epidemic. Even if you've already become a victim, this strategic book will help you protect yourself, your identity, and your sanity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology, Self Help, Business, Crime, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2015

About the author

Adam Levin’s debut novel, The Instructions, was published in late 2010. His stories have appeared in Tin House, McSweeney’s, and Esquire. Winner of the 2003 Tin House/Summer Literary Seminars Fiction Contest and the 2004 Joyce Carol Oates Fiction Prize, Levin holds an MA in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago and an MFA in Creative Writing from Syracuse University. His collection of short stories, Hot Pink, was published by McSweeney’s in 2011. He lives in Chicago, where he teaches writing at Columbia College and The School of the Art Institute.

Authorial Influences and Inspirations: Adam Novy, George Saunders, Leslie Lockett, Stanley Elkin, Christian TeBordo, Rebecca Curtis, Jerzy Kosinski, David Foster Wallace, Salvador Plascencia, Don DeLillo, Philip Roth, JD Salinger, and Katherine Dunn

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not awful, but long on generalities & incredibly repetitious. The author, Adam Levin, doesn't 'work for' IDT911 as he states a dozen or more times, but actually founded the company in 2003, at least according to the history of CyberScout, the new name of the company as of this year, 2017. I didn't learn that until I started writing this review, but I find it disingenuous at best. This book is an advertisement of his company & his services. Still, there's some good information in it. I'd recommend this as a print book so it can be skimmed, though. The repetition was painful in audio.

He mentions many of the more common scams & a little of how they're perpetrated, but there are some big holes & he doesn't get into specifics in far too many cases. He's correct in that ID theft is a growth industry & all of our Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is out there. There have been just too many breaches of major databases (Target, Anthem, etc.) for our names, addresses, & other information not be available to far too many bad guys. He's correct, there are people who comb through these & put scattered bits together for profit. Anonymized data isn't as anonymous as it should be, either. Worse, he shows how incredibly little of this information is needed to gain access to our identities. He never goes through the process in any detail though showing how each bit is leveraged.

A great example he did mention is a guy who went on vacation & came home to find squatters living in his house. He called the cops, but since the people swore he had sublet to them & they had gotten the utilities changed to their name, there wasn't much the cops could do. Think that's a freak occurrence? Think again. A current utility bill in your name is one of the major legs of your identity. Google "squatters in home". You'll find Wikihow instructions & it's obvious it can easily become a huge financial loss & civil litigation nightmare. Do you know how easy it is to change a name on a utility bill? Usually it just takes a phone call to them. You don't even have to say, "Please."

The computer bits were obvious to me & should be to most, but he made some good points especially on emails & social media such as Facebook. He also mentioned that we need to think before we click.
- Never click on links in emails, login to the site on your own & look for whatever the email says is there. If it's legit, it will be there.
- Much of our PII is out there & we're adding more all the time whether we want to or not. You might have your Facebook privacy cranked down properly & don't share your PII, but what about friends & relatives? Their 'Happy Birthday' to you & your replies back might fill in a lot of information for all to see through a scammer who friended them.

Unfortunately, there were several big items he left out:
- He says to be wary of emails even from friends because their account could have been hacked. True, but it's far more likely their name was just tacked in as the sender/return address. It's simple to spoof email, CID, & SMS sender names. There is rarely security on this field since the specs for them didn't include it. You can set most with whatever return address you want. That's why you'll occasionally get emails saying an email you didn't send couldn't get through. Your email address was being used by the spammer on another machine possibly halfway around the world.
- Multiple email addresses are mentioned, but barely. Why not separate out your life a little. Use a different providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft, etc.) for dicey sites, friends/family, finances &/or whatever. Then if you get the wrong type, it sends up a flag. For instance, a common scam is to click on tracking information link for a FedEx or UPS package because it couldn't be delivered to your home. If you get that email in your work account, you KNOW it's a scam no matter how genuine it looks. (Unless you use your work account for personal business. If so, spank yourself. Your company owns that email address & you have no rights or ability to access it if they decide to change it or you no longer work for them. The same thing can happen if you use the email address your Internet provider gave you. Don't get locked in! I've seen all of these happen & the frustration this causes.)
- URLs are never mentioned. They can fool people. A link that says microsoft.xxx.com isn't sending you to a Microsoft site, but to site located on xxx.com.
- Password managers!!! He NEVER mentions using one yet tells us to use long, complex, & different passwords & preferably user names on every site which we should change regularly. True, but who can remember them all? No one, thus the password manager. Then you have to remember one.

Password Manager Pick a good one. Some obvious things to look at are:
- Availability on all your devices.
- Cost
- Reputation, track record, & current security methods. Google them & their ilk. Ask techie friends.
Less obvious:
- Ability to give another account access after a predetermined set of time, say 24 hours. This is important so the trustee can access your account if you die or are indisposed in some other way (hospital, jail, or whatever). They can then close your accounts that have your credit cards or subscriptions in/to them. They can access your bank & credit cards to pay bills or close them as needed. The delay is so you'll be notified via email of the request & can nix it in case the trustee was hacked. You'll need to pick the one that is right for you & remember to change it if circumstances change.
- Notes are important especially for security questions. How often has your mother's maiden name been used? Is it available through a post on Facebook? Did you have to decide between favorite teachers? Will you think of the same one when asked at a later date? Did you misspell or purposely fudge a date or name because you know it is on social media? If you answered even maybe to any of these questions, the need for notes should be obvious & hopefully they made you think of more secure ways to use them.
- Export or back them up occasionally. Yes, this opens up a security hole, but a copy in your safety deposit box may also save your butt if the company goes under or you lose access for some other reason.

Check your credit reports regularly. You don't need to pay for this service. Each of the main 3 has to give you a free one each year by law, so check one every 4 months.
Equifax - www.equifax.com. P.O. Box 740241. Atlanta, GA 30374-0241. 1-800-685-1111.
Experian - www.experian.com. P.O. Box 2104. Allen, TX 75013-0949. 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TransUnion - www.transunion.com. P.O. Box 1000. Chester, PA 19022. 1-800-916-8800.
Checking kids' credit reports? I hadn't thought of this one, but he gave several horrifying examples. If you have them, check. They shouldn't have one until they're 18 or older. Some do & they come of age to find they're screwed.

So you don't need to pay for monitoring. As he mentions, credit cards, insurance companies, & banks may do a lot of this for you already. Debit cards often don't carry the same protection as credit cards & can empty your accounts practically in real time. Use them at your own risk.

Identity theft goes beyond the financial loss. It can ruin your reputation. If the thief gets arrested & skips on a warrant, you may well be arrested. Background checks or security clearances for employment can become dicey. Worse, in these days of rising health care costs, there's big money there. (He mentions organized crime dropping drugs in favor of health scams.) You may lose or be denied coverage due to someone else using your benefits. Incorrect information (blood type, allergies, conditions) can get mixed with yours & that can kill you.

But what do you do if you suddenly find someone has stolen your identity? That's where a company like Levin's may shine is in repairing the damage. That might be the best part of this book & is the core sales pitch. He doesn't go into the odds & I think they're fairly low at this point, but IF it does happen, how the hell do you fix it? Credit cards & the bank would be a PITA, but easy enough. (He recommends keeping one card & account that are 'safe', so if the worst happens, you have some resources. Good idea.) What if your tax, social security, or medicare accounts are compromised? Ugh. What if someone has a driver's license & a criminal history as you in another state? Yikes!!! That could take teams of lawyers to fix.

He scared me & I knew a lot of this. I plan to ask my insurance company & several other institutions questions about my coverage in some of these situations. Depending on the answers, I might shop around for an ID protection service. How much am I willing to spend on this, though? It's another form of insurance. I pay too much for life, health, house, car, & other insurances already. Can I afford another? Can I afford not to? What do you think?

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful resource on minimizing your risk of identity theft. It covers both theory and practice, teaching you how to have a security and privacy mindset, and also giving specific protective steps to take, online and offline. Unfortunately, it's repetitive, giving the same advice multiple times.

Levin says, "Identity theft cannot be prevented, but it can be contained. Be paranoid. Be ready." In other words, although you can't prevent identity theft, you can reduce your risk, and minimize the damage if it occurs. He frequently cites the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center.

Levin walks through his "3 Ms" framework:
1. Minimize risk of exposure
2. Monitor accounts
3. Manage damage

I read this to increase my knowledge of digital security and privacy.

Notes
Part 1: An Overview of the Problem
What's in a Name (and a Number)?
Anonymous data doesn't provide as much privacy as you think. Science Magazine reported a study that connected specific people to specific purchases from this publicly available anonymized data: receipt, Instagram post, tweet or Facebook post about recent purchase or favorite restaurant.

Swiping Happens
• If you get a message asking you to call, independently confirm phone number, to ensure the number belongs to the party you think it does.
• Don't use same usernames or passwords on multiple websites.
• Disable geotagging on camera and photos.
• Don't use free WiFi for sensitive data without confirming it's the right network, and secure.

Part 2: The Basics of What You Can Do
Understanding the Problem Is the Solution
A minor whose identity is stolen can suffer from bad credit or other problems later in life.

Identity theft victims can be arrested for crimes they didn't commit, be added to no-fly lists, be denied employment, suffer health problems due to corrupted health records.

Conclusion of Science Magazine report referenced earlier: the more time you spend on social media, the greater your vulnerability to hacking. Every piece of data you share increases your attack surface.

The Three Ms
1. Minimize risk of exposure
2. Monitor accounts
3. Manage damage

Minimize risk of exposure
• Don't share too much info with people you don't know, online or offline.
• Use long, strong passwords.
• Secure all devices (settings, anti-malware software)
• Use two-factor authentication whenever possible.
• Shred documents that contain personally identifiable info (PII) or sensitive data.
• Don't carry anyone's Social Security cards.
• Don't carry Medicare card if you can help it.
• Limit number of credit and debit cards you carry.
• Don't use simple or easily guessable PINs.
• Don't send usernames, passwords, or PII by email or other insecure messages.
• Use a separate email account for online shopping.
• Be aware of risks (scams, malware, oversharing on social media, etc.).
• Turn off devices when not in use.
• Don't authenticate yourself to anyone who contacts you unsolicited.
• Set privacy controls tightly and review them frequently.
• Don't take quizzes that ask for PII.
• Any time you connect a device to your network, read manual and replace default passwords with long, strong passwords.
• Securely store all documents containing PII. Shred them when you no longer need them.
• Destroy any hard drives you no longer use [or securely wipe them — CW]

SHRED protocols, from Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC)
S: Strengthen passwords
H: Handle PII with care
R: Read credit reports annually
E: Empty purse, wallet
D: Discuss these tips with friends

No company can prevent identity theft. To learn about choosing identity theft service provider, see IDTheftInfo.org.

Monitor accounts
• Regularly check credit reports from all 3 credit bureaus via AnnualCreditReport.com. Space them out throughout year. Consider paying for more frequent credit reports from 1 or all 3 credit bureaus.
• Enroll in transactional notification programs, which may be free through bank, credit union, credit card issuers.
• Enroll in programs that give access to credit score at least monthly.
• Consider subscribing to credit and fraud monitoring services, and set notifications as appropriate. Consider those that provide recovery services as well as monitoring.
• Check credit card and bank transactions daily, so you can catch fraud quickly.
• Consider setting fraud alerts through credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion).
• Monitor credit of your children.
• Freeze your credit with each credit bureau.

Manage damage
Consider cyber liability, identity protection, and/or identity theft damage control, which may be offered by your insurance carrier, financial services provider, employer.

Hackers go after the weakest target. Keep increasing your security to distance yourself from weak targets.

Part 3: The Many Types of Identity Theft
Spies in Your Home: How the Internet of Things May Violate Your Privacy, Threaten Your Security, and Ruin Your Credit
Consider dumb appliances and devices to reduce risk of smart ones.

Voice assistants (e.g., Siri), smart speakers (e.g., Amazon Echo), and audio messaging apps (e.g., Facebook Messenger) can theoretically allow hackers to listen to you.

A Taxing Situation
Ignore calls and emails from "the IRS"; IRS never initiates contact by phone or email; they only initiate via US mail. If in doubt, call IRS at 800-829-1040.

If you're a victim of tax identity theft
• File report with local police.
• File complaint at IdentityTheft.gov or call FTC at 877-438-4338.
• Place fraud alert with 1 of 3 credit bureaus.
• Consider credit monitoring service.
• Close fraudulent accounts.
• Contact IRS and complete Form 14039. If IRS doesn't reply, call IRS at 800-908-4490.

It's a Hard-Knock Life: Child Identity Theft
More than 10% of all foster children are victims of identity theft.

May the Farce Be with You: Social Media Dos and Don'ts
Set social media settings to not tag you in posts by others until you approve them.

How to minimize damage of Facebook hack
• Change your name or use a nickname.
• Don't geotag photos. Don't add location to photos.
• Put a false birth date (at least the wrong year).
• Lock down privacy settings to limit what people can see.
• Delete past posts that provide PII.

From Dangerous to Deadly: On Healthcare Scams and Medical Identity Theft
Don't give medical offices info they don't truly need, such as SSN, PII of family members (names, birth dates, etc.).

Carefully check every Explanation of Benefits (EOB) for anything out of place.

Ask to check your medical records whenever you see a doctor or specialist. Look for anything out of place.

Wanted Dead or Alive: (But It's Easier If You're Dead)
Include post-mortem identity theft precautions in your estate planning, including granting Power of Attorney to a trusted family member. Have all post-mortem communications ready, so all your family needs to do is send death certificate to appropriate parties. Signing up for identity theft protection that includes identity management and credit monitoring would be very helpful.

Immediately after death is a time of great vulnerability, because no one is paying attention to credit and identity of deceased.

Part 4: Resources and Terms
Appendix 1: Fraud Stories
If you get a call from any institution about a financial matter or information security, ask for a phone number and hang up. Confirm the phone number is correct by checking organization's website.

Be wary of forming a relationship with someone who says they can't meet in person, talk on phone, or have video call. Be suspicious of someone who always has emergencies. Those are signs of a scam.

What military personnel should do
• Put active duty alert on credit files.
• Grant Power of Attorney to trusted spouse or loved one before you depart.
• Consider using identity management service. Check with insurance agent, bank, credit union, HR department at work, your service branch to see what they offer. Look for credit monitoring and resolution services.

What elderly (and their children) should do
• Ensure anyone who works in elderly person's home has had a thorough background check.
• Freeze credit.

Appendix 2: A Glossary of Scams
If you ever win anything that requires you to pay, it's a scam. Winners don't pay before receiving prizes.

Report online fraud to Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.

Appendix 3: Identity Theft and the Deceased: Prevention and Victim Tips
See Identity Theft and the Deceased – Prevention and Victim Tips (ITRC Fact Sheet 117)

[BLACK CAT · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of information security strategies focused on identity theft. A Must read in this social media, credit card age.

[Kathy Nealen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many recommendations for avoiding fraud and identity theft. The author recommends checking bank and credit accounts daily. It is also good to set alerts for withdrawals so they can be tracked.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swiped: How to Protect Yourself In a World of Scammers, Phishers and Identity Thieves, Adam Levin, 2016, ISBN 9781610397209

The question is not if, but when, identity theft happens to you. This book gives the details.

Everyone has read about the major data breaches of recent years, exposing the personal information of hundreds of millions of people. The bad people in this world have come up with new ways to scam the public. A letter or phone call may come from a debt collector saying that, for instance, a credit card has been opened in the name of a deceased family member, or a newborn baby (Pay Up Now). It's possible that the debt collector, and the bill, are not even legitimate, and they are simply trying to intimidate you into paying.

Hackers have been known to file fake tax returns, using your Social Security number. When you file your return, and are looking for your refund, the IRS will say "we already gave you your refund." If a hacker gets your medical history, using the information to open a credit card, for instance, or giving your name to the police after they have been arrested, is not the worst that can happen. They can also, for instance, delete your allergy to penicillin, or give you HIV, which is much worse.

What can a person do about it? In this day and age, anyone who still uses "password" or "1234" as their computer password is just asking to be hacked. Change your passwords often. Check your bank statement and credit card statement online many times per month; don't wait for the paper statement. If anything looks questionable, start calling today. Get a free copy of your credit report from each of the credit-reporting agencies every year. Again, if anything looks questionable, don't wait. Get on the phone today, and document everything. Also, minimize your online exposure, and clean out your wallet.

It's not possible to completely eliminate your exposure to identity theft, but, this book does a very good job of helping to minimize it. Many people may consider what's in this book to be common knowledge, but it certainly bears repeating. This an eye-opener, and very much worth reading.

[Richard Jespers · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you aren’t an expert in a particular field, you can be cowed by someone who IS (supposedly) an expert. That’s how I feel as I read Levin’s book Swiped. It’s a clever title. You think at first: Oh, he’s talking about how you swipe your card in a reader when purchasing an item, and then you get caught up in the pun. He’s really talking about when someone else swipes your card and swipes it in a reader or uses it to swipe your data. As a student of rhetoric, I’m always suspicious of what seems like hyperbolic speech, oversell, overkill. At the same time, Levin could be Paul Revere, and most of us just aren’t listening. Although Levin’s book provides a great deal of usable information, I do believe he could have honed it down to one well-edited magazine article, and it would have been just as effective. You be the judge.

Let me share a few of the nuggets I found interesting:

“More than 500 million photographs are uploaded to major websites every day. More than 2 billion pictures are taken on mobile devices every day” (Kindle Location 85). Elsewhere Levin cautions against using geotagged photos at websites like Facebook because it can give thieves clues to your PII (personally identifiable information). It probably begins with the settings in your camera or iPhoto. I think it makes sense NOT to geotag.

“Debit cards increase your exposure to fraud. Use a credit card” (Kindle Location 578). Levin asserts that “carefully placed cameras” (by thieves?) can record PIN numbers as you enter them in an ATM or device at your favorite store. Not sure what his authority or source is on this assertion, and he’s assuming that thieves could EASILY install their own cameras at ATM stations. Seriously?

He warns against the free release of your social security number: “With your Social Security number in the wind, whoever finds it—or, more likely, whoever buys it on one of the many black-market information exchanges on the deep web—holds the keys to every part of your life. What that means—plain and simple—is that you’re going to need an efficient way to keep one eye over your shoulder, all the time” (Kindle Location 591). The paranoiac tone notwithstanding, Levin’s advice is probably good. Elsewhere in the book, he directs the reader to keep only a COPY of your Medicare card in your wallet with all but the last four numbers blacked out, the “M” or “F,” as well. This way, you can still inform someone who needs the number (medical personnel) but protect yourself from unwarranted use if someone should steal your wallet. He also warns against carrying your Social Security card (or copy) for the very same reasons.

At one point Levin makes a list: “We expose our most sensitive personal information any time we

Pick up a phone, respond to a text, click on a link, or carelessly provide personal information to someone we don’t know;

Fail to properly secure computers or devices;

Create easy-to-crack passwords;

Discard, rather than shred, documents that contain PII;

Respond to an email that directs us to call a number we can’t independently confirm, or complete an attachment that asks for our PII in an insecure environment;

Save our user ID or password on a website or in an app as a shortcut for future logins;

Use the same user ID or password throughout our financial, social networking, and email universes;

Take [online] quizzes that subtly ask for information we’ve provided as the answers to security questions on various websites.

Snap pictures with our smartphone or digital camera without disabling the geotagging function;

Use our email address as a user name/ID, if we have the option to change it;

Use PINS like 1234 or a birthday;

Go twenty-four hours without reviewing our bank and credit card accounts to make absolutely sure that every transaction we see is familiar;

Fail to enroll in free transactional monitoring programs offered by banks, credit unions, and credit card providers that notify us every time there is any activity in our accounts;

Use a free Wi-Fi network [i.e. cafés or even airports] without confirming it is correctly identified and secure, to check email or access financial services websites that contain our sensitive data” (Kindle Location 668-678).

These tips are all good advice. I only question whether we need to check our accounts EVERY DAY. Perhaps every second or third day, even once a week?

“The deep web is a hidden part of the Internet. It consists of a vast number of sites, most of them thoroughly boring, that can’t be found by a traditional search engine like Google. To access these sites, you need a password, a specific URL, a sophisticated understanding of how computers communicate, or sometimes all of the above. The deep web is four hundred to six hundred times larger than the ‘surface web,’ that is, the familiar sites you can access via search engines and see every day” (Kindle Location 781).

Hm, yes, okay. On the one hand, I want to run screaming into the street. On the other, I want to laugh. So . . . the deep, dark web is LARGER than our mere regular Internet? But it is also harder to break into? Perhaps the underworld of crime has always been that way, but something about Levin’s tone makes me wary. Moreover, he repeats many, many times that everyone, EVERYONE, will be hacked or in some way attacked by parties wanting access to our personal digital information. Mathematically, that doesn’t seem possible. It’s like saying EVERYONE will have a car accident in his or her lifetime, or EVERYONE will contract TB or AIDS. Some people just won’t.

All these admonitions, in a nutshell, are what Levin’s entire book is about. If I were to liken his book to a musical form I would say it is a rondo: Theme ABACADA or perhaps Variations on a Theme. He keeps repeating the same themes in slightly different ways. A full quarter of the book consists of five appendices, which repeat oft-harped-on information presented earlier.

Again, Levin seems to offer the reader/consumer/citizen-of-the-world valuable data, but his Paul Revere appeal could have been reduced to bite-sized pieces. He could have skipped many of the useless or situation-specific anecdotes and provided the reader with a little card to keep in the wallet or purse. Sometimes too much information can also be too little.

[Colven H. GuffMan · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝘔𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺! 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵[$2𝘮] 𝘢𝘯𝘥 ���𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘚 𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴: 𝘻𝘪𝘲𝘤.𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰@𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮” 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 ���𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥’ 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 , 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴!
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 " 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮" 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨.

[Soyorin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after someone doxxed my info, including what I had said in some private accounts, to use as evidence against me and my social life. They didn’t get the chance to further ruin it, luckily; but it showed me how stupid I was for using the same email for work and for my online identity when I should have separated the two; and more stupidly, even the same handle. Therefore, P53 — with a name and date of birth, or email address, or user ID and password, or a correlation between a name and an address, an identity thief with a bit of persistence can start piecing together enough factoids about you to pass as you in the eyes of a creditor — made me nod in agreement.
This book is generally good (at least the information in it is; I couldn’t care less about what the author claims to be while he isn't) and I liked the fraud stories and the glossary of scams included, since they’re very useful for a non-native English speaker like me. However, I have to admit that some parts were too long-winded and could have been written more concisely.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book points out all of the area where your data, and private information. And the risks come not just from social media (this book was published in 2015, so the social media references are limited and dated). Levin was a NJ State official (where I had head his name) before opening up his company IDT911 (now known as CyberScout). The book is detailed and thoroughly researched (in fact the core book is 190 pages).. the rest final chapters of the book are given over to appendices, case studies, resources and footnotes. People are very, very careless with their information, companies even more so. But there are times the book reads like a long wise uncle scold, and that slows down the reading experience. (3.8-4.1/5.0 stars).

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two thirds of the book really seamed geared to the consumer to protect themselves. I enjoyed that by chapter 13 Adam finally went into some of the enterprise issues. Although a lot of this is common knowledge for me working in the IT field. It is a good reminder to continue to have the conversation about security and make sure you and your employees/customers are kept safe and educated about being taken advantage of.

[Divyesh Sheth · Rating 4 out of 5]

good introduction to identity theft and how to prevent or recover from it

This book highlights different ways your personally identifiable information (PII) gets exposed to hackers, criminals and fraudsters and what steps you can take to make it difficult for them to get hold of the info or prevent it. It also has good suggestions in terms of best practices and recommendations for law makers on how to protect the PII.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering that this was a book I wouldn't have picked up for any reason other than being bored at work, I found it fairly informative and almost enjoyable. I definitely learned a few things about protecting your identity from scammers and thieves and I was particularly interested in some of the case studies that were discussed throughout the book.

[Suraj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intriguing book. Being a student of the computer field, I had the knowledge how the computer can be used to steal someone else's data - but having provided with such stellar example of how various phishing techniques are put into action has opened a whole new level of paranoia for me. This book is a must read for anyone wishing to learn ways in which to protect themselves.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must read book with all the scamming going on. Great chapters on all the scams that are out there & what / how to go about it. True life incidents of people that have been scammed & what they went through & how they went about clearing it all up.

[Bradley Riggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and easy to follow read. As an IS major and a credit card fraud victim, much of these subjects hit home with me. It’s going to be a never ending battle of good vs. evil. That said, security best practices are a must in this day and age.

[Daniel Gauthier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Swiped provides an important message that's numbingly repetitive. It's worth a skim for the interesting ID theft statistics.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you only read one nonfiction book this year, it should be this one. It's going on the "Recommended Reading" slide show in my office.

[Jericho Eames · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me paranoid about my data and all my personal information that can be found out online. Thr advise given is better for big companies tho.

[Muhammad Fadel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new, nothing fascinating. I expect to hear more stories but turns out its just a mere guidebook. Maybe I set my expectation wrong

[Pang Khong Yun · Rating 5 out of 5]

General information regarding web and scam.

[Kelly Lynn Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and interesting, but kind of fear-mongering, too.

[cypher · Rating 5 out of 5]

some useful information.

...omg, having fitness tracker activity stolen, for "sexual activity 10 minutes" when and how much...what do they even do with this?...publish a study?...

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm probably going to read this one again because it's so chock full of helpful information I don't think I absorbed it all. This book could be the basis for an excellent library program...

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a growth industry? Try identity theft. Over a third of Americans have experienced some degree of outside use of their accounts, and that number will only rise as our personal data is collected in more and more places. News reports may have alerted citizens to the need to destroy physical mail carrying their social security number and other personal information, but even the most vigilant of privacy-protectors can’t stop outside forces from sacking institutions that use that data. Big box stores, transnational health insurance providers, even the federal government: all are vulnerable. In Swiped, Levin maintains that if a given reader hasn’t already experienced identity theft, the odds are good that they will in the near future. Instead of consoling oneself with the pleasant notion that such a crime can’t happen to them, he urges readers to minimize their risk, monitor their accounts, and take precautions to manage the damage.

Personal cybersecurity, covered in only a chapter of books like Future Crimes, takes center stage here, and with chapters especially devoted to identity theft arising from tax fraud and healthcare systems, it makes for an especially pertinent read for tax season. The heaviest burden for action against identity theft is laid on the individual, for we are much more quick-footed about adapting behavior to threats than institutions, and have the most control over releasing information. Regardless of the precautions taken -- the savvy exercised -- at some point Levin believes that most people's personal accounts will be compromised. He recommends constant scrutiny of personal records: daily bank check-ins, thorough examinations of "benefits received" from insurance companies, etc. Finally, Levin urges readers to have an action plan for when -- not if -- they are compromised. Know what accounts you need to freeze, what forms to file -- and don't think it stops with your death, either, because there are plenty of operators who comb the obituaries for accounts to borrow. While his emphasis is on personal vigilance, Levin also has chapters detailing ideas for business security culture, and national-level legislation. Swiped is fast and abounding with ideas on 'data hygiene', and its emphasis on action rather than alarm makes it an welcome follow-up to Data and Goliath and Future Crimes.

Related:
Ten Don'ts On Your Digital Devices, Daniel G. Bachrach, Eric J. Rzeszut

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepare to be alarmed and made a little paranoid (in a good way), even if you thought you knew a fair amount about keeping your information safe. Adam Levin has written a book that minces no words in telling you that it is not a matter of "if" your personal information will be compromised, but "when." Considering I don't know a single person who has not gotten a letter informing him/her of a data breach, had a debit/credit card "skimmed," or found errors on their credit report, I wasn't really surprised.

Levin explains many of the most common frauds perpetrated, many of which can happen without the consumer's knowledge until long after the fact. He also offers suggestions for minimizing exposure, managing data, and handling the nightmare that comes once the identity theft or fraud is discovered. He discusses every kind of fraud from the most common card skimming to medical identity theft to fraud involving the deceased. The complete incompetence (or maybe it's sheer stupidity) of our legislative branch to take measures to protect consumers also gets plenty of ink (or pixels, if you prefer.)

The author owns an identity theft resolution company, and he obviously has a bias towards all consumers buying the services of such a company. That in no way takes away from the trove of information presented in this book. This is the sort of information no one wants to need to know, but is quickly becoming a critical part of financial and technology literacy.

[Jeff Koloze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Levin's work provides many helpful suggestions on how to prevent identity theft, how to secure one's financial resources, and how to do the preceding without paying for exorbitant credit or identity theft services. The case studies are interesting narratives that faculty can use to illustrate his ideas.

[LPL Staff Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book! It is an eye-opener on how vulnerable we all are to identity theft, social media harassment and scams. The real-life stories are compelling and the book includes practical advice to protect yourself from crime.

Angela K.
Librarian
Mahon Branch

Lubbock Public Library Call #: 364.1633 LEVI

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is informative as well as scary. All of your cyber night mares come true. finding inevitability at a higher rate for protection from scams, pheishing, etc. Highlights of possible care one can take still do not guarentee safety, but is better than nothing. Stay cyber safe guys.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrifying book about all the ways in which your identity can be, well, swiped -- online, offline, anywhere. Change your passwords. Read the book, because the author gives you some good tips on how to stay a little safer in amongst the horror stories.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Missed the Mark

Topic was ripe to be written about and I was really excited to read after I had purchased. I found that the book could have been better organized and seemed very repetitive. I was a bit disappointed.