I just wanted to show off my new business cards.
I hope they give the nerdier amongst you a chuckle :-)
I hope they give the nerdier amongst you a chuckle :-)
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Dangers Of Mistaken Identity Online
Everyone knows to keep their identity safe in the real world, but what about online?
Last night, I received an email from a building society addressed to a "Bill Bennett", confirming some details about a bank account that had been recently opened. The only catch was that it was for a different Bill Bennett - one who had mis-written his email address on his application form, and so all the correspondence was destined for my inbox. And my, what a mine of information it was.
I'd ended up with a PDF file, containing his name, address, phone number, date of birth, and national insurance number. On top of this were all the identity documents he'd sent in - a copy of his E.On electricity bill, one of his most recent Virgin Media statement, and a fully itemised sheet of his most recent bank statement.
There was more than enough information there for me to steal his entire identity - take out Wonga loans, phone contracts, and more. If this kind of information had fallen into the wrong hands, it would have fetched a pretty penny on the black market, for sure.
Luckily for this hapless individual, I'm not evil, and have since destroyed the email and attachments. I even called his office (using the work number on the forms), and left a message, but he's not had the courtesy to reply.
Last night, I received an email from a building society addressed to a "Bill Bennett", confirming some details about a bank account that had been recently opened. The only catch was that it was for a different Bill Bennett - one who had mis-written his email address on his application form, and so all the correspondence was destined for my inbox. And my, what a mine of information it was.
I'd ended up with a PDF file, containing his name, address, phone number, date of birth, and national insurance number. On top of this were all the identity documents he'd sent in - a copy of his E.On electricity bill, one of his most recent Virgin Media statement, and a fully itemised sheet of his most recent bank statement.
There was more than enough information there for me to steal his entire identity - take out Wonga loans, phone contracts, and more. If this kind of information had fallen into the wrong hands, it would have fetched a pretty penny on the black market, for sure.
Luckily for this hapless individual, I'm not evil, and have since destroyed the email and attachments. I even called his office (using the work number on the forms), and left a message, but he's not had the courtesy to reply.
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