By John Sileo, Identity Theft Author and Data Security Keynote Speaker Information is the currency and lifeblood of the modern economy and, unlike the industrial revolution, data doesn’t shut down at dinnertime. As a result, the trend is towards hyper-mobile computing – smartphones and tablets – that connect us to the Internet and a limitless transfusion of information 24-7.

By John Sileo, Identity Theft Author and Speaker Online shopping during the holidays is a convenient, green, inexpensive way to share the joy of the season. In 2010, Cyber Monday was the heaviest online spending day in history and the first to surpass the billion-dollar threshold ($1.028 billion). But as you gear up for the holidays (yes, it’s here already), don’t forget to take simple precautions to keep your credit card, banking and identity information safe.

By Chuck Whitlock, Identity Theft Author and Investigative Reporter Once malware finds its way onto a mobile device, it’s possible that the device can be controlled remotely by a hacker or network of hackers; once that happens, the data on the device can be transferred, and precious, unprotected information can be sold to identity thieves. With this vulnerability in mind, the assumption users make is that the applications that store data like passwords and user names employ some form of encryption when writing the data to the device’s memory.

By Chuck Whitlock, Identity Theft Author and Investigative Reporter Identity thieves are opportunists who don’t care what type of equipment you’re using. You can be brought to your knees by identity theft on your smartphone or tablet as well as your laptop or PC. Malware, computer software that can relay personal data or hand over your computer's control to a cyber criminal, has long been an issue for anyone who has connected a personal computer to the Internet. The concern about malware infection should logically follow Internet users as they walk away from their personal computers and dive headfirst into the freedom of life with a smartphone.

By Gabby Beltran, Identity Theft Resource Center One of the common recommendations for individuals when it comes to protecting their identity is to safeguard their information and watch what they post over the internet. With an increase in Smartphone and mobile device usage, accessibility to social networking sites has literally translated to having something within one’s easy reach – the tap of our fingertips. Social networking sites have revolutionized how we communicate and what we do on the internet. As a result, the protection of the information stored in these devices or shared through these forms of internet communication has become a growing concern.

By Chuck Whitlock, Identity Theft Author and Investigative Reporter An old adage warns, “Trust no one.” Sadly, when it comes to protecting your identity, these words should become your mantra. While faceless scammers on the Internet or other strangers are often the main suspects in identity thefts, the biggest threat to your identity may be posed by someone who is close to you, even someone you love.

In this day and age, you need vital documents for just about everything. For example, when I fly with my toddler, I am required to show his birth certificate to prove he still is eligible for the under 2 fare. A friend’s parent recently died and she needed multiple copies of the death certificate to provide to the credit reporting agencies as a precaution against identity theft of the deceased. There are a lot of reasons why people who read this blog might be interested in ProtectMyID’s new co-marketing agreement with VitalChek, a leading resource for government issued vital records.

By Gabby Beltran, Identity Theft Resource Center When it comes to protecting your identity, often times it translates to being proactive. Taking the initiative to look after your personal identifying information is undeniably the best thing you can do. There are areas that are out of your control, but for those areas where you are primarily responsible – keep the following in mind.

By John Sileo, Identity Theft Author and Keynote Business Speaker Everybody wants your data. To any social media site, you are information inventory that can be aggregated, shared, and sold. To competitors, you are one poorly configured firewall from handing over the recipe to your secret sauce. And to the data spies sitting at the table next to you in café, you are one unencrypted wireless connection away from wishing you had paid better attention to this article.

By Gabby Beltran, Identity Theft Resource Center The increasing use of Smartphones for daily activities has caused a growing concern, especially when it comes to the personal information that is stored in the device. As the rate of use increases within different age groups in the population – so does the threat to Cybersecurity. The Smartphone world is the new target for criminals. It is subject to attacks that may manifest themselves through web-based, SMS-based, and app-based attacks.