It is no secret that financially successful families are often early adopters of all the new must-have home technology products rushed to market each holiday season. What few early adopters realize is the degree to which many of these new products provide new and easy opportunities for those in the “hacking community” to run familiar scams to steal identities, credit card information, etc. In a Dec 26 article titled Gadgets Bring New Opportunities for Hackers, The New York Times provides great insights on how many new technology products are exposing consumers to this growing risk.
Love your i Phone and i Pad? The Wall Street Journal reported Dec 18 that many popular apps for both products help to share user data widely and freely without the user’s knowledge. It seems Apple assigns a Unique Device ID to the devices it sells that enable others to track how the devices are used. This article in the Dec 28 edition of The New York Times by Reuters summarizes the class action lawsuits Apple is facing.
With all of this unsettling news, consumers should minimally examine the protection they are provided by their insurance program for the risks of identity theft and restoration. Extra attention for taking prentative steps should also be considered.
