Chinese Hacking Is Alarming. So Are Data Brokers.

Bank Vault with Data Inside

Using the personal data of millions of Americans against their will is certainly alarming. But what’s the difference between the Chinese government stealing all that information and a data broker amassing it legally without user consent and selling it on the open market? Both are predatory practices to invade privacy for insights and strategic leverage. Yes, […]

Justice Department indicts four members of China’s military for Equifax hack

News Anchor discussing Equifax

After the initial breach was announced on September 7, 2017, law enforcement officials and investigators turned their attention to China’s military. This was due in part to the fact that the Equifax data has never been found for sale on underground internet forums that usually involve the trade in this type of data to criminals […]

Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week starts today

1040 Tax Form

It would not surprise me if a victim of tax ID theft would also need to deal with credit theft.  Consumers can check their credit reports regularly for accounts that do not belong to them. https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/02/tax-identity-theft-awareness-week-starts-today?utm_source=govdelivery All this week, the FTC and its partners will host free events to share information about recognizing, avoiding and […]

Man surprised to receive over 50K letters saying same thing

Mailbox

Are computer errors (or even “coding errors”) affecting your credit reports?    Consumers can check their credit reports for free at annualcreditreport.com for free credit reports or purchase your credit reports and scores at myfico.com. https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/02/04/man-receives-thousands-letters-student-loan-company-ots-vpx.hln/video/playlists/atv-trending-videos/

FICO Changes Could Lower Your Credit Score

FICO Sample Score

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fico-changes-could-lower-your-credit-score-11579780800 Changes in how the most widely used credit score in the U.S. is calculated will likely make it harder for many Americans to get loans. Fair Isaac Corp., FICO -1.39% creator of FICO scores, will soon start scoring consumers with rising debt levels and those who fall behind on loan payments more harshly. It will also flag certain […]

Average FICO score hits record high—here’s the average credit score in every state

Excited women on a laptop

https://www.cnbc.com/select/average-fico-score-hits-record-high-703/ Key Findings The average FICO score in the U.S. hit a record high of 703 in 2019 Minnesota residents have the highest average credit score for the eighth consecutive year at 731 Mississippi residents have the lowest average credit score at 667 59% of Americans have a FICO score of 700 or higher — […]

Adam Singer, Esq.: Today’s Verdict Interview

Adam Singer

I enjoyed sitting down for a TV interview at the studio for NYC’s own legal news show Today’s Verdict.  Topic was credit report errors and how consumers can monitor their reports for free via annualcrediterport.com.   Here is that interview: https://www.bronxnet.org/watch/videos/8599/    (Also a pleasure meeting and watching the interview of Commissioner Salas of the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs.)

‘Social credit score’: China set to roll out ‘Orwellian’ mass surveillance tool

Xi Jinping

The system that critics call an Orwellian national-level control system has been dubbed the Social Credit System (SCS) and was set for launch in the coming year, although recent reports from China now say the rollout could be delayed until 2021. The massive system has been tested in several major Chinese cities and uses millions […]