| The state of New York, Office of the Attorney | | | | new account. Many people have done this in Twitter, |
| General plans to sue the social-networking site for | | | | LinkedIn and Facebook. The lie told is there is no |
| allegedly using deceptive e-mails in order to gain new | | | | picture to be seen. That's deceptive marketing, not |
| users. | | | | identity theft. |
| It is alleged that the social-networking service stole | | | | Criminal hackers have been using the same ruse to |
| the identities of more than 60 million Internet users | | | | get people to log in to a spoofed Facebook account |
| by sending e-mails to people saying that members of | | | | for the past year. Once logged in the user is |
| the site had tagged them in photos but the photos | | | | requested to download a file to watch a video. This |
| did not exist and that Tagged raided their private | | | | download has a virus that allows a full takeover of |
| accounts. | | | | their account. It almost looks like Tagged took a |
| The e-mails that people received appeared to come | | | | page out of the criminal hackers book using the |
| from their friends via the website as an offer to look | | | | same ruse, but without the virus or the spoofed site. |
| at the friends pictures and join in. It is believed that | | | | The fact is whenever you register for a social |
| Tagged, would then illegally get access to those new | | | | networking site you are asked to plug in your |
| users' e-mail address books and send out more | | | | credentials and invite your address book. Doing this is |
| messages without those users' knowledge. Tagged | | | | not a bad thing, unless the company you are trusting |
| will be sued for deceptive e-mail marketing practices | | | | is a bad corporate citizen. That said; don't provide |
| and invasion of privacy, the office said. | | | | any website your log in credentials to your web |
| In a statement by their CEO he said "Simply put, it | | | | based email account if you don't believe them to be |
| was too easy for people to quickly go through the | | | | 100% legit. Further, when you have web based cloud |
| registration process and unintentionally invited all their | | | | accounts that contain email and also have proprietary |
| contacts." | | | | documents or files within that account NEVER GIVE |
| I received the same emails from friends, people who | | | | THAT DATA TO ANY COMPANY. |
| were "duped". I spoke to those people and | | | | All that said, regardless, you should still protect |
| understand it to be true that, it was too easy for | | | | yourself from real identity theft. |
| people to quickly go through the registration process | | | | Here is how; |
| and unintentionally invited all their contacts. | | | | 1. Get a credit freeze. Go online now and search |
| I don't believe identities were stolen at any level and | | | | "credit freeze" or "security freeze" and follow the |
| that anyone using terms such as "stolen Identity" or | | | | steps for the state you live in. This is an absolutely |
| "identity theft" are grossly mistaken, but "email | | | | necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases it |
| harvesting" and a degree of spam and questionable | | | | prevents new accounts from being opened in your |
| marketing may have occurred. | | | | name. This makes the SSN useless to the thief. |
| Here is exactly what happened. A person receives an | | | | 2. Invest in Identity Theft Protection. While not all |
| email saying their friend wants to show them a | | | | forms of identity theft can be prevented, you can |
| picture. They have to visit the site, sign in, and | | | | effectively manage your personal identifying |
| register to view it. In that process they are asked | | | | information by knowing what's buzzing out there in |
| for their user name and password from their web | | | | regards to YOU. |
| based email account to invite more friends to their | | | | |