SHIELD YOURSELF FROM FRAUD

RECENTLY, one of my clients shared a harrowing experience.

- MARIO R. HERNANDEZ

The client's parents received a phone call from someone claiming to be their grandson. The connection was filled with static, but the grandparents made out that the grandson was allegedly in jail and urgently needed them to wire bail money to him. Frantic, they assured him they would immediately send the funds.

As soon as they hung up, they began to feel uneasy. They decided to call their grandson directly, who, much to their relief, answered the phone. The grandson confirmed that he was safe and sound, and the client's parents narrowly avoided falling victim to a common scam.

In the same few weeks, news emerged that a hacking group called "USDOD" managed to break into the systems of National Public Data, which handles background checks.

The scale of the breach, which potentially exposed nearly 3 billion records, is mind-boggling. Following the breach, criminals released Social Security numbers, addresses and other personal data-information that criminals can use to steal identities on the dark web.