IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center's (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown for September 5, 2025. I'm Tatiana Cuadras, Communications Assistant for the ITRC. Thanks to Sentilink for supporting the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we look at the most recent events and trends related to data security and privacy. Today, we are going to look at how identity criminals are using QR code phishing in new attacks. Many of you probably have heard the phrase “Gone Fishing” before. For those who have not, “Gone Fishing” is another way someone might say one is absent, left or no longer present. It can also be an excuse for not being around. The hackers are not “Gone Fishing”; they are “Gone Quishing”. See what I did there? On a more serious note, that is the title of this week’s podcast because they are weaponizing QR codes in new “quishing” attacks. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Fraudian Slip, the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) podcast, where we talk about all things identity theft, fraud and scams that impact people and businesses. This month’s episode focuses on the hot topic of fake jobs. Chances are that sometime in the past week or this week, you will receive a text from someone claiming to be a job recruiter. It will be fake. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown for August 22, 2025. I’m Timothy Walden. Thanks to SentiLink for their support of the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we break down the latest data security incidents making headlines. Today, we’re focusing on a recent incident involving Instagram that exposed sensitive information for millions of users through a little-known feature called Instagram Map. Earlier this month, Instagram rolled out a new feature called Instagram Map. The idea sounds harmless enough: a way to see your friends’ real-time locations, similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map or Apple’s Find My. However, here’s the issue: Instagram Map prompts you to share your precise location every time you open the app, even if you’re not posting. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome back to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown, supported by Sentilink. I’m James E. Lee, the ITRC’s President, and this is the episode for August 15, 2025. Each week, we take a look at the latest news and trends related to data security and privacy. For 20 years now, the CODB, along with the ITRC’s U.S. Data Breach Report (DBR) and Verizon’s global Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR), have been part of the triumvirate that looks at data breach costs by region around the world, along with how long it takes to find and fix a data breach. The CODB, along with the DBR and DBIR, are proof that those of us in the cybersecurity world love our acronyms. That makes this episode – LITTOB – Love in the Time of Breaches (with apologies to the makers of Love in the Time of Cholera). Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center's (ITRC’s) Weekly Breach Breakdown for August 8, 2025. I'm Alex Achten, Senior Director of Communications & Media Relations of the ITRC. Thanks to Sentilink for supporting the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we look at the most recent events and trends related to data security and privacy. Today, we are going to look at how a weak password at a large corporation led to the exposure of millions of people’s personal information, and explore good password practices. In the past on this podcast, we have joked about the password “123456”. It is a very weak password and, according to the 2025 Hive Systems Password Table, it would be cracked instantly by an identity criminal. This weak password provides no security, and while you’d think no one would use it today, it is still commonly used. In fact, NordPass reports that it is the most commonly used password worldwide, with a count of 3,018,050. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown for August 1, 2025. I’m Timothy Walden. Thanks to SentiLink for their support of the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we examine the latest events and trends in data security and privacy. This week, we’re looking at an Amazon phishing scam that could impact more than 200 million Amazon Prime members. It’s the latest version of a phishing attack that tries to trick you into handing over your login credentials, payment information and more. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Fraudian Slip, the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) podcast, where we talk about all things identity theft, fraud and scams that impact people and businesses. You’ve probably heard of Ride or Die, one of those slang terms that seems to be everywhere at one time or another. Today, the phrase you can’t escape no matter how hard you try is artificial intelligence, or AI. That’s why we’re calling today’s episode “Ride or AI.” We discuss the impacts of AI. AI is already changing business and social norms and will continue to do so. What will be the impacts of AI on identity theft, fraud and scams? Who will be responsible for protecting people and businesses when AI makes a mistake? Which is the more likely scenario: a Star Trek-style all-knowing computer or Skynet from the Terminator? Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on X: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome back to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown, supported by Sentilink. I’m James E. Lee, the ITRC’s President, and this is the episode for July 18, 2025. Each week, we take a look at the latest news and trends related to data security and privacy. This week, the ITRC released our H1 2025 Data Breach Analysis that looks at what happened in the first six months of 2025 when it comes to U.S. data compromises. Let’s talk about the trends, but first, some housekeeping with some numbers: A total of 1,732 data compromises were reported in the first half of 2025, resulting in a little more than 165.7 million breach notices. That’s about five percent ahead of where we were at this time last year in terms of compromises. It’s also more reported compromises than at the halfway point in 2023, when we set the current high-water mark for data compromises. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on X: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

NOTE: Police in the UK have indicted four members of Scattered Spider. The suspects — two 19-year-old men, a 17-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman — are being held on suspicion of violating the Computer Misuse Act, blackmail, money laundering and participating in organized crime activities, according to the NCA. For more information, click here: https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/uk-arrest-four-retail-cyberattack/752682/ =========== Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center's (ITRC’s) Weekly Breach Breakdown for July 11, 2025. I'm Alex Achten, Senior Director of Communications & Media Relations of the ITRC. Thanks to Sentilink for supporting the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we look at the most recent events and trends related to data security and privacy. Today, we will take a deeper look at the works of a ransomware group that ITRC President James E. Lee discussed on the podcast just last month. We are discussing Scattered Spider attacks. Have you ever been bitten by a spider? It hurts so bad! The good news is that most spider bites are harmless. However, some are worse than others, especially black widow and brown recluse spiders. As James said in June, not all scary spiders are of the 8-legged freak. There is one that does not have eight legs and can inflict harm as nasty as a black widow or brown recluse bite. We are again discussing the ransomware group Scattered Spider, which continues to dominate the headlines and target companies. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown for July 3, 2025. I’m Timothy Walden. Thanks to SentiLink for their support of the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we break down the latest data security incidents making headlines. Today, we’re focusing on a significant lawsuit settlement— the AT&T data privacy settlement. This settlement affected millions of AT&T customers and underscores the increasing complexities of data breach litigation. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Fraudian Slip, the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) podcast, where we talk about all things identity theft, fraud and scams that impact people and businesses. This week, we published our 2025 Trends in Identity Report by ITRC. The report examines trends based on contacts from victims and individuals seeking prevention information who have contacted the ITRC between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. For the report, the ITRC examined the wide range of identity crimes, including identity theft, fraud and scams, as well as attempted crimes. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome back to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown, supported by Sentilink. I’m James E. Lee, the ITRC’s President, and this is the episode for June 20, 2025. Happy first day of summer! Each week, we take a look at the latest news and trends related to data security and privacy. This week, we’re going to talk about a heads-up being issued by cyber threat researchers. However, we’re going to swerve into the rapidly changing cybersecurity policy landscape and ransomware group Scattered Spider – just for fun. If you ask an artificial intelligence bot how many people in the U.S. are afraid of spiders, it will tell you that up to 50 million people suffer from arachnophobia. I’m not one of them, but I’m close. With that said, not all scary spiders are of the 8-legged freak. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center's (ITRC’s) Weekly Breach Breakdown for June 13, 2025. I'm Alex Achten, Senior Director of Communications & Media Relations of the ITRC. Thanks to Sentilink for supporting the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we look at the most recent events and trends related to data security and privacy. Today, we will examine a data event that has dominated the headlines for the last two weeks, its implications for consumers and why it highlights the importance of passkey adoption. You’ve probably heard the phrase “the future is now.” There is a debate over the origin of this term. Some say it was from the back cover of Alvin Toffler’s 1970 book “Future Shock.” Some think its origins may be older, stretching back to a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy in 1966 or a similar phrase from Sir Austen Chamberlain in 1936. Regardless of who coined the phrase, it is relevant to our conversation today, as it pertains to findings recently discovered by cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown for June 6, 2025. I’m Timothy Walden. Thanks to SentiLink for their support of the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we examine the latest events and trends in data security and privacy. This week, we’re discussing a record-setting Google privacy settlement in Texas and what it means when states begin holding Big Tech accountable. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

Welcome to the Fraudian Slip, the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) podcast, where we talk about all things identity theft, fraud and scams that impact people and businesses. This month’s episode focuses on whether or not the suspected fraud decline is real and if anti-fraud tools are working. After all the Memorial Day cookouts, proms and graduation ceremonies of the past week, you might have missed some news about cybercrimes, including identity theft, fraud and scams. Just before the long holiday weekend, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a report that noted the number of reported fraud and cybercrime victims experiencing financial losses had dropped. That’s in keeping with a report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the ITRC’s own victim impact report due out in a few weeks. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter